Preparation of degradable porous structures based on 1,3-trimethylene carbonate and D,L-lactide (co)polymers for heart tissue engineering

A.P. Pêgo, B. Siebum, M.J.A. van Luyn, X.J. Gallego y Van Seijen, A.A. Poot, D.W. Grijpma, J. Feijen

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Abstract

Biodegradable porous scaffolds for heart tissue engineering were prepared from amorphous elastomeric (co)polymers of 1,3-trimethylene carbonate (TMC) and D,L-lactide (DLLA). Leaching of salt from compression-molded polymer-salt composites allowed the preparation of highly porous structures in a reproducible fashion. By adjusting the salt particle size and the polymer-to-particle weight ratio in the polymer-salt composite preparation the pore size and porosity of the scaffolds could be precisely controlled. The thermal properties of the polymers used for scaffold preparation had a strong effect on the morphology, mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the scaffolds under physiological conditions. Interconnected highly porous structures (porosity, 94%; average pore size, 100 μm) based on a TMC-DLLA copolymer (19:81, mol%) had suitable mechanical properties and displayed adequate cell-material interactions to serve as scaffolds for cardiac cells. This copolymer is noncytotoxic and allows the adhesion and proliferation of cardiomyocytes. During incubation in phosphate-buffered saline at 37°C, these scaffolds were dimensionally stable and the number average molecular weight (Mn) of the polymer decreased gradually from 2.0 × 105 to 0.3 × 105 in a period up to 4 months. The first signs of mass loss (5%) were detected after 4 months of incubation. The degradation behavior of the porous structures was similar to that of nonporous films with similar composition and can be described by autocatalyzed bulk hydrolysis.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)981-994
JournalTissue engineering
Volume9
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003

Keywords

  • IR-67194
  • METIS-216593

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