Anti-fatigue, highly resilient photocrosslinkable gellan gum hydrogels reinforced by flexible nanoparticulate polyurethane multi-crosslinkers

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2021-07, Vol.183, p.831-838
• Main Authors: Sahraro, Maryam, Barikani, Mehdi, Daemi, Hamed, Baei, Payam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Gellan gum; Nanocomposite hydrogel; Polyurethane nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.04.144

In this study, multifunctional polyurethane nanoparticles (MPUNs) were embedded into the methacrylated gellan gum (MGG) to prepare stimuli-responsive hydrogels with improved mechanical properties including remarkable fatigue resistance and excellent self-recoverability. The photocurable MPUNs/MGG nanocomposite hydrogels with different formulations were synthesized through a facile and green solution mixing method. The result obtained from mechanical analysis displayed an excellent improvement in compression strength (120 6 ± 83.7 kPa) and ultimate strain (94.2 ± 2.7%) in the optimized formulation. Furthermore, the optimized formulation could restore approximately its original shape after continuous loading-unloading compression tests over 100 cycles which might result from its favorable crosslinked structure. These reinforced hydrogels exhibited a dual physical and chemical crosslinking mechanism based on the hydrogen bonding formation and photocrosslinking of methacrylate functional groups, respectively. Interestingly, the nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited no significant cytotoxicity to human dermal fibroblast cells which made them suitable as the appropriate biomaterials for the engineering of soft tissues. •Polyurethane nanoparticles were embedded in modified gellan gum hydrogel through a one-pot and green solution mixing method.•The effect of MPUNs incorporation on mechanical, rheological and stimuli-responsive properties was investigated.•The incorporation of polyurethane nanoparticles caused an improvement in both mechanical and rheological properties.•Prepared Hydrogel had good cell viability.