Hydrogels based on Poly(vinyl alcohol) for Cartilage Replacement

JULIETA VOLPE; LUCIA MASI; VERA ALEJANDRA ALVAREZ; JIMENA SOLEDAD GONZALEZ

Biomedical Composites Materials, Manufacturing and Engineering

De Gruyter

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2013; p. 33 - 52

Cartilage regeneration in osteochondral lesions is a hot topic for research; the appropriate treatment for these kinds of lesions is still controversial. Hydrogels have emerged as new kinds of material for possible cartilage replacement. Hydrogels are hydrophilic multiphase materials that display excellent biocompatibility and both solid-like and liquid-like properties. Their structure consists of a three-dimensional network of polymer chains, with the interstitial space filled up with water or biological fluid. Within the large world of hydrogels, Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels exhibits similar properties to the natural cartilage. This chapter is focused in the use of hydrogels as biomaterials for cartilage replacement, with special attention in PVA based ones. To understand and to mimic the articular cartilage, an introduction to the structure, organization and properties of the natural cartilage is first presented. Then, the structure, properties and usual analyses to characterize hydrogels are described in the present work. Moreover, the most outstanding contributions in these issues are included in this chapter.