The synthesis and characterization of a thermally responsive hyaluronic acid/Pluronic copolymer and an evaluation of its potential as an artificial vitreous substitute

A smart in situ polymerizable artificial vitreous substitute was synthesized via the copolymerization of hyaluronic acid and Pluronic® F-127. This copolymer has a unique sol–gel transition at different temperatures. The liquid was injected into a vitreous cavity at room temperature and forms a hydrogel at physiological temperatures. The chemical, rheological, and optical properties and the biodegradability and biocompatibility were studied to determine the optimum formulation for the hydrogel. The H1F20 hydrogel optical properties were similar to those of the vitreous humor. Biodegradability studies indicate that the H1F20 hydrogel maintains 60% of the mass in 10,000 U mL−1 of lysozyme solution, after 7 days. The H1F20 hydrogel had the highest human retinal pigment epithelial cell (ARPE-19) viability, which was significantly higher than that of the control (p < 0.01). In summary, H1F20 appears to be a suitable artificial vitreous substitute.