Novel Citric Acid-Based Biodegradable Elastomers for Tissue Engineering

摘要

Tissue engineering often requires the use of a three-dimensional scaffold for cells to grow on and differentiate properly. Generally, the ideal scaffold should be biocompatible, biodegradable, allow for adequate cell loading, facilitate cell proliferation and differentiation, and possess mechanical and physical properties that are suitable for the target application. As many tissues in the body have elastomeric properties, successful tissue engineering will require the development of compliant biodegradable scaffolds. Despite the recognized importance of mechanical stimuli on tissue development, there has been a dearth of research on the design and evaluation of elastomeric biodegradable scaffolds. The few materials that have been reported in the literature require complex and costly synthesis procedures, which translate into higher manufacturing costs and hinder the commercial and clinical implementation of tissue engineering. Herein we describe the synthesis and characterization of a novel biodegradable elastomer, ploy(l,8-octanediol-co-citric acid) (POC), which has potential for use in tissue engineering, in particular the engineering of small-diameter blood vessels. Development of materials for this application is important as cardiovascular disease affecting blood vessels is the principal cause of death in the USA.