Evaluation of methods for pore generation and their influence on physio-chemical properties of a protein based hydrogel

Different methods to create and manipulate pore sizes in hydrogel fabrication are available, but systematic studies are normally conducted with hydrogels made of synthetic chemical compounds as backbones. In this study, a hydrogel made of natural and abundant protein in combination with different, well-available techniques was used to produce different architectures within the hydrogel matrix. Pore sizes and distribution are compared and resulting hydrogel properties like swelling ratio, resistance towards external stimuli and enzymatic degradation were investigated. Porous hydrogels were functionalized and two cancer cell lines were successfully adhered onto the material. With simple methods, pores with a radius between 10 and 80 μm and channels of 25 μm radius with a length of several hundreds of μm could be created and analyzed with laser scanning confocal microscopy and electron microscopy respectively. Furthermore, the influence of different methods on swelling ratio, enzymatic degradation and pH and temperature resistance was observed.