Ultrafast, tough, and adhesive hydrogel based on hybrid photocrosslinking for articular cartilage repair in water-filled arthroscopy.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34433558.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abg0628 and PMC identifier 8386926.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
A hydrogel scaffold for direct tissue-engineering application in water-irrigated, arthroscopic cartilage repair, is badly needed. However, such hydrogels must cure quickly under water, bind strongly and permanently to the surrounding tissue, and maintain sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the hydraulic pressure of arthroscopic irrigation (~10 kilopascal). To address these challenges, we report a versatile hybrid photocrosslinkable (HPC) hydrogel fabricated though a combination of photoinitiated radical polymerization and photoinduced imine cross-linking. The ultrafast gelation, high mechanical strength, and strong adhesion to native tissue enable the direct use of these hydrogels in irrigated arthroscopic treatments. We demonstrate, through in vivo articular cartilage defect repair in the weight-bearing regions of swine models, that the HPC hydrogel can serve as an arthroscopic autologous chondrocyte implantation scaffold for long-term cartilage regeneration, integration, and reconstruction of articular function.