Effects of macromolecule functionalization on the mechanical properties of PVA hydrogels

Synthetic vascular grafts can be used to repair damaged vessels for cardiovascular diseases. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels are promising materials for the manufacturing of cellularized synthetic vascular grafts. Previous studies have demonstrated that functionalization of PVA with macromolecules such as gelatin, collagen among others, increases cell adhesion to the hydrogels. In this study we ...