A poly(D,L-lactide) resin for the preparation of tissue engineering scaffolds by stereolithography.
Porous polylactide constructs were prepared by stereolithography, for the first time without the use of reactive diluents. Star-shaped poly(D,L-lactide) oligomers with 2, 3 and 6 arms were synthesised, end-functionalised with methacryloyl chloride and photo-crosslinked in the presence of ethyl lactate as a non-reactive diluent. The molecular weights of the arms of the macromers were 0.2, 0.6, 1.1 and 5 kg/mol, allowing variation of the crosslink density of the resulting networks. Networks prepared from macromers of which the molecular weight per arm was 0.6 kg/mol or higher had good mechanical properties, similar to linear high-molecular weight poly(D,L-lactide). A resin based on a 2-armed poly(D,L-lactide) macromer with a molecular weight of 0.6 kg/mol per arm (75 wt%), ethyl lactate (19 wt%), photo-initiator (6 wt%), inhibitor and dye was prepared. Using this resin, films and computer-designed porous constructs were accurately fabricated by stereolithography. Pre-osteoblasts showed good adherence to these photo-crosslinked networks. The proliferation rate on these materials was comparable to that on high-molecular weight poly(D,L-lactide) and tissue culture polystyrene.
Melchels
Ferry P W
FP
Department of Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials, Institute for Biomedical Technology (BMTi), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
Feijen
Jan
J
Grijpma
Dirk W
DW
D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D051379:Mice; D008853:Microscopy; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012117:Resins, Synthetic / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011091:Polyesters; D012117:Resins, Synthetic; C033616:poly(lactide)