Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers and fabrics are widely used for medical device applications such as vascular and anterior cruciate ligament prostheses. Several years ago, we began functionalizing PET fabrics using anionic polymers to enhance their biocompatibility, cell adhesion, proliferation and functional performance as PET ligament prostheses. Polymer functionalization followed a grafting-from process from virgin PET surfaces subject to spin-finish oil additive removal under Soxhlet extraction to remove residual fiber manufacturing oil. Nevertheless, with increasing time from manufacture, PET fabrics stored without a spin finish removal step exhibited degradation of spin finish oil, leading to (1) incomplete surface cleaning, and (2) PET surface degradation. Moreover, oxidizing agents present in the residual degraded oil prevented reliable functionalization of the prosthesis fibers in these PET fabrics. This study compares effects of PET fabric/spin finish oil storage on PET fabric anionic polymer functionalization across two PET fabric ligament storage groups: (1) 2- and 10- year old ligaments, and (2) 26-year old ligaments. Strong interactions between degraded spin finish oil and PET fiber surfaces after long storage times were demonstrated via extraction yield; oil chemistry changed assessed by spectral analysis. Polymer grafting/functionalization efficiency on stored PET fabrics was correlated using atomic force microscopy, including fiber surface roughness and relationships between grafting degree and surface Young’s modulus. New PET fabric Young’s modulus significantly decreased by anionic polymer functionalization (to 96%, grafting degree 1.6 µmol/g) and to reduced modulus and efficiency (29%) for 10 years storage fabric (grafting degree ~ 1 µmol/g). As fiber spin finish is mandatory in biomedically applicable fiber fabrication, assessing effects of spin finish oil on commercial polymer fabrics after longer storage under various conditions (UV light, temperature) is necessary to understand possible impacts on fiber degradation and surface functionalization.
Highlights
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers and fabrics are widely used for medical device applications such as vascular and anterior cruciate ligament prostheses
Medical grade polyethylene terephthalate yarns and fibers used for diverse medical applications, including vascular and ligament prosthetic grafts, are distinct in several aspects from PET used for other nonmedical textile applications
Soxhlet extraction was performed at each respective solvent boiling point (n-hexane, THF or diethyl ether (DE)) to remove the spin finish oil layer from PET fabrics for 6 h, using 60 mL solvent per 0.1 g fabric samples
Summary
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers and fabrics are widely used for medical device applications such as vascular and anterior cruciate ligament prostheses. Polymer grafting/functionalization efficiency on stored PET fabrics was correlated using atomic force microscopy, including fiber surface roughness and relationships between grafting degree and surface Young’s modulus. As fiber spin finish is mandatory in biomedically applicable fiber fabrication, assessing effects of spin finish oil on commercial polymer fabrics after longer storage under various conditions (UV light, temperature) is necessary to understand possible impacts on fiber degradation and surface functionalization. Ligament tears are increasingly common injuries in pivot sports, requiring stabilization of the knee by surgical ligament reconstruction to prevent osteoarthritis These prostheses facilitate tissue re-connection of the torn injured ligament component, involving reconstruction of new ligament through host cellular re-attachment and healing[7,8].
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