Performance of novel bioactive hybrid hydrogels in vitro and in vivo used for artificial cartilage

Abstract

The long-term fixation of poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA hydrogels cartilage implants on ambient tissue is a difficult problem, which is one of the obstacles for PVA hydrogels to be used as articular cartilage implants. In this work, a novel bioactive PVA/HA hydrogel was prepared by the in situ sol–gel synthesis method. Simulated experiments were performed to evaluate and compare the bioactive ability and properties of the hydrogels in simulated body fluid (SBF). Gradual-structure PVA/HA cartilage implants were developed and used to repair articular cartilage defects in rabbit knees. In vitro bioactive evaluation showed that PVA/HA hydrogels could be bio-mineralized to form bone-like hydroxyl–carbonate–apatite deposit in SBF solution. The macroscopic and histological observation of animal experiments displayed that the implanted hydrogels combined tightly with ambient tissues, and some bone-like tissue grew into the bottom of the implants from the base bone to form more deep-set binding between replacement and cartilage tissues.