Pullulan/polyHEMA cryogels: Synthesis, physicochemical properties, and cell viability

Abstract Pullulan/polyHEMA cryogels were synthesized using epichlorohydrin (ECH) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinkers. The dried cryogels were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy for chemical structure. Thermal analysis provided evidence for different microstructures of the samples synthesized. Water contact angle (WCA) value measured as 80.56° for the pullulan/ECH/polyHEMA/polyEGDMA IPN sample reveal a more hydrophobic surface compared to the pullulan/ECH/polyHEMA graft copolymer with 18.32° WCA. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the IPN sample gives an average pore size 72.6 μm, while the graft copolymer contains pores of average size of 100.5 μm. Swelling and degradation kinetics studied by gravimetric method reveal that the samples act as degradable hydrogels in aqueous media with equilibrium swelling capacities of 75%–100% at pH 7.4. Cell viability of pullulan/ECH/polyHEMA/polyEGDMA IPN cryogel for colon carcinoma cell lines (HCT‐116) investigated by MTT assay demonstrate that it is non‐toxic and allows cell proliferation with 159 ± 25.52% cell viability in 9 days.