Validation and application of a nondestructive and contactless method for rheological evaluation of biomaterials

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials Vol. 105; no. 8; pp. 2565 - 2573
• Main Authors: Ceccaldi, Caroline, Strandman, Satu, Hui, Eve, Montagnon, Emmanuel, Schmitt, Cédric, Hadj Henni, Anis, Lerouge, Sophie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.11.2017
• Subjects: Agar; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; Compression; Compression tests; Controlled release; Data compression; Data processing; Degradation; Elasticity; Gelation; Hydrogels; Hydrogels - chemistry; In vivo methods and tests; Lysozyme; Materials research; Materials science; Materials Testing; Mechanical properties; Nondestructive testing; Papain; Polymerization; Rheological properties; Rheometry; Surgical implants; Therapy; Tissue engineering; Vibration; Viscoelasticity; Viscosity; hydrogels; nondestructive methods; VeTBiM; mechanical characterization; viscoelastic properties
• ISSN: 1552-4973; 1552-4981
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.33797

Hydrogels are extensively used for tissue engineering, cell therapy or controlled release of bioactive factors. Nondestructive techniques that can follow their viscoelastic properties during polymerization, remodeling, and degradation are needed, since these properties are determinant for their in vivo efficiency. In this work, we proposed the viscoelastic testing of bilayered materials (VeTBiM) as a new method for nondestructive and contact-less mechanical characterization of soft materials. The VeTBiM method measures the dynamic displacement response of a material, to a low amplitude vibration in order to characterize its viscoelastic properties. We validated VeTBiM by comparing data obtained on various agar and chitosan hydrogels with data from rotational rheometry, and compression tests. We then investigated its potential to follow the mechanical properties of chitosan hydrogels during gelation and in the presence of papain and lysozyme that induce fast or slow enzymatic degradation. Due to this nondestructive and contactless approach, samples can be removed from the instrument and stored in different conditions between measurements. VeTBiM is well adapted to follow biomaterials alone or with cells, over long periods of time. This new method will help in the fine tuning of the mechanical properties of biomaterials used for cell therapy and tissue engineering. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 2565-2573, 2017.