Synthesis and properties of novel gels based on cyclic acetal

A series of novel hydrogels containing cyclic acetal and PEG in backbone were synthesized to prevent inflammatory responses caused by acidic degradation products of biodegradable polymer such as PLA. Cyclic acetal will be degraded to produce alcohol and carbonyl terminals as degradation products so that it will not cause inflammatory responses. The structures of the synthesized hydrogels were analyzed by using ¹H-NMR, GPC, FT-IR and MALDI-TOF MS. Properties of synthesized hydrogels, such as cell adhesion, viability and swelling degree, were explored. It was confirmed that synthesized hydrogels showed a high cell viability, therefore they had a sufficient biocompatibility. The swelling degrees of hydrgels were controllable by means of the reaction conditions.