Photocrosslinked tyramine-substituted hyaluronate hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties improve immediate tissue-hydrogel interfacial strength in articular cartilage.

ABSTRACT: Articular cartilage lacks the ability to self-repair and a permanent solution for cartilage repair remains elusive. Hydrogel implantation is a promising technique for cartilage repair; however for the technique to be successful hydrogels must interface with the surrounding tissue. The objective of this study was to investigate the tunability of mechanical properties in a hydrogel system using a phenol-substituted polymer, tyramine-substituted hyaluronate (TA-HA), and to determine if the hydrogels could form an interface with cartilage. We hypothesized that tyramine moieties on hyaluronate could crosslink to aromatic amino acids in the cartilage extracellular matrix. Ultraviolet (UV) light and a riboflavin photosensitizer were used to create a hydrogel by tyramine self-crosslinking. The gel

SUBMITTER: Donnelly PE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5462458 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature