Photocrosslinked Co-Networks from Glycidylmethacrylated Gelatin and Poly(ethylene glycol) Methacrylates

Abstract

Biopolymer-based systems with adjustable macroscopic properties that can be varied in a wide range using only small changes in chemical composition are promising candidates for biomaterial-induced autoregeneration. Glycidylmethacrylated gelatin is photopolymerized with the addition of PEG mono- or dimethacrylate to form co-networks in pH = 7.4 PBS. The degree of swelling (Q) and water uptake (H) in PBS at 37 °C are tailorable for PEGDMA co-networks (Q ≈ 250–650 vol%), while the storage modulus of swollen networks at 37 °C can be adjusted by the PEG(D)MA content (G′ = 0.7–145 kPa). Indirect cytotoxicity tests on ethylene oxide sterilized films show non-toxic responses for the homonetwork and all but one PEGDMA-containing co-networks materials.