Development and Characterisation of a Novel Elastin Hydrogel

摘要

Elastin-based biomaterials offer unique promise as hydrogels for tissue engineering applications. In this study an elastin-based hydrogel was synthesized through coacervation followed by crosslinking under high pressure CO_2. The physical properties of fabricated hydrogel including swelling ratio, pore size, pore interconnectivity, and mechanical properties were tailored by processing pressure. The crosslinked hydrogels fabricated using high pressure CO_2 exhibited superior properties compared with those produced at atmospheric pressure. Dense gas CO_2 strengthened the hydrogel, whereas the gels produced at atmospheric condition were very fragile. High pressure CO_2 produced a highly interconnected porous hydrogel; which resembled the natural elastin structures within the body. Using dense gas CO_2, large channels were induced within the structures of the α-elastin hydrogels. The presence of these channels allowed for the fibroblast cells to penetrate and grow into the 3D structures of fabricated hydrogels.