Mechanical characteristics of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels crosslinked with various difunctional compounds

Effect of crosslinking concentration on properties of 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate/N-vinyl pyrrolidone gels

BACKGROUND

The incorporation of two different monomers, having different properties, in the same polymer molecule leads to the formation of new materials with great scientific and commercial importance. The basic requirements for polymeric materials in some areas of biomedical applications are that they are hydrophilic, having good mechanical and thermal properties, soft, and oxygen-permeable.

RESULTS

A series of 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate/N-vinyl pyrrolidone (TMSPM/NVP) xerogels containing different concentration of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinking agent were prepared by bulk polymerization to high conversion using BPO as initiator. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR. The corresponding hydrogels were obtained by swelling the xerogels in deionized water to equilibrium. Addition of EGDMA increases the transparency of xerogels and hydrogels. The minimum amount of EGDMA required to produce a transparent xerogel is 1%. All the Swelling parameters, including water content (EWC), volume fraction of polymer (ϕ₂) and weight loss during swelling decrease with increasing EGDMA. Young's and shear modulus (E and G) increase as EGDMA increases. The hydrogels were characterized in terms of modulus cross-linking density (v _e and v _t ) and polymer-solvent interaction parameters (χ). Thermal properties include TGA and glass transition temperature (T_g) enhance by adding EGDMA whereas the oxygen permeability (P) of hydrogels decreases as water content decrease.

CONCLUSIONS

This study prepared and studied the properties for new copolymer (TMSPM-co-NVP) contains different amounts of (EGDMA). These copolymers possess new properties with potential use in different biomedical applications. The properties of the prepared hydrogels are fit with the standard properties of materials which should be used for contact lenses.

Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Semi-Degradable Poly(β-amino ester)-co-Methyl Methacrylate Networks under Simulated Physiological Conditions

Poly(β-amino ester) networks are being explored for biomedical applications, but they may lack the mechanical properties necessary for long term implantation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of adding methyl methacrylate on networks' mechanical properties under simulated physiological conditions. The networks were synthesized in two parts: (1) a biodegradable crosslinker was formed from a diacrylate and amine, (2) and then varying concentrations of methyl methacrylate were added prior to photopolymerizing the network. Degradation rate, mechanical properties, and glass transition temperature were studied as a function of methyl methacrylate composition. The crosslinking density played a limited role on mechanical properties for these networks, but increasing methyl methacrylate concentration improved the toughness by several orders of magnitude. Under simulated physiological conditions, networks showed increasing toughness or sustained toughness as degradation occurred. This work establishes a method of creating degradable networks with tailorable toughness while undergoing partial degradation.

Toward the development of an artificial cornea: improved stability of interpenetrating polymer networks

A novel interpenetrating network (IPN) based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(acrylic acid) was developed and its use as an artificial cornea was evaluated in vivo. The in vivo results of a first set of corneal inlays based on PEG-diacrylate precursor showed inflammation of the treated eyes and haze in the corneas. The insufficient biocompatibility could be correlated to poor long-term stability of the implant caused by hydrolytic degradation over time. Adapting the hydrogel chemistry by replacing hydrolysable acrylate functionalities with stable acrylamide functionalities was shown to increase the long-term stability of the resulting IPNs under hydrolytic conditions. This new set of hydrogel implants now shows increased biocompatibility in vivo. Rabbits with corneal inlay implants are healthy and have clear cornea and non-inflamed eyes for up to 6 months after implantation.

Glucose-permeable interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels for corneal implant applications: a pilot study

Epithelialization of a keratoprosthesis requires that the implant material be sufficiently permeable to glucose. We have developed a poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(acrylic acid) (PEG/PAA) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel that can provide adequate passage of glucose from the aqueous humor to the epithelium in vivo. A series of PEG/PAA IPNs with varying PEG macromonomer molecular weights were synthesized and evaluated through swelling studies to determine their water content and diffusion experiments to assess their permeability to glucose. One of the PEG/PAA hydrogels prepared in this study had a glucose diffusion coefficient nearly identical to that of the human cornea (approximately 2.5 x 10(-6) cm(2)/sec). When implanted intrastromally in rabbit corneas, this hydrogel was retained and well-tolerated in 9 out of 10 cases for a period of 14 days. The retained hydrogels stayed optically clear and the epithelium remained intact and multilayered, indicating that the material facilitated glucose transport from the aqueous humor to the anterior part of the eye. The results from these experiments indicate that PEG/PAA hydrogels are promising candidates for corneal implant applications such as keratoprostheses and intracorneal lenses, and that the PEG/PAA IPN system in general is useful for creating permeable substrates for ophthalmic and other biomedical applications.

