title: Synthesis and characterization of the biodegradable and elastic terpolymer poly(glycolide-co-L-lactide-co-ϵ-caprolactone) for mechano-active tissue engineering.
abstract: We synthesized a series of tri-component biodegradable copolymers with elastic characteristics by ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic lactones, that is, glycolide, L-lactide, and ϵ-caprolactone, in the presence of stannous octoate as a catalyst. We evaluated the physical and chemical characteristics of poly(glycolide-co-L-lactide-co-ϵ-caprolactone) (PGLCL) copolymers. The synthesized PGLCL had a high molecular weight of about 100 kD and an amorphous structure. It was confirmed that the physical and chemical properties of these terpolymers could be modulated by adjusting copolymer composition. PGLCL films exhibited rubber-like elasticity and showed almost complete recovery when subjected to 50% of the tensile strain. To examine the biodegradability of the PGLCL copolymers, we performed in vitro degradation tests for 12 weeks and observed changes in molecular weight, gross weight, and composition. These results showed that the glycolide was degraded most quickly and that ϵ-caprolactone was the slowest to degrade. Additionally, cytotoxicity tests revealed that none of the polymers were toxic. In summary, the mechanical properties and biodegradability of PGLCL terpolymers could be controlled by changing the monomer content, which may be useful for a wide range of tissue engineering applications based on mechanical property requirements.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomaterials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Youngmee
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Sun-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang-Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong Choo
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Soo Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D002208:Caproates / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D004548:Elasticity; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D007783:Lactones / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D013718:Tensile Strength; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002208:Caproates; D007783:Lactones; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid; C121056:caprolactone