Abstract
A microporous hydrogel was developed using sodium alginate (alg) and 4-aminosalicylic acid (4-ASA). The synthesized hydrogel was characterized using various analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Additonal carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups of 4-ASA provided significant lubrication and stress-triggered sol-gel transition to the conjugated hydrogel. In addition, cytotoxicity analysis was undertaken on the conjugated hydrogel using human dermal fibroblast-adult (HDFa) cells, displaying non-toxic characteristics. Drug release profiles displaying 49.6% in the first 8 h and 97.5% within 72 h, similar to the native polymer (42.8% in first 8 h and 90.1% within 72 h). Under applied external stimuli, the modified hydrogel displayed significant gelling properties and structure deformation/recovery behaviour, confirmed using rheological evaluation (viscosity and thixotropic area of 8095.3 mPas and 26.23%, respectively). The modified hydrogel, thus, offers great possibility for designing smart synovial fluids as a biomimetic aqueous lubricant for joint-related injuries and arthritis-induced conditions. In addtion, the combination of thixotropy, non-toxicity, and drug release capabilities enables potential viscosupplementation for clinical application.
Highlights
In recent years, the demand for advancement of artificial orthopedic implants for bone and joint disorders has significantly increased
We developed a novel microporous hydrogel based on sodium alginate and 4-aminosalicylic acid (4-ASA) via carbodiimide coupling chemistry
The amide conjugate under optimized conditions was used for further characterizations
Summary
The demand for advancement of artificial orthopedic implants for bone and joint disorders has significantly increased. Researchers have shown the advantages of using natural polymer-based materials, due to their biodegradable and biocompatible application [1,2,3,4]. Natural polysaccharides have been acknowledged as attractive candidates for such applications, due to their abundant economical availability and modification for tailor-made properties [5,6,7]. The use of natural polymers, such as sodium alginate carrageenan, agarose, chitosan, and cellulose, have attractive properties for applications in response to stress and strain parameters, ideal for. Mar. Drugs 2017, 15, 257; doi:10.3390/md15080257 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs. Mar. Drugs 2017, 15, 257 viscosupplementation therapy. Chemically-modified polymers are frequently used in pharmaceuticals, healthcare sectors, and food industries [8,9,10,11,12]
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