Natural biopolymers have many attractive medical applications; however, complications due to fibrosis caused a reduction in diffusion and dispersal of nutrients and waste products. Consequently, severe immunocompatibility problems and poor mechanical and degradation properties in synthetic polymers ensue. Hence, the present study investigates a novel hydrogel material synthesized from caprolactone, ethylene glycol, ethylenediamine, polyethylene glycol, ammonium persulfate, and tetramethylethylenediamine via chemo-enzymatic route. Spectroscopic analyses indicated the formation of polyurea and polyhydroxyurethane as the primary building block of the hydrogel starting material. Biocompatibility studies showed positive observation in biosafety test using direct contact cytotoxicity assay in addition to active cellular growth on the hydrogel scaffold based on fluorescence observation. The synthesized hydrogel also exhibited (self)fluorescence properties under specific wavelength excitation. Hence, synthesized hydrogel could be a potential candidate for medical imaging as well as tissue engineering applications as a tissue expander, coating material, biosensor, and drug delivery system.
A possible anti-anesthetic effect of idazoxan using the depth versus latency of cortical cellular response and somatosensory evoked potentials as indices of anesthesia was studied. With the administration of 10 mg/kg (i.p.) idazoxan, a potent and selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, to an anesthetized rat with 1.25-1.5 g/kg (i.p.) urethane, the modal latency of somatosensory cortical responses to electrical stimulation of the forepaw (0-90 V, 1 Hz) was shortened to 87 +/- 3.6% (mean +/- S.D.; n = 3) of the baseline value. The number of units firing increased by 259 +/- 98.5% (n = 3). The combined parameter (1/L x Pi; L, latency; Pi, initial positive wave) of the somatosensory evoked potentials was enhanced to 125.0 +/- 16.2% (n = 19) versus saline (98.9 +/- 25.6%; n = 18) during the desynchronized electroencephalogram (EEG). The initial negative component (Ni) of the somatosensory cortical response was increased to 192.0 +/- 83.1% (n = 19) and 134.8 +/- 36.9% (n = 19) during the synchronized and desynchronized EEG, respectively. Thus idazoxan appears to produce effects resembling a "lightening of anesthesia." This may provide the impetus for further studies on the possibility of using alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists in the recovery from certain types of anesthetic agents.