title: Triggerable Degradation of Polyurethanes for Tissue Engineering Applications.
abstract: Tissue engineered and bioactive scaffolds with different degradation rates are required for the regeneration of diverse tissues/organs. To optimize tissue regeneration in different tissues, it is desirable that the degradation rate of scaffolds can be manipulated to comply with various stages of tissue regeneration. Unfortunately, the degradation of most degradable polymers relies solely on passive controlled degradation mechanisms. To overcome this challenge, we report a new family of reduction-sensitive biodegradable elastomeric polyurethanes containing various amounts of disulfide bonds (PU-SS), in which degradation can be initiated and accelerated with the supplement of a biological product: antioxidant-glutathione (GSH). The polyurethanes can be processed into films and electrospun fibrous scaffolds. Synthesized materials exhibited robust mechanical properties and high elasticity. Accelerated degradation of the materials was observed in the presence of GSH, and the rate of such degradation depends on the amount of disulfide present in the polymer backbone. The polymers and their degradation products exhibited no apparent cell toxicity while the electrospun scaffolds supported fibroblast growth in vitro. The in vivo subcutaneous implantation model showed that the polymers prompt minimal inflammatory responses, and as anticipated, the polymer with the higher disulfide bond amount had faster degradation in vivo. This new family of polyurethanes offers tremendous potential for directed scaffold degradation to promote maximal tissue regeneration.
authors: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, Texas 76019, United States.|Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas, Texas 75390, United States.
authors: Cancan
authors: C
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, Texas 76019, United States.|Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas, Texas 75390, United States.
authors: Yihui
authors: Y
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, Texas 76019, United States.|Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas, Texas 75390, United States.
authors: Jinglei
authors: J
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, Texas 76019, United States.|Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas, Texas 75390, United States.
authors: Liping
authors: L
authors: Tang
authors: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, Texas 76019, United States.|Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas, Texas 75390, United States.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Hong
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004220:Disulfides; D011140:Polyurethanes; D005978:Glutathione
keywords: biodegradation; polyurethane; reduction-sensitive; scaffolds; tissue engineering; triggerable