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Ординатура / Хирургия / Библиотека им академика М.И. Перельмана / Книга_5361_Библиотеки_им_академика_М_И_Перельмана.pdf
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a result of its structural, mechanical, and chemical properties and similarity to artic­ular cartilage. Many types of hydrogels like polyacrylamide, polyvinyl-alcohol, hyaluronic acid, scaffolds, hydroxyapatite, collagen, composites of PVA-starch, PVA-chitosan, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and so on are used as potential replace­ment material. These hydrogels can be subject to modication by employing diverse paraphrastic expressions like the concentration, monomer concentration, solvent concentration, polymerization rate, and swelling. They are the most potential candi­date due to their similar hydration, mechanical, and tribological properties to the natural articular cartilage [57].
N. Chowdhury etal.
2.5.1 Important Properties ofArticular Cartilage
Proteoglycans play vital functions in preserving the osmotic pressure, permeability, and interstitial uid pressure of articular cartilage, as these are interconnected, which contributes to this tissue’s distinctive mechanical and lubricating characteris­tics [57]. Articular cartilage mechanical property like elastic modulus ranges from 1 to 3MPa. Articular cartilage is an avascular, lubricated tissue with elevated mechan­ical and water content properties, featuring a compressive strength in the spectrum of 0.53 to 1.82MPa, and a tensile strength of 17MPa [58]. The dense collagen layer exhibits limited permeability to uids, resulting in a signicant barrier against rapid water loss. The outermost layer of human knee cartilage demonstrated the capabil­ity to withstand the peak average stress of approximately 1.35MPa was supported by around 74% in the outer zone and only 53% in the interfacial deeper region [53]. The anisotropic nature of articular cartilage, characterized by varying physical properties along its depth, contributes to its versatility and adaptability across diverse conditions [59]. The primary factor inuencing the frictional behavior between articular cartilage surfaces is the load applied, speed, and lubrication and the value of friction lies between 0.01 and 0.05 [60]. The natural articular cartilage is a wear-resistant, ber-reinforced, thin, but resilient layer that is porous in nature that hydrates the interfacial contact surface with the synovial uid, has signicant load-bearing joints due to its stiffness, protecting the underlying bones due to pro­teoglycans, collagen, and high-water content water [60].

2.5.2 Scaffolds

Scaffolds are integral to regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, as they are constructed using various materials, including synthetic and natural polymers or a combination thereof. The scaffold’s design is aimed at emulating the properties of the target tissue, enabling mechanical strength, enabling the controlled release of bioactive molecules, and facilitating cell attachment. These scaffolds are indispens­able in facilitating tissue reconstruction by guiding the process through chemical
2 Characterization ofHydrogel Properties intheAdvancement ofBio-Tribology
Fig. 2.12 In the domain of cartilage tissue regenerative engineering, a multitude of scaffold variet­ies are utilized to implement different strategies [174]
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and mechanical cues. Additionally, they act as a substrate for transporting exoge­nous cells and bioactive substances, further aiding in tissue growth. The advance­ment of sophisticated polymeric scaffolds aims to precisely direct the regeneration process, effectively replicating the diverse characteristics inherent in natural tissues. Demott etal. discuss some of the polymer scaffolds in detail as shown in Fig.2.12 [57]. Various techniques exist for scaffolding injectable, implant, decellularized, 3D printed, etc. [61]. Scaffolds must have biocompatibility, high strength, compatibility with host cells, be porous for chemical migration and cell proliferation, and be long­lasting [62]. Various design parameters incorporated in the architectures of these scaffolds, such as pore structural geometry, effective pore size, porous distribution within the solid matrix, tortuosity, and pore accessibility in addition to porosity, exert notable inuences on the composition, morphology, mechanical characteris­tics, and the operational efcacy of the newly generated cartilage tissue [65, 81,
82, 158].
Synthetic scaffolds made from poly(caprolactone) (PCL) and poly (glycolic acid) (PGA) with identical structures demonstrate substantial variations in their mechanical and chemical properties. As an illustration, the collective modulus of the PCL-based scaffold was found to be 0.787MPa, while the PGA-based scaffold exhibited a signicantly lower value of 0.173MPa [62]. Some potential natural scaffold materials are brin, collagen, agarose, alginate, and chitosan [63]. The trilaminar composite scaffolds were composed of PCL solution,
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1,1,1,3,3,3-hexauoroisopropanol (HFIP) as homogenous scaffolds consisting of collagen ECM, their capacity to imitate the zone-specic organization and proper­ties of cartilage is restricted. Trilaminar scaffolds increased the DNA content sig­nicantly, and tri-laminar scaffolds’ enhanced compressive and tensile properties decreased with time (5 weeks) [64]. However, cell adhesion, compatibility, and durability with intact mechanical properties are yet to be achieved by replacing scaf­folds with articular cartilage.
N. Chowdhury etal.

