Partially oxidized polyvinyl alcohol as a promising material for tissue engineering.
The desired clinical outcome after implantation of engineered tissue substitutes depends strictly on the development of biodegradable scaffolds. In this study we fabricated 1% and 2% oxidized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels, which were considered for the first time for tissue-engineering applications. The final aim was to promote the protein release capacity and biodegradation rate of the resulting scaffolds in comparison with neat PVA. After physical crosslinking, characterization of specific properties of 1% and 2% oxidized PVA was performed. We demonstrated that mechanical properties, hydrodynamic radius of molecules, thermal characteristics and degree of crystallinity were inversely proportional to the PVA oxidation rate. On the other hand, swelling behaviour and protein release were enhanced, confirming the potential of oxidized PVA as a protein delivery system, besides being highly biodegradable. Twelve weeks after in vivo implantation in mice, the modified hydrogels did not elicit severe inflammatory reactions, showing them to be biocompatible and to degrade faster as the degree of oxidation increased. According to our results, oxidized PVA stands out as a novel biomaterial for tissue engineering that can be used to realize scaffolds with customizable mechanical behaviour, protein-loading ability and biodegradability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.
Elena
E
Stocco
Foundation for Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Tissue Engineering and Signalling (TES) ONLUS, Padua, Italy.|Section of Human Anatomy, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Italy.
Silvia
S
Barbon
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Paediatric Surgery, University of Padua, Italy.
Francesca
F
Grandi
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Paediatric Surgery, University of Padua, Italy.
Pier Giorgio
PG
Gamba
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.
Luca
L
Borgio
Department of Enterprise Engineering 'Mario Lucertini', Intra-Universitary Consortium for Material Science and Technology (INSTM) Research Unit, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Italy.
Costantino
C
Del Gaudio
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.
Daniele
D
Dalzoppo
Foundation for Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Tissue Engineering and Signalling (TES) ONLUS, Padua, Italy.
Silvano
S
Lora
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.
Senthilkumar
S
Rajendran
Section of Human Anatomy, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Italy.
Andrea
A
Porzionato
Section of Human Anatomy, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Italy.
Veronica
V
Macchi
Section of Human Anatomy, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Italy.
Anna
A
Rambaldo
Section of Human Anatomy, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Italy.
Raffaele
R
De Caro
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.|Foundation for Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Tissue Engineering and Signalling (TES) ONLUS, Padua, Italy.
Pier Paolo
PP
Parnigotto
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.
Claudio
C
Grandi
D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry*; D023822:Tissue Engineering
D020100:Hydrogels; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol
biodegradable scaffolds; biomaterials; chemical oxidation; polyvinyl alcohol; protein delivery; tissue engineering