title: Thiol-ene crosslinking polyamidoamine dendrimer-hyaluronic acid hydrogel system for biomedical applications.
abstract: A series of alkene functionalized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were synthesized to prepare in situ forming hydrogels with varied gelation time and mechanical properties through crosslinking with thiolated hyaluronic acid (HS-HA). By varying the alkenyl groups on the dendrimers, the gelation time displayed a large range from 8 seconds to 18 hours, and the modulus of the hydrogels ranged from 36 to 183 Pa under experimental conditions. Investigation by (1)H-NMR spectroscopy revealed that the gelation time and the stiffness of the hydrogels were governed by the degree of electron deficiency of alkenyl groups on the dendrimers. This research provided a systematic study on the relationship between chemical structures versus gelation time and mechanical properties of hydrogels, which could guide the way to synthesize in situ forming hydrogels with designated gelation time and stiffness for biomedical applications. Further, a RGD peptide was attached to the PAMAM dendrimers to enhance cell attachment and proliferation. Viability assays of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) in the synthesized hydrogels demonstrated the biocompatibility of the hydrogels after 48 hours of culturing, and the RGD peptide improved the viability of HUVEC cells in hydrogels. We believe the PAMAM/HA hydrogel system is a tuneable and biocompatible system for diverse biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Sciences , Charleston Southern University , Charleston , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Xiangdong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Sciences , Charleston Southern University , Charleston , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Aiye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: b Department of Bioengineering , Clemson University , Clemson , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: c Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of South Carolina , Columbia , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Panita
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maturavongsadit
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Sciences , Charleston Southern University , Charleston , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Higginbothem
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Sciences , Charleston Southern University , Charleston , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Togor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gado
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Sciences , Charleston Southern University , Charleston , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gramling
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Sciences , Charleston Southern University , Charleston , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bahn
authors.affiliation: c Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of South Carolina , Columbia , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000475:Alkenes / Q000737:chemistry; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000737:chemistry*; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena
chemical_list: D000475:Alkenes; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D050091:Dendrimers; D020100:Hydrogels; C104700:PAMAM Starburst; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid
keywords: Hydrogels; PAMAM dendrimer; hyaluronic acid; stiffness; thiol-ene reaction