Crosslinking of porcine aortic leaflets with butane-1,4-diol diglycidyl ether

Currently, efforts are being made to reduce xenograft calcification and to optimize biomechanical properties by applying different crosslinking methods and techniques. Porcine aortic leaflets could be stabilized with a bisepoxy compound, butane-1,4-diol diglycidyl ether (BDDGE), under acidic (pH 4.5) or alkaline conditions (pH > 8.5). Maximum values of the shrinkage temperature (83°C), which are comparable to glutaraldehyde-crosslinked materials, are achieved at pH 9.0 and 10.0 within 48 h with a BDDGE concentration of 4 wt6percnt;. The crosslinking efficacy decreased at higher pH values or at prolonged reaction times due to a higher proportion of one-side or masking reactions. Crosslinking of aortic leaflets at pH 4.5, which consisted in a reaction between the epoxide groups of BDDGE and the carboxylic acid groups of the tissue, afforded crosslinked material with a shrinkage temperature of 76°C after 7 days of reaction.