title: An Injectable Hydrogel Prepared Using a PEG/Vitamin E Copolymer Facilitating Aqueous-Driven Gelation.
abstract: Hydrogels have been widely explored for biomedical applications, with injectable hydrogels being of particular interest for their ability to precisely deliver drugs and cells to targets. Although these hydrogels have demonstrated satisfactory properties in many cases, challenges still remain for commercialization. In this paper, we describe a simple injectable hydrogel based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and a vitamin E (Ve) methacrylate copolymer prepared via simple free radical polymerization and delivered in a solution of low molecular weight PEG and Ve as the solvent instead of water. The hydrogel formed immediately in an aqueous environment with a controllable gelation time. The driving force for gelation is attributed to the self-assembly of hydrophobic Ve residues upon exposure to water to form a physically cross-linked polymer network via polymer chain rearrangement and subsequent phase separation, a spontaneous process with water uptake. The hydrogels can be customized to give the desired water content, mechanical strength, and drug release kinetics simply by formulating the PEGMA-co-Ve polymer with an appropriate solvent mixture or by varying the molecular weight of the polymer. The hydrogels exhibited no significant cytotoxicity in vitro using fibroblasts and good tissue compatibility in the eye and when injected subcutaneously. These polymers thus have the potential to be used in a variety of applications where injection of a drug or cell containing depot would be desirable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muirhead
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mangiacotte
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoare
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University , Hamilton Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sheardown
mesh_terms: D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D008689:Methacrylates; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids; C524499:polyethylene glycol methacrylate; D014810:Vitamin E; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols