Hydroxyapatite-Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)-Sodium Alginate Porous Hydrogels with Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Surface Layer Used for Articular Cartilage Repair

Abstract

The double-layered PVA/nanohydroxyapatite (nHA)-poly (vinyl alcohol)(PVA)-sodium alginate (SA) porous composite scaffolds used as synthetic articular cartilage were prepared by the freeze-thawing method, gas foaming method and crosslink method of Ca2+ ion, i.e., upper PVA layer for the cartilage substitute and underlying SA30 porous hydrogels for bone bonding. The microstructure and morphology of composite hydrogels were characterized using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM).It had high porosity and uniform pores. The content of HA in SA30 matrix were tested by Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The biological properties of the composite hydrogels had been evaluated by co-culture and MTT. All results indicate that the PVA/SA30 hydrogels has good potential for repairing or replacing articular cartilage.