Crosslinked macroporous hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (MOETACl) copolymer, HEMA-MOETACl-methacrylic acid (MA) terpolymer, and on a polyelectrolyte complex of HEMA-MA copolymer with poly(MOETACl) were prepared. All the hydrogels were prepared in the presence of fractionated sodium chloride particles. The hydrogels were ...

Photoactive polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels (PVA) have been investigated for use as tissue engineering scaffolds. These materials allow in situ polymerization for minimally invasive implantation methods. The mechanical properties of these materials can be tailored for a variety of soft tissue applications. The Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength of PVA hydrogels are increased with increas...

The implantation of non-resorbable biocompatible polymer hydrogels into defects in the central nervous system can reduce glial scar formation, bridge the lesion and lead to tissue regeneration within the hydrogel. We implanted hydrogels based on crosslinked poly hydroxyethyl-methacrylate (pHEMA) and poly N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-methacrylamide (pHPMA) into the rat cortex and evaluated the cellular i...

The aim of this study was to investigate the equilibrium swelling properties in urea solutions of gamma-radiation induced polyelectrolyte copolymeric hydrogels consisting of acrylamide (AAm) and crotonic acid (CA). Poly(acrylamide-co-crotonic acid), poly(AAm-co-CA) hydrogels containing different amounts of CA were obtained in the form of rods after radiation. Swelling experiments were performed...

The swelling properties and thermal transition of hydrogels can be tailored by changing the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance of polymer networks. Especially, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) has received attention as thermo-responsive hydrogels for tissue engineering because its hydrophobicity and swelling property are transited around body temperature (32 °C). In this study, we investigated...

Polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels are commonly employed to ensure soil hydration in horticulture, but studies have shown that they have a minimal effect on crop life and quality. The reasons for this poor performance are not understood since the commercial hydrogels have not been adequately characterized. PAAm hydrogels were synthesized and their properties were measured along with those of comme...

Hydrogels have been extensively used in various biomedical applications such as drug delivery and biosensing. More recently the ability to engineer the size and shape of biologically relevant hydrogels has generated new opportunities in addressing challenges in tissue engineering such as vascularization, tissue architecture and cell seeding. Here, we discuss the use of microengineered hydrogels...

Molecular imprinted Polymers (MIP) targeted for Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) have been synthesized. Batch equilibrium studies using imprinted and non-imprinted polymer hydrogels in TMV and TNV solutions were conducted to determine virus-binding capacities. TMV-imprinted hydrogels showed increased binding to TMV (8.8 mg TMV/gpolymer) compared to non-imprinted hydrogels (4.2 mg TMV/gpolymer). Furth...

A single-stranded DNA, readily extracted from industrial discarded salmon milt, was used to prepare hydrogels and complex gels by cross-linking with gelatin and kappa-carrageenan, for the oral delivery of probiotic bacteria. The complex gels showed a higher protective capability over the hydrogels for approximately one log scale. However, the hydrogels were more stable during storage at 4 degre...

PURPOSE Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in diabetic patients that involves early-onset retinal cell loss. Here, we report our recent work using subconjunctivally implantable hydrogels for sustained insulin release to the retina to prevent retinal degeneration. METHODS The hydrogels are synthesized by UV photopolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and a dextran macro...