A Novel Biodegradable and Thermosensitive Poly(Ester-Amide)‎ Hydrogel for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

الملخص EN

Thermosensitive hydrogels are attractive alternative scaffolding materials for minimally invasive surgery through a simple injection and in situ gelling.

In this study, a novel poly(ester-amide) polymer, methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(pyrrolidone-co-lactide) (mPDLA, P3L7) diblock copolymer, was synthesized and characterized for cartilage tissue engineering.

A series of amphiphilic diblock copolymers was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of mPEG 550, D,L-lactide, and 2-pyrrolidone.

By dynamic light scattering analysis and tube-flipped-upside-down method, viscoelastic properties of the mPDLA diblock copolymer solution exhibited sol-gel transition behavior as a function of temperature.

An in vitro degradation assay showed that degradation acidity was effectively reduced by introducing the 2-pyrrolidone monomer into the polyester hydrogel.

Besides, mPDLA exhibited great biocompatibility in vitro for cell encapsulation due to a high swelling ratio.

Moreover, cell viability and biochemical analysis proved that the mPDLA hydrogel presented a great chondrogenic response.

Taken together, these results demonstrate that mPDLA hydrogels are promising injectable scaffolds potentially applicable to cartilage tissue engineering.