Poly(anhydride-ester) and poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) blends: salicylic acid-releasing blends with hydrogel-like properties that reduce inflammation

Polymers such as poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) have been used to prepare hydrogels for wound dressing applications but are not inherently bioactive. For enhanced healing, PVP was blended with salicylic acid-based poly(anhydride-esters) (SAPAE) and shown to exhibit hydrogel properties upon swelling. In vitro release studies demonstrated that the chemically incorporated drug (SA) was released from the polymer blends over 3-4 d in contrast to 3 h, and that blends of higher PVP content displayed greater swelling values and faster SA release. The polymer blends significantly the inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α, in vitro without negative effects.

Influence of 3D porous galactose containing PVA/gelatin hydrogel scaffolds on three-dimensional spheroidal morphology of hepatocytes

Three-dimensional liver scaffolds are temporary framework that mimics native ECM architecture and positively influence hepatocyte lodging, proliferation with retention of metabolic activities. The aim of the current study is to develop galactose containing physical cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol/gelatin (P/G 8:2 and 9:1) hydrogel scaffolds via freeze/thaw technique. The 8:2 and 9:1 P/G hydrogels exhibited comparable pore size and porosity (P > 0.05). The tensile strength of the fabricated 8:2 and 9:1 P/G hydrogel scaffolds were found to be in accordance with native human liver. Pore interconnectivity of both the P/G hydrogel scaffolds was confirmed by scanning electron micrographs and liquid displacement method. Further galactose containing hydrogel promoted cell-cell and cell-hydrogel interaction, aiding cellular aggregation leading to spheroids formation compared to void P/G hydrogel by 7 days. Hence, galactose containing P/G hydrogel could be more promising substrate as it showed significantly higher cell proliferation and albumin secretion for 21 days when compared to non-galactose P/G hydrogels (P < 0.05).