Swelling Pressure Observations on Degrading Dex-HEMA Hydrogels
2002; American Chemical Society; Volume: 35; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1021/ma011408z
ISSN1520-5835
AutoresBarbara G. Stubbe, Kevin Braeckmans, Ferenc Horkay, Wim E. Hennink, Stefaan C. De Smedt, J. Demeester,
Tópico(s)3D Printing in Biomedical Research
ResumoThe variation of the swelling pressure of dextran hydroxyethyl methacrylate (dex-HEMA) hydrogels is determined as a function of the degradation time. In the first stage of the degradation process a moderate increase in the swelling pressure is observed due to the decrease of the elastic pressure. In this period the cross-link density of the polymer network gradually decreases, but only a small amount of free polymer (dextran) is released. Toward the end of the degradation process, however, a sudden increase in the swelling pressure occurs which is accompanied by the release of a major amount of dextran chains. It is demonstrated that the chemical composition of the network (dex-HEMA content and the number of HEMA groups on the dextran chains) strongly affects the degradation rate of dex-HEMA hydrogels. These observations are important to design degrading hydrogel systems with tailored swelling pressure profile for pulsed drug delivery.
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