In vitro Degradation of Poly[(L‐lactide)‐co‐(trimethylene carbonate)] Copolymers and a Composite with Poly[(L‐lactide)‐co‐glycolide] Fibers as Cardiovascular Stent Material
1. Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;2. Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200233, China;3. College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200233, China;4. Max Mousseron Institute on Biomolecules, UMR CNRS 5247, University Montpellier I, 34060 Montpellier, France
Abstract:
TMC/LLA copolymers with several TMC/LLA ratios are synthesized and a composite is obtained by reinforcing with short PLGA fibers. In vitro degradation is studied at 37 °C in pH = 7.4 buffer and compared with a PLLA homopolymer. The degradation of the copolymers appears slower than that of PLLA, showing that TMC units are more resistant to hydrolysis than LLA. Compositional changes indicate a preferential degradation of LLA units as compared to TMC ones. Morphological changes with crystallization of degradation by‐products are observed. The composite degrades much faster than the neat copolymer and PLLA because the faster degradation of PLGA fibers speeds up the degradation of the matrix. The composite appears promising for the fabrication of totally bioresorbable stents.
