PHOTOCROSSLINKED POLY(PROPYLENE FUMARATE) SCAFFOLDS FOR ORTHOPEDIC APPLICATIONS

摘要

Tissue engineering scaffolds based upon the biodegradable polyester poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) have been produced using a photocrosslinking/porogen leaching strategy. PPF (M_n = 1700) was crosslinked using long wavelength ultraviolet light and the photoinitiator bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phenylphosphine oxide (BAPO; 5 mg BAPO/g PPF). Porous scaffolds were formed by photocrosslinking PPF around a NaCl porogen, which was then removed by water leaching. A study of the in vitro degradation of solid and porous PPF scaffolds in phosphate buffered saline (0.01 M, pH 7.4) at 37℃ examined their physical changes over a 126 day period. As the porous scaffolds were water leached, NaCl porogen loss contributed to a decrease in elastic modulus and an increase in water absorption and porosity. After porogen removal, elastic modulus, water absorption, and porosity remained relatively constant while a slight decrease in scaffold mass and length was exhibited. These results demonstrated the feasibility of forming biodegradable tissue engineering scaffolds by a photocrosslinking/porogen leaching technique.