POSS/gelatin‐polyglutamic acid hydrogel composites: Preparation, biological and mechanical characterization

Abstract

Novel hydrogel composites based on natural gelatin matrix and containing different loading of a water soluble octa‐ammonium POSS (POSS‐NH3+), (from 0.5 to 2 wt%) have been prepared in this work and their biocompatibility and mechanical behavior have been tested. The presence of 1 wt% of POSS‐NH3+ molecules in the hydrogel matrix increased the amount of human plasma proteins adsorption and human keratinocyte adhesion at 24 hours. In addition, the presence of increasing amounts of POSS in the hydrogel matrix allowed to a significantly increase of the matrix swelling degree at acid and neutral pH. Finally, a significant modulation of the mechanical characteristics (Young modulus, strain at break) of the hydrogel matrix induced by the presence of different amounts of POSS‐NH3+ was observed. The novel ability of POSS‐NH3+ to modulate both biological and mechanical properties of a natural hydrogel could be useful for the production of new composites of interest for soft tissue engineering. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Synthesis of Gelatin-γ-Polyglutamic Acid-Based Hydrogel for the In Vitro Controlled Release of Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) from Camellia sinensis

“…Hence, some of the positively charged amino groups of gelatin are being deprotonated. As a result, repulsion among a negatively charged carboxylic group of γ-PGA and gelatin occurs, increasing the SD, as has also been reported in other studies using γ-PGA [15]. In comparison to pH 4.5, there is still an interaction, not in terms of gelatin and γ-PGA, but between carboxylic group of gelatin and an amino group of another gelatin strand, as evidenced by the near constant value of the SD at pH 4.5 throughout 6 h of swelling.…”

“…Hydrogel, which is defined as a three-dimensional polymer network capable of absorbing an aqueous solvent [15], was used as a biopolymer vehicle in previous studies [16][17][18]. The composition of hydrogels can be natural polymers or synthetic polymers.…”

Photocrosslinked layered gelatin-chitosan hydrogel with graded compositions for osteochondral defect repair

“…As hybrid organic-inorganic molecules, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) form well-dispersed nanocomposites with precisely size-controlled hard blocks within the soft organic matrix [18]. Previous reports have demonstrated that incorporation of POSS into polymers could improve the mechanical stability [19,20]. For example, the shear modulus of the PEG-POSS hybrid hydrogels spanned a range from 0.3 to 4.0 MPa, higher than the most hydrogels reported [20].…”

Synthesis of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nano‐crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol)‐based hybrid hydrogels for drug delivery and antibacterial activity

“…Although OA‐POSS has high thermal stability, degree of organo‐functionalization, mechanical resistance and water solubility, there are very few reports of its application for the synthesis of hybrid hydrogels. In one report, for instance, OA‐POSS was embedded in gelatin/poly(glutamic acid) hydrogels via electrostatic interactions between the positive charges of OA‐POSS and the residual negative charges of gelatin chains . In another report, as another example, POSS‐based hybrid hydrogels were synthesized by supermolecular interactions originating from hydrogen bonds between the amine groups of OA‐POSS and the carboxyl groups of carboxymethylcellulose .…”