Development of a photocurable gelatin-based gelation material for application to periodontal regeneration

Novel photocurable materials, comprised mixed aqueous solutions of photoreactive gelatin – gelatin partially derivatized with eosin – and polyamine, which is a polymer of N,N-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide, were designed. The materials had appropriate viscosity for shape formation at 37 °C. When photoirradiated with a clinically used visible light source, the materials were almost completely converted to hydrogels to fix their shape in the desired form within several tenths of a second. Cells that were seeded on the eosin–gelatin-coated surface showed good proliferation. Negligible cytotoxicity of eosin–gelatin was confirmed when culturing was performed in the presence of a large amount of eosin–gelatin. The developed photocurable materials could be converted to a hydrogel with desired physical property change by using a convenient curing procedure of photoirradiation at any desired time and in any shape with minimal cytotoxicity, which was appropriate for the application in periodontal tissue regeneration.