Possible triggers for phase transformation in zirconia hip balls

Compliance mismatch between the synthetic graft and the surrounding native tissue has been reported as a major factor in ultimate failure of the currently used cardiovascular graft replacements. Thus, developing biomaterials that display close mechanical properties as the tissue it is replacing is an important objective in biomedical devices design. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a biocompatible hydrogel with characteristics desired for biomedical applications. It can be crosslinked by a low temperature thermal cycling process. By using a novel thermal processing method under an applied strain and with the addition of a small amount of bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers, an anisotropic PVA-BC nanocomposite was created. The stress-strain tensile properties of porcine aorta were closely matched in both the circumferential and the axial directions by one type of anisotropic PVA-BC nanocomposite (10% PVA with 0.3% BC at 75% initial strain and cycle 2) within physiological range, with improved resistance to further stretch beyond physiological strains. The PVA-BC nanocomposite gives a broad range of mechanical properties, including anisotropy, by controlling material and processing parameters. PVA-BC nanocomposites with controlled degree of anisotropy that closely match the mechanical properties of the soft tissue it might replace, ranging from cardiovascular to other connective tissues, can be created.     

Fabrication and characterization of phlorotannins/poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel for wound healing application

Abstract

Phlorotannins (PH) derived from brown algae have been shown to have biological effects. However, the application of PH in biomedical materials has not been investigated. Here, we investigated the effects of PH on normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) proliferation and fabricated a composite hydrogel consisting PH and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) (PVA/PH) by a freezing-thawing method for wound healing applications. Cell proliferation was significantly higher in the PH-treated (0.01 and 0.02%) cells than in non-treated cells. Based on the mechanical properties, the PVA/PH hydrogel had a significantly increased swelling ratio and ultimate strain compared to the PVA hydrogel, but the ultimate tensile strength and tensile modulus were decreased. Additionally, cell attachment and proliferation on the composites were evaluated using NHDFs. The results showed that after 1 and 5 days, cell attachment and proliferation were significantly increased on the PVA/PH hydrogel compared with that on the PVA hydrogel. The findings from this study suggest that the PVA/PH hydrogel may be a candidate biomedical material for wound healing applications.     

Metal‐Free and Stretchable Conductive Hydrogels for High Transparent Conductive Film and Flexible Strain Sensor with High Sensitivity

Conductive hydrogels show promising applications in wearable electronic devices. However, it is still challenging to increase the conductivity as well as the mechanical performance of the conductive hydrogels. In addition, it is more challenging to fabricate ultrathin conductive films with good mechanical strength and high transparency. In this study, a metal‐free flexible conductive hydrogel for flexible wearable strain sensor with high sensitivity is presented. The conductive hydrogel is prepared by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) templated polymerizing of polypyrrole (PPy) followed by gelating based on the polymerizing and cross‐linking of polyacrylamide (PAAm). The conductive hydrogel is endowed excellent mechanical properties by multiple hydrogen bonds between the interpenetrating network of PVA, PPy, and PAAm. The tensile strength reaches up to 0.2 MPa at 500% and the compression strength reaches up to 1.5 MPa at 90%. It can withstand cyclic loads. The conductivity reaches 0.3 s m^?1 and it is sensitive to stretching and compressing. Therefore, strain sensors are prepared based on such hydrogels to make wearable electronic devices, monitoring the subtle and large strains. It is worth noting that the composite material containing PVA has good film‐forming properties. Therefore, ultrathin conductive hydrogel films with high transparency (94.2%), high conductivity (7090 Ω/square) and large‐area are fabricated at low cost.     

Exploring cell compatibility of a fibronectin-functionalized physically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel

Physically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels prepared using a low-temperature thermally cycled process have tunable mechanical properties that fall within the range of soft tissues, including cardiovascular tissue. An approach to render it hemocompatible is by endothelization, but its hydrophilic nature is not conducive to cell adhesion and spreading. We investigated the functionalization reaction of this class of PVA hydrogel with fibronectin (FN) for adhesion and spreading of primary porcine radial artery cells and vascular endothelial cells. These are cells relevant to small-diameter vascular graft development. FN functionalization was achieved using a multistep reaction, but the activation step involving carbonyl diimidazole normally required for chemically crosslinked PVA was found to be unnecessary. The reaction resulted in an increase in the elastic modulus of the PVA hydrogel but is still well within the range of cardiovascular tissue. Confocal microscopy confirmed the adhesion and spreading of both cell types on the PVA-FN surfaces, whereas cells failed to adhere to the PVA control. This is a first step toward an alternative for the realization of a synthetic replacement small-diameter vascular graft.     

The polyvinyl alcohol-bacterial cellulose system as a new nanocomposite for biomedical applications

Finding materials suitable for soft tissue replacement is an important aspect for medical devices design and fabrication. There is a need to develop a material that will not only display similar mechanical properties as the tissue it is replacing, but also shows improved life span, biocompatibility, nonthrombogenic, and low degree of calcification. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a hydrophilic biocompatible polymer with various characteristics desired for biomedical applications. PVA can be transformed into a solid hydrogel with good mechanical properties by physical crosslinking, using freeze-thaw cycles. Hydrophilic bacterial cellulose (BC) fibers of an average diameter of 50 nm are produced by the bacterium Acetobacter xylinum, using a fermentation process. They are used in combination with PVA to form biocompatible nanocomposites. The resulting nanocomposites possess a broad range of mechanical properties and can be made with mechanical properties similar to that of cardiovascular tissues, such as aorta and heart valve leaflets. The stress-strain properties for porcine aorta are matched by at least one type of PVA-BC nanocomposite in both the circumferential and the axial tissue directions. A PVA-BC nanocomposite with similar properties as heart valve tissue is also developed. Relaxation properties of all samples, which are important for cardiovascular applications, were also studied and found to relax at a faster rate and to a lower residual stress than the tissues they might replace. The new PVA-BC composite is a promising material for cardiovascular soft tissue replacement applications.     

Mechanical evaluation of poly(vinyl alcohol)-based fibrous composites as biomaterials for meniscal tissue replacement

In this study, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were reinforced with ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and PP fibers and evaluated as potential nondegradable meniscal replacements. An investigation of hydrogel and composite mechanical properties indicates that fiber-reinforced PVA hydrogels could replicate the unique anisotropic modulus distribution present in the native meniscus; the most commonly damaged orthopedic tissue. More specifically, fibrous reinforcement successfully increased the tensile modulus of the biomaterial from 0.23 ± 0.02 MPa without any reinforcement to 258.1 ± 40.1 MPa at 29 vol.% UHMWPE. Additionally, the molecular weight between cross-links, bound water and the microstructure of the PVA hydrogels were evaluated as a function of freeze–thaw cycles and polymer concentration to lend insight into the processes occurring during synthesis. These results suggest the presence of multiple mechanisms as causes for increasing hydrogel modulus with freeze–thaw cycling, including hydrogen bonding between amorphous and/or crystalline regions, and the formation of highly concentrated regions of mostly amorphous PVA chains. It is possible that the formation of regions with highly concentrated amounts of PVA increases the load-bearing ability of the hydrogels.     

PVA /HA复合水凝胶力学性能分析及有限元模拟

目的通过实验与有限元模拟对羟基磷灰石(HA)改变聚乙烯醇/羟基磷灰石(PVA/HA)复合水凝胶的力学性能本质及其承载特性进行研究。方法在UMT试验机上进行PVA/HA复合水凝胶的压缩及应力松弛实验。通过模拟与实验结果相结合,研究PVA/HA复合水凝胶的承载特性及HA对其性能的影响。结果随着HA含量的增加,PVA/HA复合水凝胶的压缩模量先增大后减小,而渗透系数先减小后增大;HA含量为3%的PVA/HA复合水凝胶压缩模量最大、渗透系数最小,分别为1.25 MPa和1.59×10-3 mm4.N-1.s-1。PVA/HA复合水凝胶的液体承载比例随着施载时间的增加呈现先增加后减小的非线性变化,加入HA的PVA/HA复合水凝胶的液体承载比例明显增加。应力松弛速率随着HA含量增加呈先上升后下降趋势,下压相同位移HA,含量为3%时,PVA/HA复合水凝胶所能分散的应力更多。结论 PVA/HA复合水凝胶内部的承载特性影响着其力学性能,HA含量为3%时的PVA/HA复合水凝胶力学性能最优,更接近于天然关节软骨的力学性能。     

Structural and permeability characterization of biosynthetic PVA hydrogels designed for cell-based therapy

