title: A hydrolytically-tunable photocrosslinked PLA-PEG-PLA/PCL-PEG-PCL dual-component hydrogel that enhances matrix deposition of encapsulated chondrocytes.
abstract: In this study, a series of photocrosslinked hydrogels were designed composed of both poly(lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide) (PEL) and poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEC) macromers. The PEL/PEC hydrogels at ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50;50, 25:75 and 0:100 were studied for their degradation characteristics and their ability to support chondrogenesis of encapsulated chondrocytes. Difference in hydrolytic susceptibility between copolymers led to different degradation patterns where higher PEC content correlated with slower degradation. Increased chondrogenic gene expression was observed in chondrocyte-laden hydrogels within a 4-week culture period. Biochemical and histological evaluations revealed significant accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins such as glycosaminoglycans and collagen in the 50/50 hydrogel owing to appropriate tuning of hydrogel degradation. These results demonstrate that the dual-component photocrosslinked hydrogel system is suitable for use as scaffold to support chondrogenesis and, moreover, the tunability of these systems opens up possibilities for use in different cell culturing applications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Sydney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Huang-Xiang
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Chao-Yin
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Rui
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Lun
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: I-Ming
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000378:metabolism; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008027:Light; D011091:Polyesters / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011817:Rabbits; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D024043:Collagen Type II; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D011091:Polyesters; C515340:poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-b-poly(ethyleneglycol)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone); C507889:polylactide-polyethylene glycol-polylactide; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D004247:DNA
keywords: chondrogenesis; degradation; photopolymerization; polyesters; tissue engineering