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Viscoelastic behaviour of hydrogel-based composites for tissue engineering under mechanical load
Rok Kocen1,2, Michael Gasik3, Ana Gantar1
1Department for Nanostructured Materials, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Biomedical Materials (Bristol, England)
|January 21, 2017
Summary
Adding bioactive glass (BAG) nanoparticles to gellan gum (GG) hydrogels significantly enhances their mechanical strength. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and creep tests are recommended for characterizing these improved tissue engineering scaffolds.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Tissue engineering scaffolds require specific mechanical properties alongside biocompatibility and bioactivity.
- Hydrogels like gellan gum (GG) often possess soft mechanical properties, necessitating reinforcement.
- Bioactive glass (BAG) particles can impart bioactivity and improve mechanical characteristics when incorporated into hydrogels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of bioactive glass (BAG) addition on the viscoelastic properties of gellan gum (GG) composite hydrogels.
- To compare the suitability of monotonic uniaxial unconfined compression, small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) rheology, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for characterizing these hydrogel composites.
- To determine the optimal method for assessing the mechanical enhancement of GG-BAG hydrogels for tissue engineering applications.
Main Methods:
- Monotonic uniaxial unconfined compression tests.
- Small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) rheology.
- Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), including creep and small amplitude dynamic strain-controlled tests.
Main Results:
- The addition of 2 wt.% BAG nanoparticles to GG hydrogels increased the Young's modulus by two orders of magnitude (from 6.6 ± 0.8 kPa to 500-800 kPa).
- DMA creep and small amplitude dynamic strain-controlled tests were identified as superior methods for characterizing the mechanical properties of hydrogel composites.
- SAOS rheology proved more effective for studying hydrogel processing kinetics due to its ability to avoid volumetric changes.
Conclusions:
- Bioactive glass (BAG) nanoparticles beneficially enhance the elastic modulus of gellan gum (GG) hydrogels.
- Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is the recommended technique for evaluating the mechanical properties of GG-BAG hydrogel composites for tissue engineering.
- The findings support the use of GG-BAG composites as promising materials for tissue engineering scaffolds with improved mechanical integrity.
