Optimization of the electrospinnability conditions of biomedical polyurethanes

P.C. CARACCIOLO; V. THOMAS; Y.K. VOHRA; F. BUFFA; G.A. ABRAHAM

Los Cocos, C¨®rdoba, Argentina

Simposio; V Simposio Argentino-Chileno de Pol¨ªmeros (ARCHIPOL¡¯09); 2009

The development of biomimetic highly-porous scaffolds is essential for successful tissue engineering. Nanofiber-based scaffolds prepared by electrospinning of biodegradable synthetic polymers not only mimic the nanoscale fibrous structure of native extracellular matrix, but also its spatial organization, facilitating cell attachment, supporting cell growth, and regulating cell differentiation (Thomas et al., 2006). Surprisingly, biodegradable segmented polyurethanes (SPU) and poly(urethane urea)s (SPUU), which can be obtained with tailored physico-chemical and mechanical properties (Guelcher, 2008), have been only used in limited studies as tissue-engineered nanofibrous scaffolds (Stankus et al., 2006). Scaffolds from elastomeric polyurethanes can withstand the action of stress and load and undergo an elastic recovery with little or no hysteresis. Moreover, there is an increasing need for elastomeric synthetic biodegradable materials that exhibit soft-tissue properties. This study reports the preparation of new electrospun elastomeric scaffolds from two novel polyurethanes, based on poly(¦Å-caprolactone) diol, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), and novel aliphatic and aromatic chain extenders containing urea or ester functional groups, respectively, chosen because of their different composition and mechanical properties. The electrospinning parameters such as solution properties and processing parameters were optimized to achieve smooth, uniform bead-free fibers. The electrospinnability and the morphology of the obtained electrospun scaffolds were investigated and discussed.