Stiffness of Protease Sensitive and Cell Adhesive PEG Hydrogels Promotes Neovascularization In Vivo.

ABSTRACT: Materials that support the assembly of new vasculature are critical for regenerative medicine. Controlling the scaffold's mechanical properties may help to optimize neovascularization within implanted biomaterials. However, reducing the stiffness of synthetic hydrogels usually requires decreasing polymer densities or increasing chain lengths, both of which accelerate degradation. We synthesized enzymatically-degradable poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels with compressive moduli from 2 to 18 kPa at constant polymer density, chain length, and proteolytic degradability by inserting an allyloxycarbonyl functionality into the polymer backbone. This group competes with acrylates during photopolymerization to alter the crosslink network structure and reduce the hydrogel's stiffness. Hydrogels that in

SUBMITTER: Schweller RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5426656 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature