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Hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) as scaffolds for tissue engineering application: biocompatibility assessment and effect of the sterilization process

  • Engineering and Nano-engineering Approaches for Medical Devices
  • Original Research
  • Published:
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Abstract

Hydrogels are suitable materials to promote cell proliferation and tissue support because of their hydrophilic nature, porous structure and sticky properties. However, hydrogel synthesis involves the addition of additives that can increase the risk of inducing cytotoxicity. Sterilization is a critical process for hydrogel clinical use as a proper scaffold for tissue engineering. In this study, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(ethylene glycol)-chitosan (PEG-CH) and multi-arm PEG hydrogels were synthesized by free radical polymerization and sterilized by gamma irradiation or disinfected using 70 % ethanol. The biocompatibility assessment in human fibroblasts and hemocompatibility studies (hemolysis, platelet aggregation, morphology of mononuclear cells and viability) in peripheral blood from healthy volunteers (ex vivo), were performed. The sterilization or disinfection effect on hydrogel structures was evaluated by FT-IR spectroscopy. Results indicated that hydrogels do not induce any damage to fibroblasts, erythrocytes, platelets or mononuclear cells. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the biocompatibility after the sterilization or disinfection treatment. However, after gamma irradiation, several IR spectroscopic bands were shifted to higher or lower energies with different intensity in all hydrogels. In particular, several bands associated to carboxyl or hydroxyl groups were slightly shifted, possibly associated to scission reactions. The disinfection treatment (70 % ethanol) and γ-irradiation at 13.83 ± 0.7 kGy did not induce morphological damages and yielded sterile and biocompatible PEG hydrogels potentially useful for clinical applications.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from UAEM (grant number: 3890/2015FS) and the ININ-AS-503 project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Celular, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Jesús Carranza 200, Toluca, Estado de México, 50130, Mexico

    Alondra Escudero-Castellanos, Ma. Victoria Domínguez-García & Miriam V. Flores-Merino

  2. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, 50180, Toluca, Mexico

    Alondra Escudero-Castellanos

  3. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Estado de México, Ocoyoacac, 52750, Mexico

    Alondra Escudero-Castellanos & Blanca E. Ocampo-García

  4. Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, 50180, Toluca, Mexico

    Jaime Flores-Estrada

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  1. Alondra Escudero-Castellanos
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  2. Blanca E. Ocampo-García
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  3. Ma. Victoria Domínguez-García
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  5. Miriam V. Flores-Merino
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Correspondence to Miriam V. Flores-Merino.

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Escudero-Castellanos, A., Ocampo-García, B.E., Domínguez-García, M.V. et al. Hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) as scaffolds for tissue engineering application: biocompatibility assessment and effect of the sterilization process. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 27, 176 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-016-5793-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-016-5793-3

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