Thermally responsive polymeric hydrogel brushes: synthesis, physical properties and use for the culture of chondrocytes

Hydrogel brushes are materials composed of a water-swollen network, which contains polymer chains that are grafted with another polymer. Using a thermally responsive polymer, poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (polyNIPAM), as the graft component we are able to maintain the critical solution temperature (T-crit), independent of the overall composition of the material, at approximately 32 degrees C. The change in swelling at T-crit is a function of the amount of polyNIPAM in the system. However, there is a much smaller change in the surface contact angles at Tcrit. PolyNIPAM-based materials have generated considerable interest, as 'smart' substrates for the culture of cells and here, we show the utility of hydrogel brushes in cell culture. Chondrocytes attached to the hydrogel brushes and yielded viable cell cultures. Moreover, the chondrocytes could be released from the hydrogel brushes without the use of proteases by reducing the temperature of the cultures to below Tcrit to induce a change in the conformation of the polyNIPAM chain at T-crit. The importance of the crosslink hydrogel component is illustrated by significant changes in cell attachment/cell viability as the crosslink density is changed.