Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
cartilage and skin regeneration. Other naturally derived materials used to
synthesize hydrogels include alginate, chitosan, fibrin, agarose, and silk.
Alginate
: Alginate is an anionic polysaccharide found in seaweed, which
is composed of
-
L
-guluronic acid as shown in Fig. 4.
An appealing feature of alginate is that it undergoes gelation under physio-
β
-
D
-mannuronic and
α
Fig. 4
Chemical structure of natural polymers that have been used to create hydrogels:
a
Alginate,
b
Hyaluronic acid,
c
Chondroitin sulfate, and
d
Chitosan
