Preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol)-chondroitin sulfate hydrogel as matrices in tissue engineering

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-Chondroitin sulfate(CS) hydrogels are prepared using glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent. The obtained hydrogels, which have the advantages of both PVA and CS, can be used as a material for scaffolds in tissue engineering. They promote not only cell adsorption, but also cell growth. The cells that adhere to the CS20 hydrogel are connected in the form of a dense sheet. The number of cells in CS20 hydrogel was 2.56 times that in CS00 hydrogel, which is hydrophilic and does not favor cell adhesion. A cell test also shows that the CS contained in the scaffolds promotes the effective growth of BHK cells on the surface. It promotes interaction between cells and scaffold. Additionally, the strength of PVA provides scaffolds with mechanical proper-ties appropriate for culturing cells in vitro. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.