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Polymer Hydrogels to Enable New Medical Therapies

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Hydrogel Sensors and Actuators

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors ((SSSENSORS,volume 6))

Abstract

Hydrogels are well-established materials in various biomedical technologies. This chapter highlights current trends in the research on hydrophilic polymer systems motivated by the demand of advanced, cell-based medical therapies. Two major aspects of the use of polymeric materials in regenerative medicine are discussed: Functional coatings for cell culture carriers and polymer scaffolds for in vivo tissue engineering. With respect to cell culture carriers emphasis is put on stimuli-responsive polymers used for the gentle harvest of cell sheets; the example given concerns the processing of corneal endothelial cell layers supporting new approaches for cornea repair. A second subsection is dedicated to polymer scaffolds for in vivo tissue engineering and refers to recent developments of biohybrid polymers containing heparin as the biomolecular component. The example reports on ongoing own research on star-poly(ethylene glycol)-heparin-hydrogels currently explored as injectable matrices to support angiogenesis, a key process in the regeneration of almost all tissues and organs.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Matrigel is the trade name (BD Biosciences) for a solubilised basement membrane preparation extracted from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm mouse sarcoma, a tumor rich in extracellular matrix proteins. This mixture resembles the complex extracellular environment found in many tissues and is used as a substrate for cell culture.

  2. 2.

    RGD is the one-letter amino acid code abbreviation for arginine-glycine-aspartic acid. Peptide sequences containing a RGD motif are used as specific ligands to mediate cell adhesion.

  3. 3.

    The cross-linking degree of the gels was calculated based on the star-PEG and heparin amount in the rinsed gels. More precisely, the degree is counted for the heparin carboxylic acid groups assuming that in average 3 of the 4 amino groups of the remaining star-PEG molecules are bound to heparin.

  4. 4.

    This assay is used to measure cell viability. It is a two-color fluorescence assay that simultaneously determines live (viable) and dead (nonviable) cells: Live cells have intracellular esterases that convert nonfluorescent, cell-permeable fluorescein di-O-acetate to the intensely fluorescent fluorescein (green). Cleaved fluorescein is retained within cells. Dead cells have damaged membranes; propidium iodide enters damaged cells and is fluorescent when bound to nucleic acids. It produces a bright red fluorescence in damaged or dead cells.

  5. 5.

    Colorimetric MTT (tetrazolium) assay (Mosmann 1983) was used to quantify living cells. In short, yellow MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) is reduced to purple colored formazan in the mitochondria of living cells. The absorbance of the colored solution is analysed using a spectrophotometer allowing for quantification of living cells.

Abbreviations

DEGMA:

Diethyleneglycol methacrylate

ECM:

Extracellular matrix

EDC:

1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimid

FGF-2:

Basic fibroblast growth factor

FN:

Fibronectin

FTIR-ATR:

Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection

HUVECs:

Human endothelial cells isolated from umbilical cord

MMP :

Matrix metalloproteinase

PBS:

Phosphate buffered saline

PEG :

Poly(ethylene glycol)

PNIPAAm :

Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)

RGD :

Amino acid code for arginine-glycine-aspartic acid

SRP:

Stimuli responsive polymer

sulfo-NHS:

N-hydroxysulfosuccinimid

TCP:

Tissue culture polystyrene

TGF-β:

Transforming growth factor beta

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

XPS:

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, Dresden, Germany

    P. Welzel, M. Nitschke & U. Freudenberg

  2. Technische Universität Dresden, Medical Faculty, Dresden, Germany

    A. Zieris

  3. Klinikum Chemnitz, Department of Ophthalmology, Chemnitz, Germany

    T. Götze & M. Valtink

  4. Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    K. Engelmann & C. Werner

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  1. P. Welzel
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  2. M. Nitschke
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  3. U. Freudenberg
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  4. A. Zieris
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  5. T. Götze
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  8. C. Werner
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Correspondence to C. Werner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fak. Elektrotechnik, TU Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 18, Dresden, 01069, Germany

    Gerald Gerlach

  2. Inst. Physikalische Chemie und, TU Dresden, Bergstr. 66 B, Dresden, 01069, Germany

    Karl-Friedrich Arndt

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Welzel, P. et al. (2009). Polymer Hydrogels to Enable New Medical Therapies. In: Gerlach, G., Arndt, KF. (eds) Hydrogel Sensors and Actuators. Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors, vol 6. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75645-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75645-3_8

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