Degradation products of poly(ester-ether-ester) block copolymers do not alter endothelial metabolism in vitro

Abstract

In this paper we report experimental results from specific biocompatibility tests on two different classes of tri-block poly(ester-ether-ester) copolymers, namely copoly(e-caprolactone-oxyethylene-e-caprolactone) and copoly(L-lactide-oxyethylene-L-lactide). In particular, the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) metabolism has been studied in the presence both of the copolymers and of their hydrolytic breakdown products. The release of prostacyclin (PGl2) and angiotensin II (AII) has been measured at different times for copolymers with different composition and hydrophilicity. The results obtained seem to indicate that the block copolymers of both series do not alter the PGI2 and AII release by HUVEC populations in vitro. Similar results are found also after a prolonged contact between the cells and the hydrolytic breakdown products of the copolymers. Furthermore, some of the copolymers studied significantly stimulate the release of either PGI2 or AII. This finding might point towards the use of these copolymers as bioactive materials in the field of cardiovascular devices.