Design and fabrication of an artificial cornea based on a photolithographically patterned hydrogel construct

We describe the design and fabrication of an artificial cornea based on a photolithographically patterned hydrogel construct, and demonstrate the adhesion of corneal epithelial and fibroblast cells to its central and peripheral components, respectively. The design consists of a central "core" optical component and a peripheral tissue-integrable "skirt." The core is composed of a poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(acrylic acid) (PEG/PAA) double-network with high strength, high water content, and collagen type I tethered to its surface. Interpenetrating the periphery of the core is a microperforated, but resilient poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA) hydrogel skirt that is also surface-modified with collagen type I. The well-defined microperforations in the peripheral component were created by photolithography using a mask with radially arranged chrome discs. Surface modification of both the core and skirt elements was accomplished through the use of a photoreactive, heterobifunctional crosslinker. Primary corneal epithelial cells were cultured onto modified and unmodified PEG/PAA hydrogels to evaluate whether the central optic material could support epithelialization. Primary corneal fibroblasts were seeded onto the PHEA hydrogels to evaluate whether the peripheral skirt material could support the adhesion of corneal stromal cells. Cell growth in both cases was shown to be contingent on the covalent tethering of collagen. Successful demonstration of cell growth on the two engineered components was followed by fabrication of core-skirt constructs in which the central optic and peripheral skirt were synthesized in sequence and joined by an interpenetrating diffusion zone.

Characterizing multilaminated hydrogels with spatially varying network structure and solute loading using confocal laser scanning microscopy

Multilaminated controlled release devices were formed through photopolymerization techniques to produce hydrogels with spatially varying solute loadings and network structures composed of poly(hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Using low molecular weight fluorescent dyes as model drugs, the distribution profiles were characterized non-invasively in pseudo-real-time with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) during release studies. For comparison, theoretical modeling based on Fickian diffusion theory was performed in conjunction with experimental work to identify any deviations from expected behavior and to guide in the development of future devices. In multilaminates composed of only PHEMA, the evolution of dye distribution during release and cumulative release profiles agreed well with theoretically predicted data, indicating continuity of diffusion and insignificant interfacial hindrance between layers. However, in devices composed of alternating layers of PHEMA and PEG, differences from predicted behavior were experimentally observed in both concentration profiles and release rates, suggesting interfacial obstruction of diffusion, possibly due to the formation of interpenetrating networks. Finally, the simultaneous release of two dyes at different rates from a PEG/PHEMA multilaminate was monitored to demonstrate the usefulness of CLSM in understanding the complex temporal changes in solute distributions in gel devices.

Mechanical and microstructural properties of hybrid poly(ethylene glycol)–soy protein hydrogels for wound dressing applications

Biomimetic hydrogel made of poly(ethylene glycol) and soy protein with a water content of 96% has been developed for moist wound dressing applications. In this study, such hybrid hydrogels were investigated by both tensile and unconfined compression measurements in order to understand the relationships between structural parameters of the network, its mechanical properties and protein absorption in vitro. Elastic moduli were found to vary from 1 to 17 kPa depending on the composition, while the Poisson's ratio (approximately 0.18) and deformation at break (approximately 300%) showed no dependence on this parameter. Further calculations yielded the crosslinking concentration, the average molecular weight between crosslinks (M(C)) and the mesh size. The results show that reactions between PEG and protein create polymeric chains comprising molecules of PEG and protein fragments between crosslinks. M(C) is three times higher than that expected for a "theoretical network." On the basis of this data, we propose a model for the 3D network of the hydrogel, which is found to be useful for understanding drug release properties and biomedical potential of the studied material.

Morphological and topographic effects on calcification tendency of pHEMA hydrogels

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels were prepared in the presence of varying concentrations of water, or a co-monomer ethoxyethyl methacrylate at different strengths of crosslinking agent ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. Calcification tendency and its correlation with monomer mixture composition, topography and porosity of these materials were investigated. Scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to study topography and porosity respectively. Calcification and calcium diffusion ability in to the hydrogels were investigated by light microscopy, SEM and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX) after incubation of the materials in a metastable calcifying solution for 48 days. Polymer and solvent volume fractions were also studied to determine if a correlation existed between porosity and calcification. Most of the series of hydrogels showed surface irregularities. Internal structure showed evidence of a porous structure in one of the series. Calcification studies indicated diffusion of calcium ions in some of the series. The diffusion of calcium is limited to 30-40 microm in most calcified specimens. For hydrogels that exhibited substantial surface irregularities and micro channels, the infiltration of calcium up to 200 microm was observed. Attempts to detect porosity by electron microscopy failed in some of the hydrogels due to difficulty in sample processing and sectioning. However, collaboration of the results with different techniques used, indicated that surface defects are the major contributors to calcium deposition. Decrease in porosity reduces the amount of calcium deposits and infiltration with decreasing solvent volume fraction which is associated with crosslinking concentration and initial water content of the polymer.