Biodegradation of high-toughness double network hydrogels as potential materials for artificial cartilage

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A Vol. 81A; no. 2; pp. 373 - 380
• Main Authors: Azuma, Chinatsu, Yasuda, Kazunori, Tanabe, Yoshie, Taniguro, Hiroko, Kanaya, Fuminori, Nakayama, Atsushi, Chen, Yong Mei, Gong, Jian Ping, Osada, Yoshihito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2007
• Subjects: Absorbable Implants; Animals; artificial cartilage; biodegradation; Biomechanical Phenomena; Cartilage - physiology; Cartilage - surgery; double network hydrogel; Female; Hydrogels; material property; Materials Testing; Prostheses and Implants; Rabbits; subcutaneous implantation
• ISSN: 1549-3296; 1552-4965
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.31043

This study evaluated biodegradation properties of four novel high‐toughness double network (DN) hydrogels as potential materials for artificial cartilage. Concerning each DN gel material, a total of 12 specimens were prepared, and 6 of the 12 specimens were examined to determine the mechanical properties without any treatments. The remaining 6 specimens were implanted into the subcutaneous tissue, using 6 mature female rabbits. At 6 weeks after implantation, the mechanical properties and the water content of the implanted specimens were measured. In the poly(2‐acrylamide‐2‐methyl‐propane sulfonic acid)/poly(N,N′‐dimethyl acrylamide) DN gel, the ultimate stress and the tangent modulus were significantly increased from 3.10 and 0.20 MPa, respectively, to 5.40 and 0.37 MPa, respectively, with a significant reduction of the water content after implantation (94 to 91%). In the poly(2‐acrylamide‐2‐methyl‐propane sulfonic acid)/polyacrylamide DN gel and the cellulose/poly(dimethyl acrylamide) DN gel, the stress (11.4 and 1.90 MPa, respectively) and the modulus (0.30 and 1.70 MPa, respectively) or the water content rarely changed after implantation (90 and 85%, respectively). In the bacterial cellulose/gelatin DN gel, the ultimate stress was dramatically reduced from 4.30 to 1.98 MPa with a significant increase of the water content after implantation (78 to 86%). This study implied that these DN gels except for the cellulose/gelatin DN gel are potential materials that may meet the requirements of artificial cartilage. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2007