title: Effects of composition, solvent, and salt particles on the physicochemical properties of polyglycolide/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds.
abstract: Polyglycolide (PGA)/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds were fabricated by a solvent casting/particulate leaching method using hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) or acetone for material dissolution and NaCl particles as porogen. The results revealed that the mechanical strength increased as the PGA percentage in a HFIP-processed scaffold increased. Chemical ingredients did not substantially affect the mechanical strength of acetone-processed scaffolds. Large NaCl particles led to weak mechanical strength, low porosity, and small specific surface area. For a fixed composition, PGA crystals in a HFIP-processed scaffold were smaller than those in an acetone-processed scaffold. High PGA fractions yielded partly fused PGA/PLGA scaffolds. A faster degradation rate of a scaffold could result from a higher PGA percentage, smaller NaCl particles, or the existence of chondrocytes. The combination of PGA and PLGA, which compensated each other for bioactivity, would be beneficial to cartilage regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi, Taiwan 62102, Republic of China. chmyck@ccu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Yung-Chih
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Sho-Noen
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Leou
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D004548:Elasticity; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry*; D006244:Hardness; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry*; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013718:Tensile Strength; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003470:Culture Media; D011108:Polymers; D012492:Salts; D012997:Solvents; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid