초록 |
Bone is a composite material consisting of organic matrix and inorganic mineral phase. Bone tissues have ranges of stiffness with a compressive modulus of hundreds of kPa to tenths of GPa. In this study, we prepared mineralized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/hyaluronic acid (HA) cylindrical hydrogel with stiffness gradient along the longitudinal direction using a simple LN2-contacted gradual freezing and thawing method and the following incubation of the hydrogel in a stimulated body fluid (SBF) solution. The morphology, mechanical properties, and differentiation behavior of bone marrow stem cells along the longitudinal direction of the prepared mineralized PVA/HA cylindrical hydrogel were investigated using the evaluations of DNA contents, RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence stainings. PVA/HA hydrogels with stiffness gradient can be an useful tool for bone tissue engineering studies. |