title: Alginate- and gelatin-based bioactive photocross-linkable hybrid materials for bone tissue engineering.
abstract: The paper presents the synthesis, the physico-chemical and the biological properties of novel hybrid materials prepared from photo-crosslinked gelatin/alginate-based hydrogels and silica particles exhibiting potential for the regeneration of bone tissue. Both alginate and gelatin were functionalized with methacrylate and methacrylamide moieties, respectively to render them photo-crosslinkable. Submicron silica particles of two sizes were dispersed within three types of polymeric sols including alginate, gelatin, and gelatin/alginate blends, which were subsequently photo-crosslinked. The swelling ratio, the gel fraction and the mechanical properties of the hybrid materials developed were examined and compared to these determined for reference hydrogel matrices. The in vitro cell culture studies have shown that the prepared materials exhibited biocompatibility as they supported both MEFs and MG-63 mitochondrial activity. Finally, the in vitro experiments performed under simulated body fluid conditions have revealed that due to inclusion of silica particles into the biopolymeric hydrogel matrices the mineralization was successfully induced.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Kraków, Poland. Electronic address: lewandow@chemia.uj.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lewandowska-Łańcucka
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mystek
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, Building S-4 Bis, BE-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Arn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mignon
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, Building S-4 Bis, BE-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Brussels Photonics Team, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, BE-1050 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: sandra.vanvlierberghe@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Vlierberghe
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Jagiellonian University, Oleandry 2a, 30-060 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Łatkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nowakowska
keywords: Alginate; Gelatin; Hydrogels; Silica; Tissue engineering