Incorporation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components to synthetic hydrogels has been shown to be the key for successful cell encapsulation devices, by providing a biofunctional microenvironment for the encapsulated cells. However, the influence of adding ECM components into synthetic hydrogels on the permeability as well as the physical and mechanical properties of the hydrogel has had little attention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of incorporated ECM analogues on the permeability performance of permselective synthetic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels in addition to examining the physico-mechanical characteristics. PVA was functionalized with a systematically increased number of methacrylate functional groups per chain (FG/c) to tailor the permselectivity of UV photopolymerized hydrogel network. Heparin and gelatin were successfully incorporated into PVA network at low percentage (1%), and co-hydrogels were characterized for network properties and permeability to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) proteins. Incorporation of these ECM analogues did not interfere with the base PVA network characteristics, as the controlled hydrogel mesh sizes, swelling and compressive modulii remained unchanged. While the permeation profiles of both BSA and IgG were not affected by the addition of heparin and gelatin as compared with pure PVA, increasing the FG/c from 7 to 20 significantly limited the diffusion of the larger IgG. Consequently, biosynthetic hydrogels composed of PVA with high FG/c and low percent ECM analogues show promise in their ability to be permselective for various biomedical applications.     

Attachment of fibronectin to poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels promotes NIH3T3 cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration

Hydrogels have been used in biology and medicine for many years, and they possess many properties that make them advantageous for tissue engineering applications. Their high water content and tissue-like elasticity are similar to the native extracellular matrix of many tissues. In this work, we investigated the potential of a modified poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel as a biomaterial for tissue engineering applications. First, the ability of NIH3T3 fibroblast cells to attach to PVA hydrogels was evaluated. Because of PVA's extremely hydrophilic nature, important cell adhesion proteins do not adsorb to PVA hydrogels, and consequently, cells are unable to adhere to the hydrogel. By covalently attaching the important cell adhesion protein fibronectin onto the PVA hydrogel surface, the rate of fibroblast attachment and proliferation was dramatically improved, and promoted two-dimensional cell migration. These studies illustrate that a fibronectin-modified PVA hydrogel is a potential biomaterial for tissue engineering applications.     

直接心辅装置CRG/PVA复合水凝胶隔离层的制备与性能研究

基于气动肌肉的直接心辅装置近年来成为研究热点,针对该装置,提出一种水凝胶生物材料隔离层,用于避免气动肌肉与心脏直接接触,减小摩擦力与排异反应。首先选取聚乙烯醇(PVA)作为水凝胶隔离层3D打印的前驱体材料,并进行PVA水凝胶的制备;然后针对水凝胶固化时间长无法应用于3D打印的问题,加入卡拉胶(CRG)进行优化,并进行力学以及溶胀性能探究;最后将3D成型技术运用到隔离层的成型过程,并对水凝胶隔离层的摩擦磨损性能进行研究。结果表明,CRG/PVA复合水凝胶材料拉伸断裂应变及应力分别为280%、0.84 MPa,力学性能良好;CRG不仅能缩短水凝胶固化时间,且其含量从1%增加至5%,水凝胶溶胀度提高到3.70;水凝胶隔离层在120个工作周期后表面仅轻微损伤,进一步验证该结构能改善心脏摩擦环境。     

PVP/PVA水凝胶力学性能的分子动力学模拟

目的从分子微观角度研究复合材料的力学性能及其单组份间发生相互作用的本质。方法用分子动力学(molecular dynamics,MD)方法模拟研究聚乙烯毗咯烷酮(PVP)、聚乙烯醇(PVA)以及其混合体系PVP/PVA的力学性能、径向分布函数等性质。结果 PVP与PVA有机结合之后的混合体系PVP/PVA较纯PVP体系力学性能有了明显的提高,且复合材料的力学性能不受温度的影响;混合体系两单组份间的相互作用主要是通过PVP分子单元中的氧原子与PVA中的羟基形成较强的氢键作用。结论 MD分析结果从分子层面揭示PVP/PVA复合水凝胶组份间相互作用机理,其力学性能较单组份PVP水凝胶有较大提高且不受温度影响;为临床制备水凝胶假体组织及其理化性能研究提供了一种可靠的理论研究方法。     

Unconfined compression properties of a porous poly(vinyl alcohol)–chitosan-based hydrogel after hydration

A poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel composite scaffold containing N,O-carboxymethylated chitosan (NOCC) was tested to assess its potential as a scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering in a weight-bearing environment. The mechanical properties under unconfined compression for different hydration periods were investigated. The effect of supplementing PVA with NOCC (20 wt.% PVA:5 vol.% NOCC) produced a porosity of 43.3% and this was compared against a non-porous PVA hydrogel (20 g PVA: 100 ml of water, control). Under non-hydrated conditions, the porous PVA–NOCC hydrogel behaved in a similar way to the control non-porous PVA hydrogel, with similar non-linear stress–strain response under unconfined compression (0–30% strain). After 7 days’ hydration, the porous hydrogel demonstrated a reduced stiffness (0.002 kPa, at 25% strain), resulting in a more linear stiffness relationship over a range of 0–30% strain. Poisson’s ratio for the hydrated non-porous and porous hydrogels ranged between 0.73 and 1.18, and 0.76 and 1.33, respectively, suggesting a greater fluid flow when loaded. The stress relaxation function for the porous hydrogel was affected by the hydration period (from 0 to 600 s); however the percentage stress relaxation regained by about 95%, after 1200 s for all hydration periods assessed. No significant differences were found between the different hydration periods between the porous hydrogels and control. The calculated aggregate modulus, H_A, for the porous hydrogel reduced drastically from 10.99 kPa in its non-hydrated state to about 0.001 kPa after 7 days’ hydration, with the calculated shear modulus reducing from 30.92 to 0.14 kPa, respectively. The porous PVA–NOCC hydrogel conformed to a biphasic, viscoelastic model, which has the desired properties required for any scaffold in cartilage tissue engineering.     

Porous nano-hydroxyapatite/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite hydrogel as artificial cornea fringe: characterization and evaluation in vitro

A nano-hydroxyapatite/poly(vinyl alcohol) (n-HA/PVA) composite hydrogel was employed as artificial cornea fringe to improve biocompatibility for the firm fixation between material and surrounding host tissues. The morphology and swelling behavior, as well as mechanical strength of the fringes were characterized. The results showed that the n-HA/PVA fringes had interconnective porous structure, high water content and good mechanical properties. With the aid of cell culture observed by inverted microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and MTT test, it was concluded that PVA hydrogel modified with n-HA can improve biocompatibility and has no negative effects on the corneal fibroblasts in vitro. These findings indicate that the porous n-HA/PVA fringe can allow invasion and proliferation of cells, and can function as a fringe for artificial cornea.     

Wound healing properties of PVA/starch/chitosan hydrogel membranes with nano Zinc oxide as antibacterial wound dressing material

In this work, hydrogel membranes were developed based on poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), starch (St), and chitosan (Cs) hydrogels with nano Zinc oxide (nZnO). PVA/St/Cs/nZnO hydrogel membranes were prepared by freezing-thawing cycles, and the aqueous PVA/St solutions were prepared by dissolving PVA in distilled water. After the dissolution of PVA, starch was mixed, and the mixture was stirred. Then, chitosan powder was added into acetic acid, and the mixture was stirred to form a chitosan solution. Subsequently, Cs, St and PVA solutions were blended together to form a homogeneous PVA/St/Cs ternary blend solution. Measurement of Equilibrium Swelling Ratio (ESR), Water Vapor Transmission Test (WVTR), mechanical properties, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay, antibacterial studies, in vivo wound healing effect and histopathology of the hydrogel membranes were then performed. The examination revealed that the hydrogel membranes were more effective as a wound dressing in the early stages of wound healing and that the gel could be used in topic applications requiring a large spectrum of antibacterial activity; namely, as a bandage for wound dressing.     

Self‐Healable and Conductive Double‐Network Hydrogels with Bioactive Properties

Nanocomposite hydrogels are a class of materials that are generally composed of hydrophilic polymers and nanofillers. They can have various important properties such as self‐healing, conductivity, toughness, bioactivity, facile processing ability, and this enables manifold practical applications. However, development of a single nanocomposite hydrogel with all of the properties of interest is yet to be realized. Here, a double‐network (DN) polymer hydrogel consisting of poly(vinyl alcohol)‐poly(sodium 4‐styrene sulfonate)‐poly(2‐aminoethylenemethacrylate) polymers (PVA‐P(NaSS)‐P(AEMA)) is reported. The obtained DN hydrogels containing copper ions, (PVA‐P(NaSS)‐P(AEMA)@Cu²⁺) hydrogel and copper nanoparticles (PVA‐P(NaSS)‐P(AEMA)@Cu) hydrogels, are found to exhibit self‐healing, conducting, high mechanical, bioactive, and wound healing properties. The fabricated hydrogel may potentially be applied in the biomedical and electronics sector.     

