Photocleavable Polymer Side-groups to Spatially Alter Hydrogel Properties and Cellular Interactions

摘要

Spatial control of material properties at micro- and nano-scale resolutions is of great importance for numerous technological fields. Micropatterning with lithographic techniques has long been applied to electronics, photonics, and microfluidics, but only recently have advances been translated to biological systems for smart drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. Light-induced changes to hydrogel systems have been explored through ligand patterning or altered crosslinking density. Here, we present a novel route to changing hydrogel properties using light through the UV-induced introduction of carboxylic acids to the gel, leading to enhanced hydrophilicity, increased swelling, and a decrease in mechanical properties. These changes lead to significant alterations in cell behavior on the gels and may be useful for tissue engineering applications.