A thermo-responsive comb-like polymer with chitosan as the backbone and pendant poly (N-isopropyl-acrylamide) (PNIPAM) groups has been synthesized by grafting PNIPAM-COOH with a single carboxy end group onto chitosan through amide bond linkages. The copolymer exhibits reversible temperature-responsive soluble-insoluble characteristics with the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) being at around 30°C. Results from SEM observations confirm a porous 3D hydrogel structure with interconnected pores ranging from 10 to 40 μm at physiological temperature. A preliminary in vitro cell culture study has demonstrated the usefulness of this hydrogel as an injectable cell-carrier material for entrapping chondrocytes and meniscus cells. The hydrogel not only preserves the viability and phenotypic morphology of the entrapped cells but also stimulates the initial cell-cell interactions. © 2006 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
CITATION STYLE
Chen, J. P., & Cheng, T. H. (2006). Thermo-responsive chitosan-graft-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) injectable hydrogel for cultivation of chondrocytes and meniscus cells. Macromolecular Bioscience, 6(12), 1026–1039. https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.200600142
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