Preparation of poly(γ-glutamic acid) hydrogel/apatite composites and their application for scaffold of cell proliferation

Abstract

Poly(γ-glutamic acid) (PGA) was crosslinked by γ-ray irradiation to produce the transparent PGA hydrogel. The effects of the molecular weight of PGA and the dosage of the γ-ray irradiation on the swelling ability and mechanical strength of the PGA hydrogel were systematically investigated. The preparation of PGA hydrogel/apatite composite was performed by soaking the hydrogel in a simulated body fluid. The hydrogel obtained from the calcium form of PGA became turbid during the soaking to form the PGA composite. The FT-IR and XRD analyses showed the formation of the crystalline apatite in the PGA hydrogel. The surface morphology of the composite was observed by SEM. Proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells on the resulting composite was examined for application of tissue engineering scaffold.