Tissue engineering may provide a materials-guided approach to repair osteochondral defects (OCDs) - damage extending from cartilage to subchondral bone. Due to the interfacial nature of OCDs, the ideal scaffold must spatially direct tissue regeneration as a gradual transition between the two tissues types. Thus, the scaffold should be comprised of a gradient of physical and chemical properties that can appropriately direct cell behavior. Towards this goal, a library of scaffolds is needed for rapid-screening of cell-material interactions. Conventional poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA) hydrogels, prepared from aqueous precursor solutions have been extensively studied for this purpose. However, the ability of PEG-DA hydrogels to regenerate tissues is limited due to a lack of tunable properties as well as bioactivity and osteoinductivity. In this study, we sought to enhance the versatility of PEG-DA hydrogels through the integration of three fabrication parameters. First, methacrylated star polydimethylsiloxane (PDMSstar-MA) was incorporated to enhance bioactivity and osteoinductivity. Second, solvent induced phase separation (SIPS) involving an organic fabrication solvent was employed in place of traditional fabrication with an aqueous solvent. Lastly, pore interconnectivity, critical to cell infiltration and neotissue formation, was tailored through salt leaching techniques. Total macromer concentration, weight percent (wt%) ratio of PDMSstar-MA to PEG-DA and average salt particle size was studied with regard to their impact on scaffold morphology, hydration, mechanical properties, bioactivity, and degradation.

PDMS<sub>star</sub>-PEG hydrogels for osteochondral tissue engineering

247th National Meeting (2014)

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PDMSstar-PEG hydrogels for osteochondral tissue engineering

PDMS_star-PEG hydrogels for osteochondral tissue engineering