A study of physical and biological properties of 3D matrices made from polytrimethylene carbonate and its copolymers
The development of new materials for using in different parts of medicine (for replacement of affected vessels, cartilage, connective, glandular tissue) has recently become widespread, due to the high rate of occurrence of these pathologies and the need for surgical treatment of these pathologies. One of the promising approaches is the production of tissue engineered matrices from various polymers and their mixtures by the electrospinning. Block polymers (for example, trimethylene carbonate) are of particular interest for fabrication of tissue engineered devices due to the ability to customize the polymer stability by using different sets of blocks. 3D matrices were prepared from solutions of polytrimethylene carbonate (PTMC) and its copolymers with polycaprolactone and lactic acid in various solvents (dichloromethane with dimethylformamide, pure dichloromethane or hexafluoroisopropanol) by electrospinning. Scaffolds were prepared from mixtures of polymers with gelatin. The structure of the matrices was characterized by the scanning electron microscopy method. Hydrophilicity and mechanical strength of the matrices were investigated. The ability of primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to attach and proliferate on the surfaces of different matrices was studied. The tensile strength of the matrices, produced from dichloromethane solutions was not more than 0.22 MPa, and the strength of the scaffolds produced from hexafluoroisopropanol solutions reached 4.3 MPa. HUVEC successfully attached to the matrices, but proliferation rate was slow. During storage the matrices produced from the PTMC and its copolymers had a tendency to absorb water vapor, and exhibited shrinkage, fusion of the fibers and strength loss. 3D matrices produced from PTMC cannot be recommended for the manufacture of implantable devices but can tentatively serve as biodegradable scaffolds in tissue engineering without constant hydrodynamic loading, such as areas of connective or glandular tissue.