2.5.3 Synthetic Polymer

Some scaffolds suffer from wear debris, poor integration, and mechanical character­ization which might lead to healthy surrounding tissue degradation. Eventually, researchers focused on high water-content polymers like hydrogels that match the characterization of articular cartilage the most. Hydrogels can be prepared with relative ease and effectively loaded with chondrocytes, which, upon impregnation, exhibit sustained preservation of their specic characteristics and structural proper­ties. Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), chitosan-based, gelatin-based, polyethylene gly­col, polyacrylamide, PAMPS, poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and its derivatives, or DN (double network) polymers [65, 167]. Natural polymers lack stiffness in nature [66, 163]. Through induced phase separation of solute and solvent, cryogels and hydrogels are synthesized through freezing a solution, resulting in a polymer­ized solute and an inert pore-forming solvent. Upon thawing, a highly intercon­nected porous structure is exposed, and it is subsequently hydrated. The cryo-polymer’s physical structural characteristics can be inuenced by composi­tional, internal, and external factors, including cooling rate, the degree of polymer crosslinking, synthesis time, and solute concentration [59]. However, articular car­tilage exhibits a modulus in the approximate range of several megapascals (MPa)., and hydrogels have a ~kPa range modulus but alterations have been implemented to enhance the mechanical robustness by introducing several networks, nanoparti­cles, structured mesh, polymer entanglement, charges, and so on [53, 59, 64, 108,
152, 163].

2.5.4 Polyacrylamide

Polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel is a commonly used material in biological and biomedical applications due to its tunable properties, non-toxicity, and biocompat­ibility. Although acrylamide, the monomer used to synthesize PAAm, is toxic, PAAm hydrogel itself is non-toxic and safe for use [6769]. This is because the polymerization process of acrylamide into PAAm results in binding with a cross­linker and forming long polymer chains that are chemically inert and do not release acrylamide monomers as shown in Figs.2.13 and 2.14. Figures2.13 and 2.14 show
2 Characterization ofHydrogel Properties intheAdvancement ofBio-Tribology
Fig. 2.13 Chemical structure of polyacrylamide hydrogel [75]
Fig. 2.14 Monomer,
crosslinker interaction of polyacrylamide [76]
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the interaction of monomer and crosslinker with dangling bonds by altering the mechanical properties varied by the synthesis process of PAAm. PAAm hydrogel has high mechanical strength and elasticity, making it suitable for tissue engineering scaffolds that require structural support. Additionally, PAAm hydrogel has rela­tively low toxicity and is biocompatible, enabling its use in various biomedical applications without causing harm to cells or tissues. These features, together with the ease of modifying the physical and chemical properties of the PAAm hydrogel, make it a promising option for biomedical applications [7072]. In biomedical applications, PAAm hydrogel can be utilized for scaffolds, biosensors, tissue engi­neering, and drug delivery systems due to its water-retentive capacity, it can absorb, high mechanical strength, and controllable porosity, which makes it suitable for interacting with biological systems [6873]. While polyacrylamide shows promise as a potential material for biological tissue replacement, it is often composed of
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N. Chowdhury etal.
other materials like PVA, GelMA, and collagen to make articial articular cartilage. In PVA hydrogel pores, the polymerization of acrylamide (AAm) was observed to effectively maintain lubricity while annealing, as it prevented pore collapse and prevented dehydration. Elevated AAm content led to enhanced water content in equilibrium, constructed mesh size, and porosity, while concurrently reducing the creep resistance, tear strength, coefcient of friction, and crystallinity in annealed PVA hydrogels [74].

2.5.5 PEG Hydrogel

PEG hydrogel demonstrates substantial promise as a potential candidate for articu­lar cartilage replacement with hydroxyl active groups due to its unique properties. PEG hydrogel is water-soluble and biocompatible, non-toxic, non-immunogenic, and possesses excellent water retention capabilities, resembling the natural extra­cellular matrix of cartilage [77]. Its adjustable mechanical properties could be cus­tomized to be consistent with the stiffness of articular cartilage, providing suitable load-bearing support. Its properties are tunable based on pH, temperature, composi­tions, and so on [77, 78]. A synthetic PEG-based hydrogel has demonstrated the capability to promote the production of cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) con­stituents and maintain cell viability in Fig.2.15 [80]. It can be composed of repeat­ing ethylene glycol units, the opening of the cyclic ether ring of ethylene oxide, resulting in the formation of a linear polymer chain with a hydroxyl (–OH) group at one end, another chain capped with a hydroxyl group as well. This polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrogel exhibits biocompatibility and creates a favorable microenvironment for cell reproduction, multiplication or propagation, and growth while promoting the generation of the essential cartilage extra-cellular matrix (ECM) molecules as shown in Fig.2.15 [80]. Incorporating bioactive molecules, such as growth factors, into PEG hydrogels allows for the promotion of prolifera­tion, chondrogenic differentiation, and cell adhesion of encapsulated cells and is used in making different types of regenerative articial tissue scaffolds as shown in Fig.2.16 [78, 79].
PEG is a potential injectable material for articular cartilage regeneration. A PEG hydrogel, cross-linked with a peptide originating from an aggrecans-cleavable site in aggrecan, has been developed. This hydrogel exhibits enzyme sensitivity and has shown promising outcomes in facilitating the regeneration of cartilage resembling hyaline tissue while inhibiting the formation of hypertrophic cartilage [79]. The injectability and capacity to ne-tune both mechanical and biological characteris­tics make PEG hydrogels more conducive to tissue regeneration potential and estab­lish them as viable solutions for articular cartilage replacement therapies [100]. By varying crucial parameters including molecular weight, crosslinking, polymeriza­tion time, distance, and polymer density among ester-thiol groups, it becomes fea­sible to control the properties of PEG hydrogel like the mechanical and structural properties. These modications to change the properties enable the ne-tuning of
2 Characterization ofHydrogel Properties intheAdvancement ofBio-Tribology
Fig. 2.15 (a) A schematic representation of the PEG hydrogel cross-linking reaction is shown. (b) The four-arm PEG-VS precursor polymer solution is mixed with (c) PEG-diester dithiol cross­linker at a VS/SH molar ratio of 1:1 to form a 3D hydrogel under physiological conditions [80]
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Fig. 2.16 Figure depicting a 3D-printed scaffold for cartilage regeneration, reinforced with elec­trospun bers, based on CDM material [78]
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N. Chowdhury etal.
the hydrogel’s characteristics, all while ensuring that the degradation and crosslink­ing conditions are suitable for the encapsulation of proteins and cells [80].

