Hydrogels are 3-D Jello-like matrixes with a high water content and typically made of different types of polymers (natural or synthetic). Hydrogels are used in various applications such as, controlled drug release and tissue engineering. The widespread use of those biomaterials stems from their mimicry of soft human tissues when used as implants.<br/>The hydrogels in this study were synthesized through the chemical reaction of bovine serum albumin with a polymer, polyethylene glycol of various shapes and masses. Linking the PEG to albumin requires a prior modification of the inert PEG into a PEG-nitrophenyl carbonate derivative obtained in a 3-step process. The modified PEG can then react spontaneously in presence of albumin to generate a solid gel under less than 1 hour. The resulting gel was cut into small discs that were dried in an oven then allowed to swell in different liquids (water, borate buffers of different concentrations and pHs). Gels made with PEG 2-arms and PEG 4-arms showed similar water content (95-97%), dry weight (3-5%) and swelling factors (11.5-12.6%). More in-depth studies such as the evaluation of the mechanical properties will be performed in the future to evaluate the extent of the similarity of those 2 types of gels.

Physico-chemical properties of hydrogels made of linear (2-arms) or star-shaped (4-arms) polyethylene glycol (PEG)

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