2.5.5 Degradation study
The degradation behavior of the control SA/Gel and A-SA-Gel hydrogel
samples was examined by immersing them in SBF at pH 7.4 at 37 °C,
simulating the degradation condition by hydrolysis. In this study, the
samples were weighed (dry mass Mo ) and placed
into a petri dish with PBS (pH 7.4) and RPMI 1640 culture medium,
separately. The samples were incubated at 37 °C for up to 5 days, and
PBS and
culture
medium were replaced every day. After the predetermined time intervals,
the samples were wrapped with lint-free filter paper to remove excess
PBS or culture medium from the surface of the samples and then kept into
a drying oven at 37 °C to dry. The final mass of dry samples was
recorded (Mt ). The percentage of weight loss was
calculated according to the following formula:
Weight loss (%) = [|Mt –
Mo|/ Mo ] × 100%
The morphology of the SA/Gel and A-SA-Gel hydrogel samples were also
examined by using SEM (HITACHI SU-1510, Japan) after degradation of 1, 3
and 5 days.