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A highly competent material, based on poly lactic acid (PLLA) grafted hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG-g-PLLA) and polypyrrole/carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotube (PPy/C-MWCNT) composite of various binary composition and copolymer of one of these nanocomposites have been synthesized successfully by in-situ polymerization. The environmentally affable nanocomposites have been characterized by spectroscopy, microscopy and thermogravimetry. Cytotoxicity of bio-nanocomposite has been inquired by cell viability study, which reveals its eco-friendly nature. The electrochemical properties of the biomaterials have been appraised by cyclic voltammetric studies. The PPy/C-MWCNT composite having 1 wt% C-MWCNT appears as the optimum composition from electrochemical studies. The hydrogel nanocomposite (HPG-g-PLLA 5/0.5 ) copolymer behaves as a super ordinate material than pure PPy and PPy/C-MWCNT in every aspect of electrochemical properties like current density, stability, processibility and reversibility. Moreover the hydrogel nanocomposite, making electrode fabrication more simple and binder-free, nullifies all the interfacial complications arising from binders as well., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Silk fibroin (SF) hydrogel is a promising candidate in biomaterial field; however its application is quite limited by long-gelation time. In the present study, we developed a novel strategy named soft freezing to accelerate the process and control the sol-gel transition of SF protein. SF protein was induced to self-assembly by soft freezing process for achieving the reconstructed SF solution with metastable structure. It was found that the soft freezing process triggers the structural transition from random structure to ordered structure-rich conformation. Gelation kinetics showed that the gelation time of SF protein could be regulated by changing freezing time and initial concentration. The reconstructed SF solution allowed enhanced sol-gel transition within 6 hours, even at extremely low concentration. The attractive features of the method described here include the accelerated gelation, free of chemical agents, and reducing processing complexity. The SF solution with short gelation time will be applicable as cell encapsulation and injectable applications for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, which greatly expand the applications of SF hydrogels., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Salecan is a novel water-soluble extracellular β-glucan and suitable for the hydrogel preparation due to its excellent physicochemical and biological properties. The present article describes the fabrication and characterization of a pH/magnetic field-driven hydrogel based on salecan-g-poly(vinylacetic acid-co-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) [poly(VA-co-HEA)] copolymer and Fe 3 O 4 @Agarose nanoparticles for drug release testing. Vibrating sample magnetometer characterization verified that integration of Fe 3 O 4 @Agarose nanoparticles in the copolymer provided the sensitivity to magnetic fields. The doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) release test showed a pH/magnetic field-triggered and sustained release property, and the release could be accelerated under mildly acidic conditions or the presence of an external magnetic field. Meanwhile, the increase in salecan content could also enhance the release rate. Cytotoxicity assays revealed that the released DOX maintained relatively high killing efficacy of A549 cells. In sum, these salecan-g-poly(VA-co-HEA)/Fe 3 O 4 @Agarose hydrogels were well-suited for magnetically targeted drug delivery systems., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The physico-chemical properties of a chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA)-based hydrogel composite were investigated. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was employed as a crosslinking agent. The results indicated that the chitosan-based composite presented a thermal resistance up to 200°C. The structural properties, which were evaluated using FTIR and DSC, showed good miscibility between chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol. SEM presented a compact and homogeneous structure. The release profile of the chitosan-based hydrogel composite was investigated using gallic acid (GA). It showed high antioxidant activities, which were monitored using DPPH radical scavenging. Diffusion of water into the chitosan-based hydrogel was assumed to be pseudo-Fickian in PBS solution. The CS/PVA-based hydrogel composite exhibited good properties as a drug delivery system., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Islet transplantation has the potential of reestablishing naturally-regulated insulin production in Type 1 diabetic patients. Nevertheless, this procedure is limited due to the low islet survival after transplantation and the lifelong immunosuppression to avoid rejection. Islet embedding within a biocompatible matrix provides mechanical protection and a physical barrier against the immune system thus, increasing islet survival. Alginate is the preferred biomaterial used for embedding insulin-producing cells because of its biocompatibility, low toxicity and ease of gelation. However, alginate gelation is poorly controlled, affecting its physicochemical properties as an injectable biomaterial. Including different concentrations of the phosphate salt Na 2 HPO 4 in alginate hydrogels, we can modulate their gelation time, tuning their physicochemical properties like stiffness and porosity while maintaining an appropriate injectability. Moreover, these hydrogels showed good biocompatibility when embedding a rat insulinoma cell line, especially at low Na 2 HPO 4 concentrations, indicating that these hydrogels have potential as injectable biomaterials for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus