title: Synthesis and Characterization of Injectable Sulfonate-Containing Hydrogels.
abstract: Sulfonate-containing hydrogels are of particular interest because of their tunable mechanical and swelling properties, as well as their biological effects. Polysulfonate copolymers were synthesized by reacting 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS), acrylamide (AM), and acrylic acid (AA). We found that the incorporation rate of sulfonate-containing monomer and the molecular weight of the copolymer were significantly enhanced by increasing the ionic strength of the solution. We introduced thiol groups by modifying the pendant carboxylates or copolymerizing along with a disulfide-containing monomer. The thiol-containing copolymers were reacted with a 4-arm acrylamide-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) via a thiol-ene click reaction, which was mediated by a photoinitiator, a redox initiator, or a base-catalyzed Michael-Addition. We were able to tailor the storage modulus (33-1800 Pa) and swelling capacity (1-91 wt %) of the hydrogel by varying the concentration of the copolymers. We determined that the injectable sulfonate-containing hydrogels were biocompatible up to 20 mg/mL, as observed by an electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) technique, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay using three different cell lines: human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19), fibroblasts (NIH 3T3), and Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO).
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.|Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
authors.forename: Bedia Begüm
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Karakoçak
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.|Department of Research, Veterans Affairs Medical Center , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
authors.forename: Jessica J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Struckhoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.|Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.|Department of Research, Veterans Affairs Medical Center , St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ravi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D016466:CHO Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D058105:Polymerization; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000166:cytology*; D012212:Rheology; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D011108:Polymers; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds