Abstract
The degradation of PCL implant in gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestine) was investigated in vivo. The biodegradation of PCL films after implantation in stomach and intestinal part of rats were investigated. At 3, 7, 17 and 28days post implantation, the films were retrieved and evaluated for studying the degradation rate. The comparison of results revealed that PCL degraded more in intestinal region than in stomach. The extent of degradation was determined by measuring the change in weight loss, crystallinity, morphology and molecular weight distribution. In GI tract, the explanted PCL films from both intestine and stomach followed different degradation pathway, at different pH range and enzymes produced distinct morphology and crystallinity. Histological examination of the in vivo tissue samples revealed mild inflammation and negligible adverse effects. When results compared to polymer films degraded at stomach, the pancreatic lipase enhanced the weight loss of PCL films in intestine. Degraded PCL films in intestine showed enzymatic surface erosion by lipase as well as hydrolytic mechanism in slightly alkaline environment whereas in stomach the results are consistent with bulk erosion. In both intestine and stomach, the polymer films presented a significant decrease in molecular weight distribution.
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