Design of a polyacrylamide and gelatin hydrogel as a synthetic extracellular matrix

Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks with high water content become soft and elastic mimicking some characteristics of the extracellular matrix. They can be prepared by using either synthetic or natural polymers, therefore, their combination can benefit the overall of the material for a specific biomedical application. In this study, a semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel of polyacrylamide/gelatin (PAM/Gel) with up to 0.3% of gelatin content was synthesized while evidence of gelatin incorporation was obtained from FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. SEM micrographs show uniform porous structure of PAM/gelatin combined hydrogels. According to the micrographs, the amount of pores decrease with the incorporation of gelatin into the PAM network. The combined hydrogel had the maximum swelling at 37 °C (1,800 ± 73%). Results indicate that PAM/Gel hydrogels are biocompatible (fibroblast viability >70%) in the presence of extracts and by direct contact method. These hydrogels can be good candidates for soft tissue engineering applications.