Preparation and characterization of a novel hyaluronic acid-icariin conjugate hydrogel

To maintain the long-time bioactivity of hydrogel scaffold and promote chondrogenesis, hyaluronic acid-icariin (HA-Ica) conjugate hydrogel was prepared. Firstly, methacrylic anhydride (MA)-modified icariin (MIca) and MA-modified hyaluronic acid (HAMA) were synthesized. MIca in aqueous solution formed nanoparticles, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Then, MIca was dispersed uniformly in HAMA solution and covalently introduced into HAMA by the reaction of methacrylate groups between HAMA and MIca during the formation process of hydrogel. HA-Ica hydrogel exhibited the controlled release of Ica and good cytocompatibilty, suggesting that it could be potentially utilized as a scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering.