Revealing the true morphological structure of macroporous soft hydrogels for tissue engineering

0533170 - ÚMCH 2021 RIV CH eng J - Journal Article
Podhorská, Bohumila - Vetrík, Miroslav - Chylíková Krumbholcová, Eva - Kománková, Lucie - Rashedi Banafshehvaragh, Niloufar - Šlouf, Miroslav - Dušková-Smrčková, Miroslava - Janoušková, Olga
Revealing the true morphological structure of macroporous soft hydrogels for tissue engineering.
Applied Sciences-Basel. Roč. 10, č. 19 (2020), s. 1-17, č. článku 6672. E-ISSN 2076-3417
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA17-11140S; GA ČR(CZ) GA17-08531S
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) MSM200501801
Program: Program na podporu mezinárodní spolupráce začínajících výzkumných pracovníků
Institutional support: RVO:61389013
Keywords : hydrogel scaffolds * laser scanning confocal microscopy * scanning electron microscopy
OECD category: Polymer science
Impact factor: 2.679, year: 2020
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/19/6672

Macroporous hydrogel scaffolds based on poly [N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide] are one of the widely studied biocompatible materials for tissue reparation and regeneration. This study investigated the morphological changes during hydrogel characterization which can significantly influence their future application. Three types of macroporous soft hydrogels differing in pore size were prepared. The macroporosity was achieved by the addition of sacrificial template particles of sodium chloride of various sizes (0–30, 30–50, and 50–90 µm) to the polymerizing mixture. The 3D structure of the hydrogels was then investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The SEM was performed with specimens rapidly frozen to various temperatures, while non-frozen gels were visualized with LSCM. In comparison to LSCM, the SEM images revealed a significant alteration in the mean pore size and appearance of newly formed multiple connections between the pores, depending on the freezing conditions. Additionally, after freezing for SEM, the gel matrix between the pores and the fine pores collapsed. LSCM visualization aided the understanding of the dynamics of pore generation using sodium chloride, providing the direct observation of hydrogel scaffolds with the growing cells. Moreover, the reconstructed confocal z-stacks were a promising tool to quantify the swollen hydrogel volume reconstruction which is not possible with SEM.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0311960