Zwitterionic PEG-PC Hydrogels Modulate the Foreign Body Response in a Modulus-Dependent Manner.

ABSTRACT: Reducing the foreign body response (FBR) to implanted biomaterials will enhance their performance in tissue engineering. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels are increasingly popular for this application due to their low cost, ease of use, and the ability to tune their compliance via molecular weight and cross-linking densities. PEG hydrogels can elicit chronic inflammation in vivo, but recent evidence has suggested that extremely hydrophilic, zwitterionic materials and particles can evade the immune system. To combine the advantages of PEG-based hydrogels with the hydrophilicity of zwitterions, we synthesized hydrogels with comonomers PEG and the zwitterion phosphorylcholine (PC). Recent evidence suggests that stiff hydrogels elicit increased immune cell adhesion to hydrogels, which we a

SUBMITTER: Jansen LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6190668 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature