Thermo-responsive polymers and hydrogels in tissue engineering

Abstract

AbstractVarious aspects of synthetic polymers and hydrogels in tissue engineering are discussed. A series of graft copolymers based on either N-isopropylacrylamide or N,N-diethylacrylamide as polymer backbone, and on poly(ethylene glycol) as side chain were prepared and characterized. These polymers were then used for the preparation of surface-immobilized hydrogels. The thermo-responsive behaviour was studied on model substrates by ellipsometry. The use of thermoresponsive polymers for in vitro studies allows the control of surface properties and thus the stimulation of cell adhesion and detachment through temperature changes. The cellular response was investigated by cultivation of mouse fibroblasts on surface-immobilized, thermo-responsive hydrogels. It was demonstrated that mouse fibroblasts adhere and detach as a function of the temperature, which then could be related to the change in surface properties. The concept is finally extended to the preparation of patterned hydrogels, which were studied by imaging ellipsometry.