title: Control of the molecular degradation of hyaluronic acid hydrogels for tissue augmentation.
abstract: A novel protocol to control the molecular degradation of hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels was successfully developed for tissue augmentation applications. HA has a different conformational structure in water and organic solvent, and the carboxyl group of HA is known to be the recognition site of hyaluronidase and HA receptors. Based on these findings, HA was chemically modified by grafting adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH) to the carboxyl group of HA in the water to prepare HA-ADH(WATER) and in the mixed solvent of water and ethanol to prepare degradation-controlled HA-ADH(WATER/ETHANOL). Three kinds of HA hydrogels were prepared by the crosslinking of HA-ADH(WATER) or HA-ADH(WATER/ETHANOL) with bis(sulfosuccinimidyl) suberate, and by the crosslinking of HA-OH with divinyl sulfone (DVS). In vitro and in vivo degradation tests showed that HA-DVS hydrogels were degraded most rapidly, followed by HA-ADH(WATER) hydrogels and HA-ADH(WATER/ETHANOL) hydrogels. There was no adverse effect during and after in vivo degradation tests. All of the HA hydrogel samples appeared to be biocompatible, according to the histological analysis with hematoxylin-eosin and Alcian blue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Material Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Kyungbuk 790-784, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Ju
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Sun-Woong
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Byung-Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ge
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Il Hwan
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Sei Kwang
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000378:metabolism*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase / Q000378:metabolism; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000378:metabolism*; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D020100:Hydrogels; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase