Synthesis and evaluation of hyaluronic acid hydrogels modified with various crosslinkers as biodegradable polymers

Abstract

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a high‐molecular‐weight natural polysaccharide, is often used in medical devices for regenerative medicine as it can undergo biodegradation via enzymatic action in the human body. HA exhibits both viscoelasticity and high biocompatibility and has therefore been used for ocular surgery. In particular, HA‐based hydrogels have been utilized as cell scaffold materials and devices in ophthalmological treatments. In this study, four hydrogels have been synthesized from HA derivatives with methacrylate groups and modified with crosslinkers such as adipic acid dihydrazide, divinyl sulfone, and dithiothreitol. Each of the synthesized hydrogels exhibits high transparency and strength as well as biodegradability in vitro. Hence, these HA‐based hydrogels demonstrate potential for applications as drug delivery systems and implants. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45453.

Biological Evaluation of Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogels Enriched by Hyaluronic Acid and Hydroxyapatite

“…Hyaluronic acid (HA) is abundant throughout the ECM, especially connective tissues, and as a structural molecule [ 5 ] in the human body. It is a natural polysaccharide composed of a linear glucosaminoglycan, where repeated units of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-glucuronic acid are linked by alternating β-1,3- and β-1,4- glycosidic bonds [ 16 ]. Not only its biocompatibility and biodegradability but also its viscoelasticity are convenient properties for using HA in biomedicine, health care, and cosmetics.…”

Dual-enzymatically crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogel as a long-time 3D stem cell culture system

“…The enzymatic hydrolysis and metabolism of HA naturally occurs in an organism and therefore does not produce any harmful metabolites. Nevertheless, its broad applicability is still limited by several drawbacks, for example, poor mechanical strength, rapid degradation kinetics, and so on [20].…”