Textile fabricated biodegradable composite stents with core-shell structure

Abstract

This study proposes composite stents with core–shell structure. Biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) yarns are twisted and then coated with polycaprolactone/polyethylene glycol (PEG) blends. The coated yarns are weft knitted into braids and then thermally treated to form composite stents with core–shell structure. The morphological, mechanical, and biological characteristics of the formed composite stents are evaluated to determine the effects of PEG concentration. Results show that composite stents acquire the flexibility of PVA yarns and elasticity of weft knits. The presence of PEG positively influences composite stent performance. When the PEG concentration is 30 wt%, composite stents exhibit a compressive strength of 6.15 N and cell viability of 97.32% after a 24 h of culture. The selected materials are biodegradable, and the novel structure meets the requirements of bioresorbable vascular stent, which suggests that the proposed composite stents have good potential for advancement.