Investigation on the tunable effect of oxidized konjac glucomannan with different molecular weight on gelatin-based composite hydrogels

Herein, oxidized konjac glucomannan (OKG) with different molecular weight (M-w) were prepared as polysaccharide crosslinker to reinforce gelatin-based hydrogels. Then, properties of composite hydrogels with various OKGs were investigated via a series of methods, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rheology, mechanical and biocompatibility tests. The results confirmed an increased degree of crosslinking and entanglement between gelatin and OKG with higher Mw. Besides, composite hydrogels not only showed increased mechanical strength, but self healing ability at the same time, which were closely affected by the M-w of OKG. Furthermore, both composite hydrogels could support well proliferation of cells, which showed excellent capacity in tissue engineering and biomedical applications. In brief, this work provides a facile method to promote the overall properties of gelatin-based hydrogels, meanwhile revealed the relationship and mechanism underlying the effects of OKG with different Mw on composite hydrogels. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, oxidized konjac glucomannan (OKG) with different molecular weights were used as polysaccharide crosslinker to reinforce gelatin-based hydrogels. The results indicated that higher molecular weight OKG increased the mechanical strength and self-healing ability of the composite hydrogels, as well as promoted cell proliferation.