Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Biodegradable and Electroactive Hydrogel Based on Aniline Oligomer and Gelatin

A biodegradable electroactive hydrogel (AP-g-GA), aniline pentamer (AP) grafting gelatin (GA), is synthesized by a coupling reaction between the carboxyl group of AP and the amino side group of GA in aqueous solution. The electroactivity of the physical hydrogel is confirmed by UVvis and CV. The hydrophobic AP changes the hydrogel's porous structure of the natural GA and the gel-time, which is confirmed by the rheological behavior of the AP-g-GA and GA. With an increase in the content of AP, the hydrogel gradually forms a porous structure, from honeycomb to bamboo raft. The porous scaffolds can be crosslinked with 3.5% EDC in 90% ethanol. MTT assays show that the AP-g-GA exhibits reduced cytotoxicity compared to EM AP due to the introduction of the biocompatible GA moiety. The in vitro cell cultures suggest that the AP-g-GA#1 (with 1.9% AP) shows the best biocompatibility and cell adhesion ability.