Injectable, strongly compressible hyaluronic acid hydrogels via incorporation of Pluronic F127 diacrylate nanomicelles

摘要

Injectable, strongly compressible nanomicelle hydrogels (NMgels) were prepared by photo-initiated free radical copolymerization of methacrylated hyaluronate acid (MeHA) and Pluronic F127 diacrylate (F127DA) micelles. The gelation of precursor solutions occurred with short irradiation times of 25 s and hardened within 120 s. The obtained NMgels display outstanding mechanical properties with compressive strength, modulus and fracture energy up to about 3.44 MPa, 0.31 MPa and 1204 J/m(2), respectively. The hydrogels also showed excellent anti-fragility and self-recovery capability due to the dense and strong micelle networks. In addition, the prepared NMgels exhibited low swelling ratios and a well-maintained network even after 90 days in pH = 7.4 phosphate buffer saline. This study presents a tough biocompatible hydrogel that has promising applications especially in load-bearing tissue systems. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.