title: Thermo-responsive chitosan-graft-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) injectable hydrogel for cultivation of chondrocytes and meniscus cells.
abstract: A thermo-responsive comb-like polymer with chitosan as the backbone and pendant poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) groups has been synthesized by grafting PNIPAM-COOH with a single carboxy end group onto chitosan through amide bond linkages. The copolymer exhibits reversible temperature-responsive soluble-insoluble characteristics with the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) being at around 30 degrees C. Results from SEM observations confirm a porous 3D hydrogel structure with interconnected pores ranging from 10 to 40 microm at physiological temperature. A preliminary in vitro cell culture study has demonstrated the usefulness of this hydrogel as an injectable cell-carrier material for entrapping chondrocytes and meniscus cells. The hydrogel not only preserves the viability and phenotypic morphology of the entrapped cells but also stimulates the initial cell-cell interactions.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Kwei-San, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan ROC. jpchen@mail.cgu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Jyh-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tai-Hong
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D048271:Chitosan / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000166:cytology*; D011817:Rabbits; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; C052970:poly-N-isopropylacrylamide; D048271:Chitosan