Hyaluronic acid-based self-healing hydrogel with enhanced stability for 3D printing

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the synthesis and characterization of hydrogels derived from hyaluronic acid (HA) modified with hydrazide and diol functionalities. The resulting hydrogels were assessed for their cytotoxicity on ATDC5 and MC3T3-E1 cells. Hydrogels were further prepared with additional components, such as ADH, to investigate their stability, self-healing properties, and suitability for 3D printing applications. The enhanced stability of HA-CDH hydrogel, compared to HA-ADH hydrogel, was observed for 21 days. The hydrogels' self-healing abilities were confirmed, and their potential for 3D printing was evaluated at optimal printing speed of 10 mm/s. The impact of enhanced mechanical stiffness on in vitro cell differentiation was explored, revealing significant gene expression levels in chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation within hydrogels with increased stiffness. These findings could help address how the physical properties of natural polysaccharide-based hydrogels could regulate the cell phenotype, suggesting their expanded utilization in tissue engineering applications.