Preparation and properties of a highly elastic galactomannan- poly(acrylamide- N, N-bis (acryloyl) cysteamine) hydrogel with reductive stimuli-responsive degradable properties

•Preparation of high content galactomannan hydrogel.•Effect of galactomannan content on hydrogel properties.•BAC, as a redox-responsive crosslinker, can regulate hydrogel degradation and drug release.•Hydrogen bond and chemical bond can give GA-PAM-BAC hydrogel elasticity and fatigue resistance. An oxidation-reduction responsive degradable highly elastic galactomannan hydrogel was synthesized from galactomannan (GA), N,N-bis (acryloyl) cysteamine (BAC) and acrylamide by grafting polymerization in aqueous solution. The microstructure, degradability and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were emphatically investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), ultraviolet spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The mechanical properties of hydrogels can be improved by adjusting the content of GA. Continuous cyclic compression tests showed that the hydrogel did not rupture under 60 %,70 %,80 % strain and quickly recovered to its original shape. The degradation rate and drug release rate of hydrogel can be adjusted by the concentration of the reductant and the reduction time. These hydrogels broaden the scope of application of GA and can be tuned with a broad range of mechanical, degradation and release properties and therefore hold potential applications in drug carriers, tissue engineering scaffolds, extracellular matrix and other fields.