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In this study novel series of hydrogels, based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), itaconic acid (IA) and poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylates (PEGDMA) (of varying molecular weight and concentration) were prepared by free radical crosslinking copolymerization. Preliminary hemocompatibility characterization of hydrogels obtained by hemolytic activity assay indicated good compatibility with blood. Preliminary biocompatibility characterization of P(HEMA/IA/PEGDMA) hydrogels, done by the cytotoxicity assays using the HeLa cell line revails that the cell viability of all samples was the range of 97−100%, with no significant decrease in cell viability with the change of PEGDMA molecular weight and concentration. Swelling studies were conducted for all P(HEMA/IA/PEGDMA) samples in a physiological pH and temperature range and network parameters were determined. Swelling studies showed pH sensitive behaviour, typical for anionic hydrogels, and temperature dependent swelling. The effects of concentration of PEGDMA component on hydrogel swelling properties depend on the PEGDMA molecular weight. The samples with 550PEGDMA show different swelling capacities when 550PEGDMA content is changed, whereas for P(HEMA/IA/875PEGDMA) samples there was practically no difference in equilibrium degree of swelling, qe ,with varying 875PEGDMA content, which trend is the same as in the case of qe versus pH dependences. It was concluded that P(HEMA/IA/PEGDMA) hydrogels show good potential to be used as biomedical materials

pH and temperature sensitive hydrogels, based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and itaconic acid (IA) copolymers, were prepared by gamma irradiation and characterized in order to examine their potential use in biomedical applications. The influence of comonomer ratio in these smart copolymers on their morphology, mechanical properties, biocompatibility and microbe penetration capability was investigated. The mechanical properties of copolymers were investigated using the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), while their morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The morphology and mechanical properties of these hydrogels were found to be suitable for most requirements of biomedical applications. The in vitro study of P(HEMA/IA) biocompatibility showed no evidence of cell toxicity nor any considerable hemolytic activity. Furthermore, the microbe penetration test showed that neither Staphylococcus aureus nor Escherichia coli passed through the hydogel dressing; thus the P(HEMA/IA) dressing could be considered a good barrier against microbes. All results indicate that stimuli-responsive P(HEMA/IA) hydrogels have great potential for biomedical applications, especially for skin treatment and wound dressings