UV-photopolymerized P(AM)/PVA IPN hydrogels with tunable mechanical and biological performance for tissue engineering

초록

A robust interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel comprising Poly(acrylamide)-Poly(vinyl alcohol) (P (AM)/PVA) was engineered via UV-induced photopolymerization to achieve multifaceted enhancements in mechanical integrity, antimicrobial efficacy and cytocompatibility. The P(AM)/PVA hydrogel exhibited a highly interconnected porous microstructure (90 % porosity), a crosslink density of 36.04 mol center dot m-3, exceptional water retention capacity and a compressive modulus of 6.75 MPa, aligning with the mechanical demands of soft to semi-rigid tissue scaffolds. Functional enhancement with silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) introduced localized nanoscale reinforcement, increasing the compressive strength to 7.35 MPa and elevating the crosslink density to 55.60 mol center dot m-3 via physical entrapment and secondary interactions. In contrast, incorporation of Fe3 ions facilitated supramolecular ionic crosslinking and coordination complexation within the hydrogel matrix, drastically enhancing network stiffness (16.50 MPa) and densification (76.97 mol center dot m-3), while concurrently reducing porosity through collapse of hydration domains. Antibacterial profiling revealed superior inhibition zones for Fe3 -modified hydrogels, attributed to in situ generation of hydroxyl radicals via Fenton-driven redox catalysis. Cytocompatibility assays demonstrated high metabolic activity in pure and Ag-NP-infused constructs, while Fe3 functionalized samples elicited mild cytotoxic responses, potentially linked to microenvironmental acidification and redox-induced oxidative stress. This multifunctional hydrogel system offers a synergistic interplay between mechanical reinforcement, antimicrobial action and cellular permissiveness, positioning it as a promising extracellular matrix analog for regenerative engineering, particularly in osteogenic and load-bearing tissue contexts.

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