title: Establishment of a Physical Model for Solute Diffusion in Hydrogel: Understanding the Diffusion of Proteins in Poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) Hydrogel.
abstract: Prediction of the diffusion coefficient of solute, especially bioactive molecules, in hydrogel is significant in the biomedical field. Considering the randomness of solute movement in a hydrogel network, a physical diffusion RMP-1 model based on obstruction theory was established in this study. The physical properties of the solute and the polymer chain and their interactions were introduced into this model. Furthermore, models RMP-2 and RMP-3 were established to understand and predict the diffusion behaviors of proteins in hydrogel. In addition, zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) hydrogels with wide range and fine adjustable mesh sizes were prepared and used as efficient experimental platforms for model validation. The Flory characteristic ratios, Flory-Huggins parameter, mesh size, and polymer chain radii of PSBMA hydrogels were determined. The diffusion coefficients of the proteins (bovine serum albumin, immunoglobulin G, and lysozyme) in PSBMA hydrogels were studied by the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique. The measured diffusion coefficients were compared with the predictions of obstruction models, and it was found that our model presented an excellent predictive ability. Furthermore, the assessment of our model revealed that protein diffusion in PSBMA hydrogel would be affected by the physical properties of the protein and the PSBMA network. It was also confirmed that the diffusion behaviors of protein in zwitterionic hydrogels can be adjusted by changing the cross-linking density of the hydrogel and the ionic strength of the swelling medium. Our model is expected to possess accurate predictive ability for the diffusion coefficient of solute in hydrogel, which will be widely used in the biomedical field.
authors.forename: Yuhang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Academy of Military Medical Sciences , Beijing 100850, China.
authors.forename: Junjie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dianyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Ershuai
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Zhihui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Nankai University , Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Fanglian
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4153-3543
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004058:Diffusion; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000737:chemistry*; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009113:Muramidase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008689:Methacrylates; C521589:sulfobetaine methacrylate polymer; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D009113:Muramidase