Abstract
This review presents an overview on the recent progress in the synthesis, crosslinking, interpenetrating networks, and applications of poly(aspartic acid) (PASP)-based hydrogels. PASP is a synthetic acidic polypeptide that has drawn a great deal of attention in diverse applications due particularly to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. Facile modification of its precursor, poly(succinimide) (PSI), by primary amines has opened a wide window for the design of state-of-the-art hydrogels. Apart from pH-sensitivity, PASP hydrogels can be modified with suitable species in order to respond to the other desired stimuli such as temperature and reducing/oxidizing media as well. Strategies for fabrication of nanostructured PASP-based hydrogels in the form of particle and fiber are also discussed. Different cross-linking agents for PSI/PASP such as diamines, dopamine, cysteamine, and aminosilanes are also introduced. Finally, applications of PASP-based hydrogels in diverse areas particularly in biomedical are reviewed.
Highlights
Hydrogels are 3-D networks composed of water-soluble polymer chains linked together by chemical or physical bonds
In the light of the aforementioned features, in this paper we provide a review on the synthesis, gelation process, cross-linking agents, and recent applications of hydrogels based on poly(aspartic acid) (PASP)
Incorporation of other water-soluble polymers into the PASP network may provide the final hydrogel with superior properties
Summary
Hydrogels are 3-D networks composed of water-soluble polymer chains linked together by chemical or physical bonds. PSI is generally modified with thiol groups (cysteamine or cystamine) for the preparation of reducing/oxidizing-responsive PASP hydrogels (Molnar et al, 2014). Zrinyi et al (2013) synthesized PASP with diaminobutane (DAB), and cystamine (CYS) as permanent and cleavable crosslinkers, respectively They showed that disulfide bonds arising from the latter is broken by the addition of a reducing agent, leading to an increase in swelling and a decrease in modulus. Hydrogel nanoparticles (i.e., nanogels) can find much more applications compared to their own bulk counterpart especially as a carrier for delivery of bioactive agents (Cuggino et al, 2019; Molaei et al, 2019) Preparation of such structures is generally carried out via inverse type emulsion techniques where aqueous phase containing hydrophilic polymer is dispersed in an organic solvent (typically hydrocarbons such as hexane) containing emulsifier (e.g., span-80; Krisch et al, 2017).
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