Figure 1.
Two dimensional slices (A–C) and volume renderings (D–F) of 12.5% (w/v) porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels generated with salt crystal size ranging from 150–100 µm at 1 (A,D), 3 (B,E), and 7 (C,F) days of incubation.
Figure 2.
Two dimensional slices (A–C) and volume renderings (D–F) of 25% (w/v) porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels generated with salt crystal size ranging from 150–100 µm at 1 (A,D), 7 (B,E), and 14 (C,F) days of incubation.
Figure 3.
Two dimensional slices (A–D) and volume renderings (E–H) of 50% (w/v) porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels generated with salt crystal size ranging from 150–100 µm at 1(A,E), 7(B,F), 14(C,G), and 21(D,H) days of incubation.
Figure 4.
Mean pore size of porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogel generated with salt size ranging from 150–100 µm at various PEG-PLLA-DA percentages plotted versus incubation time in vitro.
Figure 5.
Wet weight of porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels versus time for hydrogels generated with salt size ranging from 150–100 µm at various polymer concentrations (*indicates statistical difference between all groups at that time point, p<0.001).
The significant reduction in weight seen on day 15 for 25% gels is due to the fact that these gels were highly degraded at that time point, and the gels had reduced greatly in size.
Figure 6.
Sample stress-strain curves of 25% (w/v) porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels generated with salt sizes ranging from 150–100 µm at days 1, 3, 5, 8,and 10.
Figure 7.
Compressive moduli of porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels generated with salt sizes ranging from 150–100 µm with varying PEG-PLLA-DA percentages plotted versus time.
Compressive moduli are statistically different points between all groups at each time point (p<0.001).
Figure 8.
Two dimensional confocal sections (A–C) and three dimensional volume renderings (D–F) of porous hydrogels.
The 25% (w/v) hydrogels were generated with salt crystal sizes ranging from150–100 µm (A,D), 100–50 µm (B,E), and 50–25 µm (C,F) of incubation.
Figure 9.
Mean pore size versus time for 25% (w/v) porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels generated with salt crystal sizes ranging from 150–100 µm, 100–50 µm, and 50–25 µm.
Figure 10.
Wet weight versus incubation time for 25% (w/v) porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogel generated with varying salt sizes.
Figure 11.
Compressive moduli of 25% (w/v) porous PEG-PLLA-DA hydrogels generated with varying salt sizes during in vitro degradation (*indicates statistical differences between groups) (p<0.001).
Figure 12.
Confocal images of PKH 26 stained fibroblasts adhering to porous hydrogels.
The hydrogels were generated using salt crystals ranging in size 150–100 µm but polymer concentrations of A) 50%, B) 25%, and C) 12.5%.
Figure 13.
Confocal images of PKH 26 stained 3t3 fibroblasts on 50% porous hydrogels made with crystal size 150–100 µm at days A) 1, B) 5, C) 10, and D) 22 of incubation.