Macroporous Biodegradable Cryogels of Synthetic Poly(α-amino acids)

We present an investigation of the preparation of highly porous hydrogels based on biodegradable synthetic poly­(α-amino acid) as potential tissue engineering scaffolds. Covalently cross-linked gels with permanent pores were formed under cryogenic conditions by free-radical copolymerization of poly­[N 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-l-glutamine-stat-N 5-(2-methacryloyl-oxy-ethyl)-l-glutamine] (PHEG-MA) with 2-hydrohyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and, optionally, N-propargyl acrylamide (PrAAm) as minor comonomers. The morphology of the cryogels showed interconnected polyhedral or laminar pores. The volume content of communicating water-filled pores was >90%. The storage moduli of the swollen cryogels were in the range of 1–6 kPa, even when the water content was >95%. The enzymatic degradation of a cryogel corresponded to the decrease in its storage modulus during incubation with papain, a model enzyme with specificity analogous to wound-healing enzymes. It was shown that cryogels with incorporated alkyne groups can easily be modified with short synthetic peptides using azide-alkyne cycloaddition “click” chemistry, thus providing porous hydrogel scaffolds with biomimetic features.