Hydrogel Scaffolds: Advanced Materials for Soft Tissue Re-growth

Abstract

Hydrogels have been extensively investigated for use in tissue engineering applications as a result of their unique characteristics, including their hydrophilic nature, high affinity for water and characteristic macromolecular gel structure. In this study we have successfully synthesised novel biodegradable hydrogel scaffolds using the diepoxide, poly(ethyleneglycol) diglycidylether (PEGDGE), and the crosslinker, cystamine. These components were then covalently cross-linked with a hydrophobic polymer that acts as ‘macromolecular spring’. The incorporation of this hydrophobic ω, α-diamino polycaprolactone (PCL) secondary cross-linkers led to significant increases in the mechanical strength of the hydrogels. Fused salt templates were utilized to provide an improved interconnectivity of the resulting pores in the hydrogels. In-vivo subcutaneous implantation revealed that the covalently cross-linked hydrogel scaffolds showed enormous potential in soft tissue re-growth as a result of promising tissue regeneration and limited foreign body responses.