HYDROGELS:

Introduction and Applications in

Biology and Engineering
Jorge E. Roldan
Louisiana Tech University
Dept. of Biological Sciences
June 25, 2003
OVERVIEW
What are Hydrogels?
Introduction
Applications
Types
Properties
Advantages and Disadvantages
Why Hydrogels?
Tissue engineering
Cell Culture Systems
Drug delivery
Scaffolds
Conclusion

What are Hydrogels?
Water-swollen, crosslinked polymeric structure
produced by reactions of monomers or by
hydrogen bonding

Hydrophilic polymers that can absorb up to
thousands of times their dry weight in H2O

Three-dimensional insoluble polymer networks

Applications of Hydrogels
Soft contact lenses
Pills/capsules
Bioadhesive carriers
Implant coatings
Transdermal drug delivery
Electrophoresis gels
Wound healing
Chromatographic packaging material
Types of Hydrogels
Classification
Method of preparation
Homo-polymer, Copolymer, Multi-polymer,
Interpenetrating polymeric

Ionic charge
Neutral, Catatonic, Anionic, Ampholytic

Physical structure
Amorphous, Semi-crystalline, Hydrogen-bonded

Types of Hydrogels
Physical
Polyanion + Multivalent Cation = Iontropic Hydrogels











Chemical
Polyanion + Polycation = Polyion Complex Hydrogels

Natural Polymers
Dextran, Chitosan, Collagen, Dextran Sulfate

Advantages
Generally have high biocompatibility
Intrinsic cellular interactions
Biodegradable
Cell controlled degradability
Low toxicity byproducts

Disadvantages
Mechanical Strength
Batch variation
Animal derived materials may pass on viruses

Synthetic Polymers
PEG-PLA-PEG, Poly (vinyl alcohol)

Advantages
Precise control and mass produced
Can be tailored to give a wide range of properties (can be
designed to meet specific needs)
Low immunogenecity
Minimize risk of biological pathogens or contaminants

Disadvantages
Low biodegradability
Can include toxic substances

Combination of natural and synthetic
Collagen-acrylate, P (PEG-co-peptides)

Properties of Hydrogels
Swelling properties influenced by
changes in the environment
pH, temperature, ionic strength, solvent
composition, pressure, and electrical potential

Can be biodegradable, bioerodible, and
bioabsorbable

Can degrade in controlled fashion


Properties of Hydrogels
Pore Size

Fabrication techniques

Shape and surface/volume ratio

H2O content

Strength

Swelling activation
Advantages of Hydrogels
Environment can protect cells and other substances (i.e.
drugs, proteins, and peptides)

Timed release of growth factors and other nutrients to
ensure proper tissue growth

Good transport properties

Biocompatible

Can be injected

Easy to modify

Disadvantages of Hydrogels
Low mechanical strength

Hard to handle

Difficult to load

Sterilization

Why Hydrogels?
Tissue Engineering
Scaffolds for tissue engineering

Cell Culture Systems
In vivo conditions are not accurately mimicked
in the majority of cell culture systems

Drug Delivery
Time released delivery

Why Hydrogels?: Background Physiology


Cell Phenotype
The expression of a specific trait.
Phenotype Regulation
Environmental influences
ECM determines adhesion factors, mechanical signals, and
growth factors (i.e. CTGF, TGF, and Activin)
Internal genetic programs
Different combinations of receptors may cause differences in
gene expression
Cell Differentiation
To become specialized
Dependent on biochemical signals & ECM molecules
Due to mechanical forces resulting from the spatial orientation
cells grow in


Why Hydrogels?: Background Physiology


An accurate understanding of the mechanisms
by which cells interact with scaffold, is critical
if one wishes to design and control cell
phenotype and ultimate tissue structure (i.e.
surface chemistry, 3-D space and tensional
forces)



Why Hydrogels ?: Tissue Engineering/Cell
Culture Systems
Scaffold provides extracellular matrix:
Cell adhesion sites
Control of tissue form and thus function
Diffusion of growth factors, metabolites, and
nutrients
Build it, Shape it, and Seed it with
cells and nutrients
Why Hydrogels ?: Tissue Engineering
Biocompatible
H2O content
Sterilizibilty
Ease of use
High mechanical
Strength
Surface to volume ratio
Good cell adhesion
High nutrient transport

Why Hydrogels?: Cell Culture Systems
Biocompatible substrate
Non-toxic and have no immunological
responses
Cytoarchitecture which favors cell growth
Flexibility for cells to rearrange in 3-D
orientation
Seeded with appropriate growth and adhesion
factors
Porosity (i.e. channels for nutrients to be
delivered)


Why Hydrogels?: Cell Culture Systems
Mimic cytomechanical situations
3-D space provides balanced cytoskeleton
forces
Dynamic loading to promote cell growth
Flexibility
Provide scaffold for various cells
Consistent, reproducible and easy to
construct


Why Hydrogels?: Drug Delivery
Safe degradation products
Biocompatible
High loading with ensured molecule efficacy
High encapsulation
Variable release profile
Stable
Inexpensive
High quality
Conclusion
Hydrogels are network polymers that swell
through a variety of mechanisms in an
aqueous environment
Environment controls mechanisms of
swelling:
pH, ionic strength, solvent composition,
pressure and even electric fields
Applications in medicine, engineering, and
biology

Questions