Abstract
Biodegradable polymers are an active area of investigation, particularly ones that can be produced from sustainable, biobased monomers, such as copolymers of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). In this study, we examine the enzymatic degradation of poly(butylene succinate-dilinoleic succinate) (PBS-DLS) copolymers obtained by “green” enzymatic synthesis using lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB). The copolymers differed in their hard to soft segments ratio, from 70:30 to 50:50 wt %. Enzymatic degradation was carried out on electrospun membranes (scaffolds) and compression-moulded films using lipase from Pseudomomas cepacia. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was used as a reference aliphatic polyester. The degradation process was monitored gravimetrically via water uptake and mass loss. After 24 days, approx. 40% mass loss was observed for fibrous materials prepared from the PBS-DLS 70:30 copolymer, as compared to approx. 10% mass loss for PBS-DLS 50:50. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) analysis were used to examine changes in chemical structure. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning light microscopy (LSM) revealed changes in degree of crystallinity, and changes in surface morphology, consistent with a surface erosion mechanism. We conclude that the obtained copolymers are suitable for tissue engineering applications thanks to tuneable degradation and lack of acidification during breakdown.
Highlights
Biodegradable polymers are being constantly investigated for medical applications [1], especially for tissue engineering (TE)
In the case of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)-DLS 50:50 (Figure 15), more fibers are visible and fewer differences from the pre-degradation micrograph can be observed. This is consistent with the previous results and explained by the greater proportion of hydrophobic fatty acid soft segments that may segregate to the surface
Our work describes the enzymatic degradation of poly(butylene succinate-co-dilinoleic succinate)
Summary
Biodegradable polymers are being constantly investigated for medical applications [1], especially for tissue engineering (TE). Attention is primarily focused on a large group of aliphatic polyesters, including poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) [3], and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) [4], such as poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) Overall, these biobased polymers see wide use in tissue engineering due to their biodegradability, good biocompatibility, bioresorbability, and suitable mechanical properties. (but again to PLA, PGA, PCL and PHB) the crystallinity of PBS plays a major role in the degradation process [8] and may limit its suitability for soft-tissue repair and tissue engineering, due to its relatively slow degradation and resorption rate In these applications, the polymer should combine an appropriate mechanical performance and degradation profile; maintaining strength until the formation of new tissue can occur to replace the degraded material.
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