treatment., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The copolymerization of starch with acrylic acid AAc using direct gamma radiation technique was performed. The effect of AAc concentrations on the gel (%) and swelling behavior were investigated. It is found that as AAc concentrations increase both gel(%) and swelling behavior increase. The Poly(starch/acrylic acid) (1:10wt%) hydrogel were selected due to its high swelling properties. From the in-vitro release study of the rutin-loaded hydrogel it is observed that it is strong pH-dependent release behavior, thus offering a maximum release as pH increased. The dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced rat colitis model was treated with rutin-loaded Poly(starch/acrylic acid) (1:10wt%) hydrogel and free rutin solution by oral administration. Colitic control group showed a significant elevation in colon/body weight ratio, myeloperoxgidase activity, tumor necrosis factor, nitric oxide and malondialdehyde levels. However, glutathione level was reduced. It was found that the rutin-loaded hydrogel was more efficient than free rutin as evidenced by improvement of all measured parameters. These effects were confirmed histopathologically and may be attributed to its ability to control delivery of rutin to colon with minor early release of rutin before colon. The Poly(starch/acrylic acid) (1:10wt%) can represent a pivotal anti-inflammatory approach for patients with inflammatory bowel disease in order to increase efficacy and reduce toxicity., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study describes the development of glucose-sensitive hydrogel and optimization of bovine serum albumin release profile from the hydrogel. To enhance the glucose sensitivity and improve the swelling behaviors of the hydrogel system, boric acid crosslinking, and freeze-thawing cycle techniques were used to prepare chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. The structure of the resultant hydrogel was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The experimental results revealed that the swelling of the hydrogel was influenced by the pH of the medium, and the hydrogel displayed explicit glucose-sensitivity under physiological conditions. The values of the diffusion exponent range between 0.34 and 0.44 and the diffusion of water into the gel system are assumed to be pseudo-Fickian in nature. Under optimized conditions, the cumulative Bovine serum albumin (BSA) drug releases ranged between 69.33±1.95% and 86.45±1.16% at 37°C in the presence of glucose and pH 7.4, respectively., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This research paper reports the utilization of gum xanthan-grafted-polyacrylic acid and Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles based nanocomposite hydrogel (NCH) for the highly effective adsorption of methyl violet (MV) from aqueous solution. Synthesized NCH was characterized using various techniques, such as FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM and BET. Adsorption behavior of NCH was studied for the adsorption of MV and it was found to remove 99% dye from the solution. Adsorption process followed Langmuir isotherm model (qe=642mg/g) and pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Thermodynamic studies suggested that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. Moreover, the adsorbent was successfully utilized for successive five cycles of adsorption-desorption., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The hemicellulose isolated from the spent liquor of a viscose process was successfully utilized to prepare hydrogels by the graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) with hemicellulose. The hemicellulose and prepared hydrogel were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance ((13)C NMR). Under the optimum preparation conditions, the highest compressive strength and strain at break of the resultant hydrogel were 105.1±12.9kPa and 34.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum equilibrium swelling degree of prepared hydrogel was 192. Also, the hydrogel could rapidly respond to pH, salt and ethanol. Taken together, the prepared hydrogels had great mechanical and multi-responsive properties. Thus, the prepared hydrogels had a great potential application in drug release, water treatment and cell immobilization. In addition, the utilization of alkaline extracted hemicellulose from the viscose fiber factory has huge market potential and economic benefits., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel resourceful bulk poly(Tannic Acid) (p(TA)) hydrogel was prepared by crosslinking TA molecules with an epoxy crosslinker, trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether (TMPGDE), in an autoclave at 90°C for 2h. The obtained p(TA) hydrogels were in disk form and have highly porous morphology. The swelling characteristics of p(TA) hydrogels were investigated in wound healing pH conditions of pH 5.4, 7.4, and 9 at 37.5°C, and the hydrogels showed good swelling and moisture content behavior. Especially, p(TA) hydrogels were found to be sensitive to pH 9 with 1669% maximum swelling. P(TA) hydrogels were completely degraded at pH 9 hydrolytically in 9 days. Total phenol contents and the effects of scavenging ABTS(+) radicals of degraded p(TA) hydrogels at pH 5.4, 7.4, and 9 were evaluated and calculated in terms of gallic acid equivalent and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, respectively, and found to be very effective. Moreover, degraded p(TA) hydrogels display strong antimicrobial behavior against gram positive Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria strains and Candida albicans fungus strain. The WST-1 results indicated that bulk p(TA) hydrogels have no cyctotoxicity to the L929 fibroblast cell line in vitro., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, gellan gum-grafted-poly((2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (GG-g-poly(DMAEMA)) hydrogel