Alginate-Polymethacrylate Hybrid Hydrogels with Double Ionic and Covalent Network for Tissue Engineering

Hydrogels based on alginates are very promising candidates to realize scaffolds for tissue engineering. Indeed, alginate hydrogels are able to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) thus promoting in vitro and/or in vivo cell growth; moreover, their capability of giving rise to highly porous structures can specifically favor the osteochondral tissue regeneration. However, mechanical properties of polymeric hydrogels are often inadequate to endow the final constructs with the required characteristics of elasticity and toughness. Here alginate/polymethacrylate hybrid hydrogels, with a suitable porous structure and characterized by a double network, ionic (from alginate) and covalent (from polymethacrylate) were designed and realized. The mechanical performance of these hybrid materials resulted, as expected, improved due to the double interconnected network, where the alginate portion provides the appropriate micro-environment mimicking the ECM, whereas the polymethacrylate portion acts as a reinforce.