Abstract
Polylactides (PLAs) are a class of polymers that are very appealing in biomedical applications due to their degradability in nontoxic products, tunable structural, and mechanical properties. However, they have some drawbacks related to their high hydrophobicity, lack of functional groups able to graft bioactive molecules, and solubility in unsafe solvents. To circumvent these shortcomings, porous scaffolds for tissue engineering were prepared by vigorously mixing a solution of isotactic and atactic PLA in nontoxic ethyl acetate at 70 °C with a water solution of choline taurinate. The partial aminolysis of the polymer ester bonds by taurine –NH2 brought about the formation of PLA oligomers with surfactant activity that stabilized the water-in-oil emulsion. Upon drying, a negligible shrinking occurred, and mechanically stable porous scaffolds were obtained. By varying the polymer composition and choline taurinate concentration, it was possible to modulate the pore dimensions (30–50 µm) and mechanical properties (Young’s moduli: 1–6 MPa) of the samples. Furthermore, the grafted choline taurinate made the surface of the PLA films hydrophilic, as observed by contact angle measurements (advancing contact angle: 76°; receding contact angle: 40°–13°). The preparation method was very simple because it was based on a one-pot mild reaction that did not require an additional purification step, as all the employed chemicals were nontoxic.
Highlights
Published: 10 January 2022Polylactides or polylactic acids (PLAs) are one of the most studied and employed synthetic polymer classes in many medical specialties, including orthopedic, general and plastic surgery, dentistry, and pharmacology
A solution of PLLA, PDLLA, or a mixture of them in EtOAc at 70 ◦ C did not form a stable suspension when vigorously mixed with water, and the phase separation occurred in a few seconds when the stirring was stopped
The ionic liquid was used to react with PLA bond via aminolysis, producing oligomers endowed with a hydrophobic polyester tail and a hydrophilic head, and surfactant activity
Summary
Published: 10 January 2022Polylactides or polylactic acids (PLAs) are one of the most studied and employed synthetic polymer classes in many medical specialties, including orthopedic, general and plastic surgery, dentistry, and pharmacology. The market offers a wide variety of PLA-based commercial devices [1,2], and a very wide range of scientific literature suggests PLAs for the preparation of temporary prostheses and devices, drug-delivery systems, and scaffolds for tissue engineering as well. This results from the combination of the typical advantages of synthetic polymers, such as tunable chemical and physical properties, and PLAs’ specific features. According to their composition, PLAs’ crystallinity and chemical, physical, thermal, and mechanical properties are modulated. PLAs are resorbed with small or negligible adverse response, and are approved by national and international agencies (FDA, EMA) for medical uses [3]
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