Fabrication of innocuous hydrogel scaffolds based on modified dextran for biotissues

Abstract

Substrates with basic structures similar to those of living tissues are useful as cellular scaffolds for the preparation of biocompatible and innocuous materials. In this study, a hydrogel matrix was prepared by introducing a functional group capable of forming crosslinks between natural polymers to create a basis for preparing a microenvironment favorable for cell adaptation. The modified dextran hydrogel polymer was designed to mimic the conditions of the extracellular matrix (ECM) as a scaffold. The precursors of the target hydrogel were synthesized using condensation with a stepwise procedure. A delicate hydrogel based on modified dextran was obtained via photo-crosslinking under room temperature at UV-254 nm. The biocompatibility of this hydrogel was verified using green fluorescence images acquired by incubating a cell line. The characteristics of the hydrogel were verified using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and electrostatic spinning. The crosslinked structure and biocompatibility of the modified hydrogel were confirmed using instrumental analyses and a promising cell culture. Using TGA, the weight losses of precursor and hydrogel were determined to be 90.96% and 39.2%, respectively, up to 600 °C. The diameters of the nanofibers, fabricated via electrospinning, were measured to range from 200 to 500 nm.

Keywords: Biocompatibility; Biotissues; Crosslinking; Hydrogel; Modified dextran.