Hybrid hydrogel as a delivery vehicle for bioactive ions to enhance bone regeneration

Beatriz Oliveira, João Neves, Cândida Malça, Sofia Campos, Joel Sá, Marta Henriques, Ana Baptista, Carla Moura

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Bone has a natural capacity to regenerate when slightly damaged. However, when injured at larger scale, it requires external intervention, such bone grafts, which introduces challenges, limiting their use in clinical applications. Therefore, polymeric scaffolds, namely hydrogels, appear as an interesting alternative to bone replacements. They are characterised by high water uptake and have excellent biomimetic properties. Magnesium (Mg) is a biodegradable mineral, mainly stored in bones, and possesses strong mechanical qualities closely resembling natural bone. Thus, the main objective of this work was the production of a hydrogel combining synthetic polymers to act as bone substitutes. For this purpose, polyethyleneglycol diacrylate (PEGDA) was used as the base hydrogel, in which Mg sulphate (bioactive ion) was incorporated. Mg addition led to an increase of about 19% of the compressive Young modulus, enhancing their mechanical strength and resistance to compression. Both groups, with and without Mg, presented very similar behaviours when submitted to a hydrated environment, not suffering considerable degradation during the month of the experiment.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)247-252
Number of pages6
JournalMechanical Technology and Structural Materials
Issue number60
Publication statusPublished - 2023
Event12th International Conference on Mechanical Technologies and Structural Materials, MTSM 2023 - Split, Croatia
Duration: 21 Sept 202322 Sept 2023

Keywords

  • Bone Regeneration
  • Hydrogel
  • Magnesium Sulphate
  • Tissue Engineering

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