Synthesis and characterization of a degradable composite agarose/HA hydrogel

Biodegradable hydrogels are useful for tissue engineering. In this study, we developed a new type of biodegradable composite agarose/HA hydrogel derived from agarose and hyaluronic acid, with epichlorohydrin (ECH) as crosslinking agent. The crosslinking structures, thermal stability and pore morphologies of the composite agarose/HA hydrogel were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The composite agarose/HA hydrogel showed no any cytotoxic effect to 3T3 fibroblast by MTT test and its degradation time in vivo can be controlled by altering the component ratios of agarose and HA, with degradation time ranging from 4 wk to 8 wk. These findings demonstrate that the composite hydrogel has a potential in tissue engineering applications, wound healing and drug delivery.