2.5.6 PVA Hydrogel

PVA hydrogels possess favorable biomedical characteristics, including permeabil­ity, biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, and additionally low friction and wear [60, 83]. PVA has high tensile strength and elongation before breaking, which is why it nds extensive use in the domain of tissue regeneration, tissue adhesion barrier, and hydrophilic coatings [8489]. The favorable characteristics of PVA render it a promising biomaterial contender for mimicking natural tissues, such as articular cartilage, membrane, and tissue structure in the human organism with vinyl alcohol converted to polyvinyl alcohol through polymerization as shown in Fig. 2.17 [9093]. As PVA is highly water soluble, the extent of crosslinking determines the level of uid absorption, inuencing the chemical, physical, and diffusion charac­teristics, and ultimately these modications inuence the polymer’s biological char­acteristics as shown in 19 [94, 101]. PVA hydrogel can be composed in various techniques like physical, chemical, physiochemical, and radiation in the process shown in Fig.2.18 [28, 101]. PVA hydrogel is combined with different types of alloys, composites, collagen, and many other materials to increase the hydrogel’s mechanical strength [9598, 162].
Through the sol-gel method, by combining 20% tetra ethoxy silane (TEOS) with PVA/Si nanocomposite, the mechanical strength of poly(vinyl alcohol) composite material shows a notable enhancement, achieving a maximum of 35MPa [99] (Fig.2.19).
Fig. 2.17 Vinyl alcohol structure and PVA structure [175]
2 Characterization ofHydrogel Properties intheAdvancement ofBio-Tribology
Fig. 2.18 PVA hydrogel preparation method [101]
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Fig. 2.19 Schematic representation of typical PVA cross-linking techniques. (a) Physically cross- linked through freeze-drying, (b) radiation-crosslinked gels through external radiation, and (c) chemically crosslinked gels with the initiator [28]

2.5.7 Double Network Hydrogel

Double network hydrogels comprise two interconnected crosslinked polymers that are structured through separate polymerization reactions, resulting in distinct mechanical properties for each polymer [53]. The adjustable characteristics of DN hydrogels, such as hysteresis, fracture energy, fracture toughness, and elastic modu­lus, make them a promising candidate for articular cartilage replacement, achieved by modifying the attributes of the distinct polymer networks [102104]. The rst network, typically a rigid and brittle polymer, ensures structural stability and load­bearing capacity. At the same time, the alternate network which is the second net­work, often a soft and exible polymer, dissipates energy and enhances the overall toughness of the material. By incorporating two networks with complementary properties, double-network hydrogels can achieve a delicate balance between
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Fig. 2.20 Double network hydrogel composition for PAAm-PAMPS [178, 179]
N. Chowdhury etal.
Fig. 2.21 Illustration of double network (DN) hydrogels with various cross-linking tech­niques [113]
2 Characterization ofHydrogel Properties intheAdvancement ofBio-Tribology
Fig. 2.22 A synthesis scheme of the double network hydrogels with uniform chain length in the rst network. A well-dened network structure of tetra-PEG (TPEG) gel was initially synthesized as the rst network. Subsequently, linear polyelectrolytes (molecular stent, represented in green) were synthesized within the TPEG gel [111]
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Fig. 2.23 PAMPS/P(NIPAAm-co-AAm) double network hydrogels were fabricated by blending a non-thermoresponsive anionic PAMPS rst network with a thermoresponsive second network con­sisting of NIPAAm copolymerized with Aam [114, 115]
strength and deformability, replicating the hierarchical organization and mechanical characteristics of natural biological tissues. Some DN hydrogels are poly-2­acrylamido- 2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (PAMPS)/PAAm, PAAm/sodium algi­nate, PEG/PAAm, poly(N-(carboxymethyl)-N, N-dimethyl-2-(methacryloyloxy) ethanaminium) (PCDME)/PAAm as shown in Figs. 2.20, 2.21, 2.22 and 2.23