Author(s):
Mihaila, Silvia M. 
; Gaharwar, Akhilesh K. ; Reis, R. L. ; Marques, A. P. ; Gomes, Manuela E. ; Khademhosseini, Ali
Date: 2013
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/23345
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Hydrogels; Patterning; Photocrosslinkable Kappa-Carrageenan; Tissue engineering
Description
Published online Kappa carrageenan ( κ -CA) is a natural-origin polymer that closely mimics
the glycosaminoglycan structure, one of the most important constituents of
native tissues extracellular matrix. Previously, it has been shown that κ -CA
can crosslink via ionic interactions rendering strong, but brittle hydrogels.
In this study, we introduce photocrosslinkable methacrylate moieties on the
κ -CA backbone to create physically and chemically crosslinked hydrogels
highlighting their use in the context of tissue engineering. By varying the
degree of methacrylation, the effect on hydrogel crosslinking was investigated
in terms of hydration degree, dissolution profi les, morphological,
mechanical, and rheological properties. Furthermore, the viability of fi broblast
cells cultured inside the photocrosslinked hydrogels was investigated. The
combination of chemical and physical crosslinking procedures enables the
formation of hydrogels with highly versatile physical and chemical properties,
while maintaining the viability of encapsulated cells. To our best knowledge,
this is the fi rst study reporting the synthesis of photocrosslinkable κ -CA with
controllable compressive moduli, swelling ratios and pore size distributions.
Moreover, by micromolding approaches, spatially controlled geometries and
cell distribution patterns could be obtained, thus enabling the development
of cell-material platforms that can be applied and tailored to a broad range of
tissue engineering strategies.
