PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session I. - I: Theoretical and Translational Medicine

Water-Insoluble, Thermostable, Crosslinked Gelatin Matrix for Soft Tissue Implant Development

Name of the presenter

Varga Viktória Dóra

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Institute of Translational Medicine, Semmelweis University

Authors

Varga Viktória Dóra MSc¹, Dr. Hornyák István¹, Dr. Smeller László², Dr. Várdai Róbert³, Dr. Kocsis Bence⁴, Dr. Zsoldos Ibolya⁴, Sara Cruciani⁵, Renzo Pala⁵

1: Institute of Translational Medicine, Semmelweis University
2: Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University
3: Laboratory of Plastics and Rubber Technology, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, BME
4: Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Győr
5: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari

Text of the abstract

Introduction
Scaffolds are essential in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) to provide an environment for cell and tissue growth. Gelatin, a biodegradable polymer derived from collagen, was selected for its favorable cell adhesion and viability characteristics. However, gelatin’s low melting point limits its use, so we aimed to enhance its mechanical properties through crosslinking. Crosslinkers were used to improve the stability and water-insolubility of the material.

Aims
The aim was to assess the optimal reaction parameters for the production of a water-insoluble crosslinked gelatin matrix suitable for heat sterilization.

Methods
The characteristics of the materials were measured with enzymatic degradation, swelling ratio and primary amino content measurements. FTIR spectroscopy and mechanical tests were used to investigate the structure of the material.

Result
Freeze-dried gelatin matrices were crosslinked with butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE) and poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) under alkaline conditions (1% NaOH) at 4 °C for 48 hours, with 5% BDDE showing the best results. The scaffolds were water-insoluble, resistant to collagenase, and with mechanical strength similar to the starting gelatin matrix.

Conclusion
The crosslinked matrices were found to be suitable to be used as a scaffold from a materials science viewpoint. Thus, the assessment of the potential use in in vitro and in vivo experiments need to be conducted in the next step.

Funding
This research was financed from the NRDI Fund (TKP2021-EGA-21), EKÖP-2024-66, and the Scientific and Innovation Office of Semmelweis University (STIAKFI007) grants.