Viscoelasticity of hydrazone crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels directs chondrocyte morphology during mechanical deformation
Benjamin M. Richardson, Cierra J. Walker, Laura J. Macdougall, Jack W. Hoye, Mark A. Randolph, Stephanie J. Bryant, Kristi S. Anseth
Abstract
Chondrocyte deformation influences disease progression and tissue regeneration in load-bearing joints. In this work, we found that viscoelasticity of dynamic covalent crosslinks temporally modulates the biophysical transmission of physiologically relevant compressive strains to encapsulated chondrocytes. Chondrocytes in viscoelastic alky-hydrazone hydrogels demonstrated (91.4 ± 4.5%) recovery of native rounded morphologies during mechanical deformation, whereas primarily elastic benzyl-hydrazone hydrogels significantly limited morphological recovery (21.2 ± 1.4%).
Topics & Concepts
Self-healing hydrogelsViscoelasticityEthylene glycolMorphology (biology)HydrazoneChondrocytePolymer chemistryChemistryChemical engineeringBiophysicsPolymer scienceMaterials scienceComposite materialOrganic chemistryBiochemistryBiologyIn vitroEngineeringGeneticsOsteoarthritis Treatment and MechanismsHydrogels: synthesis, properties, applicationsSilk-based biomaterials and applications