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Previous work has revealed robust dorsal root ganglia neurite growth in hydrogels of chondroitin sulfate. In the current work, it was determined whether addition of a synthetic bioactive peptide could augment neurite growth in these matrices via enhanced binding and sequestering of growth factors. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching studies revealed that addition of peptide slowed nerve growth factor diffusivity in chondroitin sulfate gels, but not in control gels of hyaluronic acid. Furthermore, cultures of chick dorsal root ganglia in gels of hyaluronic acid or chondroitin sulfate revealed enhanced growth in chondroitin sulfate gels only upon addition of peptide. Taken together, these results suggest a synergistic nerve growth factor-binding activity between this peptide and chondroitin sulfate.

We present proof-of-concept studies that display the potential for using a glucose-sensitive hydrogel as a continuous glucose sensor. A study to characterize the swelling ratio of the hydrogel at normal physiological and pathological hyperglycemic glucose levels was performed. The hydrogel exposed to the hyperglycemic glucose solution had a higher equilibrium swelling ratio than the hydrogel exposed to the normal glucose concentration solution. The diffusivity of a small molecule, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), through a hydrogel exposed to a hyperglycemic solution was determined using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). The diffusivity was found to be 4.2 × 10(-14) m(2)/s, a value approximately four orders of magnitude smaller than the diffusivity of FITC in glucose solution. The permeability of the hydrogel after equilibration in a hyperglycemic solution was found to be 5.1 × 10(-17) m(2), in the range of 2-4% agarose gels.