1255610-09-3Relevant articles and documents
Biodegradation of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly{(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-co-[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate]} hydrogels containing peptide-based cross-linking agents
Casadio, Ylenia S.,Brown, David H.,Chirila, Traian V.,Kraatz, Heinz-Bernhard,Baker, Murray V.
, p. 2949 - 2959 (2010)
PHEMA-peptide and P[HEMA-co-(MeO-PEGMA)]-peptide conjugate hydrogels [where PHEMA ) poly(2- hydroxyethyl methacrylate; PEGMA ) poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate] were readily prepared via photoinitiated free-radical polymerization in water. The PHEMA-peptide hydrogels were opaque and had a heterogeneous morphology of interconnected polymer droplets, characteristic of polymers that separate from the aqueous phase during the polymerization experiment. The P[HEMA-co-(MeO-PEGMA)]-peptide conjugates were transparent gels with a homogeneous morphology when formed in water, but when formed in aqueous NaCl solutions the P[HEMA-co-(MeO-PEGMA)]-peptide conjugates were also opaque and exhibited the heterogeneous morphology of interconnected polymer droplets. When incubated in solutions containing activated papain, P[HEMA-co-(MeOPEGMA)]- peptide conjugates underwent degradation that was characterized by macroscopic changes to sample shape and size, sample weight, and microscopic structure. PHEMA-peptide conjugates did not undergo any significant degradation when incubated with papain, although ninhydrin-staining experiments suggested that some peptide cross-linker groups were cleaved during the incubation. The difference in degradation behavior of PHEMA-peptide and P[HEMA-co-(MeO-PEGMA)]- peptide conjugates is attributed to differences in aqueous solubility of PHEMA and P[HEMA-co-(MeO-PEGMA)].