was made by free radical polymerization in aqueous media employing microwave irradiation technique. Ammonium persulfate (APS)/N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) were used as initiator-accelerator pair. N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) has been used as crosslinker. The gel was characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, DSC and SEM techniques. The characteristic peaks at 1724, 2630, 1147, 1650 and 1535cm(-1) in the IR spectrum confirms grafting and gel formation. The TGA data reveals that synthesized gels were thermally more stable than gellan gum. The XRD studies confirm the crystalline nature of the synthesized material. Swelling behaviour of the hydrogel under different temperatures and pH conditions was investigated. The results indicated drastic changes in swelling around pH 7.0 and 50°C. The gels were evaluated as an adsorbent to remove an anionic dye, methyl orange (MO), from aqueous solution. The pH conditions for maximum adsorption were optimized, the adsorption data is observed to fit best to the Freundlich isotherm model and the maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 25.8mgg(-1). The kinetic analysis revealed a second-order adsorption process. The thermodynamic parameters showed the adsorption to be exothermic and non-spontaneous at high temperatures., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel adsorbent was prepared via crosslinking graft copolymerization of 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) onto carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) backbone. Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and potassium persulphate were used as crosslinker and initiator, respectively. CMC-g-PDMAEMA hydrogel was used to remove methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were found to follow Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, respectively. The high maximum adsorption capacity (1825 mg/g) implied that CMC-g-PDMAEMA can be used as promising adsorbent for the synthetic dyes removal from wastewater., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

α-chitin hydrogel/nano hydroxyapatite (nHAp) composite scaffold have been synthesized by freeze-drying approach with nHAp and α-chitin hydrogel. The prepared nHAp and nanocomposite scaffolds were characterized using DLS, SEM, FT-IR, XRD and TGA studies. The porosity, swelling, degradation, protein adsorption and biomineralization (calcification) of the prepared nanocomposite scaffolds were evaluated. Cell viability, attachment and proliferation were investigated using MG 63, Vero, NIH 3T3 and nHDF cells to confirm that the nanocomposite scaffolds were cytocompatible and cells were found to attach and spread on the scaffolds. All the results suggested that these scaffolds can be used for bone and wound tissue engineering., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Novel biodegradable hydrogels by photocrosslinking macromers based on chitosan derivative are reported. Photocrosslinkable macromers, a water-soluble (methacryloyloxy) ethyl carboxyethyl chitosan were prepared by Michael-addition reaction between chitosan and ethylene glycol acrylate methacrylate. The macromers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR. Hydrogels were fabricated by exposing aqueous solutions of macromers with 0.1% (w/v) photoinitiator to UV light irradiation, and their swelling kinetics as well as degradation behaviors was evaluated. The results demonstrated that the degradation rates were affected strongly by crosslinking density. The hydrogel was compatible to Vero cells, not exhibiting significant cytotoxicity. Cell culture assay also demonstrated that the hydrogels were good in promoting the cell attachment and proliferation, showing their potential as tissue engineering scaffolds., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A series of pH-sensitive composite hydrogel beads, chitosan-g-poly (acrylic acid)/vermiculite/sodium alginate (CTS-g-PAA/VMT/SA), was prepared using CTS-g-PAA/VMT composite and SA by Ca(2+) as the crosslinking agent. The structure and morphologies of the developed composite hydrogel beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The swelling properties and pH-sensitivity of the beads were investigated. In addition, the drug loading and controlled release behaviors of the beads were also evaluated using diclofenac sodium (DS) as the model drug in stimulated gastric fluids (pH 2.1) and intestinal fluids (pH 6.8). The results indicate that the composite hydrogel beads showed good pH-sensitivity. The release rate of the drug from the composite hydrogel beads is remarkably slowed down, which indicated that incorporating VMT into the composite hydrogel beads can improve the burst release effect of the drug., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chitosan, a deacetylated derivative of chitin is a commonly studied biomaterial for tissue-engineering applications due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, antibacterial activity, wound healing ability and haemostatic properties. However, chitosan has poor mechanical strength due to which its applications in orthopedics are limited. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is a natural inorganic component of bone and teeth and has mechanical strength and osteoconductive property. In this work, HAp was deposited on the surface of chitosan hydrogel membranes by a wet chemical synthesis method by alternatively soaking the membranes in CaCl(2) (pH 7.4) and Na(2)HPO(4) solutions for different time intervals. These chitosan hydrogel-HAp membranes were characterized using SEM, AFM, EDS, FT-IR and XRD analyses. MTT assay was done to evaluate the biocompatibility of these membranes using MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. The biocompatibility studies suggest that chitosan hydrogel-HAp composite membranes can be useful for tissue-engineering applications.