Fabrication of alginate-based hydrogel cross-linked via horseradish peroxidase for articular cartilage engineering

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to detect the effect of a couple of parameters including Alg, H(2)O(2), and HRP concentrations on the gelation time of Alg-based hydrogels using an enzymatic cross-linked procedure. RESULTS: NMR, UV–Vis, and ATR-FTIR analyses confirmed the conjugation of Ph to the Alg backbone. Data showed gelation time was delayed with the increase and reduction of H(2)O(2) and HRP, respectively. We noted that hydrogel consisted of 1.2% (w/v) Alg, 5 U HRP, and 100 mM H(2)O(2) yielded an appropriate gelation time with appropriate mechanical properties. The addition of 0.5% (v/v) Col developed hydrogel increased the gelation time. The data showed that Alg, HRP, and H(2)O(2) with the ratio of 1:0.54:0.54 had proper physicochemical features for cartilage engineering.