Disc herniation is one of the most common intervertebrate disc (IVD) diseases. The use of injectable hydrogel formulations have been suggested as a promising strategy for the treatment of degenerative disc disease that can both restore the biomechanic...
Disc herniation is one of the most common intervertebrate disc (IVD) diseases. The use of injectable hydrogel formulations have been suggested as a promising strategy for the treatment of degenerative disc disease that can both restore the biomechanical function and reduce the low back pain. Here, a new thermo-sensitive injectable N-hexanoyl glycol chitosan (HGC) hydrogel was fabricated with tunable thermosensitivity and high stability. Various HGCs that show thermo-sensitive sol-gel transition properties were synthesized and their physicochemical properties were characterized by <sup>1</sup>H NMR, FT-IR and rheological measurements. HGC hydrogel was injected into the degenerated IVD ex vivo model and evaluated by macroscopic observation, micro-computed tomography examination and histological analysis. The defected IVD was fully filled with HGC hydrogel, which was stable even at 28 days. These results suggested that HGC hydrogel has great potential for percutaneous treatment of disc herniation.