Abstract
Biodegradable nanofibers are expected to be promising scaffold materials for biomedical engineering, however, biomedical applications require control of the degradation behavior and tissue response of nanofiber scaffolds in vivo. For this purpose, electrospun nanofibers of poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs) and poly(lactide)s (PLAs) were subjected to degradation tests in vitro and in vivo. In this review, characterization and biocompatibility of nanofibers derived from PHAs and PLAs are described. In particular, the effects of the crystalline structure of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate], stereocomplex structure of PLA, and monomer composition of PHA on the degradation behaviors are described in detail. These studies show the potential of biodegradable polyester nanofibers as scaffold material, for which suitable degradation rate and regulated interaction with surrounding tissues are required.
Highlights
Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, 5-7-1 Fujishirodai, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-8565, Japan; Department of Biomaterial Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The
For biodegradable polymers, the degree of tissue responses is affected by the degradability in vivo [5]
It is known that the hydrolysis by body fluids is the major mechanism contributing in vivo degradation of polymeric biomaterials
Summary
In the field of medical sciences, tissue engineering has been extensively studied to overcome the problems of conventional methods such as organ transplantation and usage of artificial organs [1]. The development of scaffold materials on which cells proliferate and differentiate has been a major concern in tissue engineering. The development of scaffold material alternatives to collagens and gelatins has been attempted [4]. Some polymeric materials, both from natural and synthetic origin, degrade under physiological conditions. Poly(glycolic) acid has been utilized in bioabsorptive sutures without the need for removal after healing of wounds Such biomaterials require a suitable degree of biodegradability and biocompatibility depending on their purposes. Various efforts to overcome this shortcoming have been attempted One of such efforts is the formation of stereocomplexes in PLA materials. Stable racemic crystals of stereocomplexed PLA are formed by complexing poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) that adopt left-handed and right-handed helix molecular conformations, respectively. [17] As a result, stereocomplexed PLA has a melting temperature of 230 °C that is 50 °C higher than PLLA and PDLA. [15] it has been reported that stereocomplexed PLA is more stable against hydrolysis than PLLA. [18,19,20] This finding offers the possibility for controlling the hydrolytic behavior of PLA material by the formation of stereocomplexes
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