title: Synthesis and characterization of degradable polar hydrophobic ionic polyurethane scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering applications.
abstract: In tissue engineering, the ability to manipulate scaffold design characteristics is important to achieve functional tissue regeneration. In this study, degradable polar hydrophobic ionic polyurethane (D-PHI) porous scaffolds were synthesized using a lysine-based divinyl oligomer (DVO). Optimization studies on the DVO and D-PHI scaffold synthesis were conducted to maximize isocyanate and methacrylate monomer conversion, respectively. D-PHI scaffold properties were manipulated through the introduction of a lysine-based cross-linker. Specifically, increasing D-PHI cross-linker concentration resulted in an increase of the elastic modulus (0.5-21 MPa), a decrease of the elongation-at-yield (45-5%) and a reduction of scaffold swelling (170-100%). Based on a preliminary study with A10 vascular smooth muscle cells, D-PHI scaffolds demonstrated the ability to support cell adhesion and growth during 2 weeks of culture, suggesting their potential suitability for longer term vascular tissue engineering. The versatility of the D-PHI properties may allow for the tailoring of cell-material interaction and ultimately functional tissue regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Room 461, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Soroor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharifpoor
authors.forename: Rosalind S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Labow
authors.forename: J Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Santerre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000166:cytology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D051381:Rats; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D011140:Polyurethanes