DEVELOPMENT OF POLYVINYL ALCOHOL-BASED PATCHES FOR DAMAGED MYOCARDIUM REGENERATION

Highlights

A promising area of tissue engineering is the creation of materials for the repair of damaged myocardium. The key advantage of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) – based material is the ability to change its properties to meet the requirements of biocompatibility, mechanical characteristics, and others.

Aim. To create cryogels based on polyvinyl alcohol and to study their structural, physico-mechanical, wetting properties and electrical conductivity.

Methods. PVA cryogels in 0.9% NaCl and PVA in deionized water were prepared using 1, 3, or 5 freeze-thaw cycles. The surface morphology of the cryogels was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The strength and elastic-deformative properties of the materials were determined using a universal testing machine (Zwick/Roell, Germany). The hydrophilicity of the cryogels’ surface was assessed by measuring the contact angle using the ImageJ software (National Institutes of Health, USA). Electrical conductivity was measured by the four-point probe method using a multimeter (EXCEL, China). Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0 software (GraphPad Software, USA). A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results. A comprehensive analysis of SEM images and contact angle measurements of PVA hydrogels showed that using 0.9% NaCl and 1–3 freeze-thaw cycles create a highly porous, hydrophilic structure with thin pore walls. PVA_NaCl cryogels outperformed samples prepared with deionized water in terms of strength and elastic modulus. The highest mechanical properties were observed for PVA_NaCl after 3 cycles (strength 0.82 (0.742; 0.849) MPa, elongation 347.4 (307.6; 351.8) %, Young’s modulus 0.097 (0.092; 0.105) MPa). The electrical conductivity of PVA_NaCl reached 0.531 cm/s after 1 cycle but decreased with more cycles; PVA_H2O samples showed no conductivity.

Conclusion. PVA_NaCl cryogels with 0.9% NaCl exhibit good physico-mechanical and electrical properties close to those of myocardium. The results indicate the promise of PVA_NaCl cryogels with 1–3 freeze-thaw cycles as materials for myocardial tissue engineering.

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