Photocrosslinkable polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels that can be modified with cell adhesion peptides for use in tissue engineering

Photoactive polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels (PVA) have been investigated for use as tissue engineering scaffolds. These materials allow in situ polymerization for minimally invasive implantation methods. The mechanical properties of these materials can be tailored for a variety of soft tissue applications. The Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength of PVA hydrogels are increased with increasing polymer concentration, and highly elastic hydrogels can be formed by altering the number of crosslinkable groups per chain. Fibroblasts homogeneously seeded within 3 mm thick PVA hydrogels remained viable throughout 2 weeks in culture, with no differences in viability across the thickness of the hydrogel. Cells seeded within the PVA hydrogels also produce extracellular matrix proteins, as indicated by the production of hydroxyproline during culture. Intrinsically cell non-adhesive, these PVA hydrogels were functionalized with the cell-adhesive peptide RGDS and found to support the attachment and spreading of fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that photopolymerizable PVA hydrogels are promising for tissue engineering applications.     

Mechanical properties of a novel PVA hydrogel in shear and unconfined compression

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels have been proposed as promising biomaterials to replace diseased or damaged articular cartilage. A critical barrier to their use as load-bearing tissue replacements is a lack of sufficient mechanical properties. The purpose of this study was to characterize the functional compressive and shear mechanical properties of a novel PVA hydrogel. Two formulations of the biomaterial were tested, one with a lower water content (75% water), and the other with higher water content (80% water). The compressive tangent modulus varied with biomaterial formulation and was found to be statistically strain magnitude and rate dependent. Over a strain range of 10-60%, the compressive modulus increased from approximately 1-18 MPa, which is within the range of the modulus of articular cartilage. The shear tangent modulus (0.1-0.4 MPa) was also found to be strain magnitude dependent and within the range of normal human articular cartilage, but it was not statistically dependent on strain rate, This behavior was attributed to the dominance of fluid flow and related frictional drag on the viscoelastic behavior. Compressive failure of the hydrogels was found to occur between 45 and 60% strain, depending on water content.     

聚乙烯醇水凝胶及其复合物的研究与在人工软骨替代材料上的应用

聚乙烯醇水凝胶是一种具有良好生物相容性和力学性能的高弹性材料。本文介绍了聚乙烯醇水凝胶的成型方法，复合改性技术的研究进展，着重对聚乙烯醇水凝胶作为替代材料在关节软骨损伤修复中的研究现状和存在问题进行了综述，并概述了其应用前景和发展方向。     

Facile and large-scale synthesis of curcumin/PVA hydrogel: effectively kill bacteria and accelerate cutaneous wound healing in the rat

The complicated synthesis procedure and limited preparation size of hydrogel inhibit its clinical application. Therefore, a facile preparation method for large-size hydrogel is required. In this study, a series of curcumin (Cur)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel in a large size with different Cur concentrations is prepared by a facile physical-chemical crosslinking. The physicochemical properties, antibacterial performance and accelerating wound healing ability are evaluated with the aim of attaining a novel and effective wound dressing. The results show that the as-prepared hydrogel with the optimal Cur to PVA volume ratio of 1:5 (20% Cur/PVA) exhibits the best antibacterial abilities to E. coli (85.6%) and S. aureus (97%) than other hydrogels. When the volume ratio of Cur to PVA is 1:10 (10% Cur/PVA), the hydrogel can significantly accelerate the wound healing in rats, and successfully reconstruct intact and thickened epidermis during 14 day of healing of impaired wounds after histological examination. In one word, the present approach can shed new light on designing new type of hydrogels with promising applications in wound dressing.     

人工髓核材料(半晶聚乙烯醇水凝胶弹性体)的研制

研制一种可替代椎间盘髓核并恢复其功能的生物医用材料 ,探讨半晶聚乙烯醇水凝胶弹性体材料临床应用的可行性。聚乙烯醇 (PVA)水溶液在 - 2 0℃下冷冻 6～ 12 h,室温下融化 1～ 2 h,上述过程重复 1～ 3次 ,然后对试样进行真空脱水 ,制得人工髓核材料 (半晶 PVA水凝胶弹性体 )。差示扫描量热法 (DSC)和力学性能试验研究了 PVA水溶液浓度、真空脱水和 γ射线辐照对水凝胶 PVA的结晶度和力学性能的影响