Tayloring bioabsorbable scaffolds suitable for skin regeneration

IGNACIO RUIZ; ALICIA BALDESSARI; ELIDA HERMIDA

HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

F HERNANDEZ

Lugar: Madrid; Año: 2011 vol. 26 p. 374 - 374

0213-3911

Advances in medicine and tissue engineering promote the development of new materials, particularly bioabsorbable polymers that could be used as scaffolds for skin regeneration. On considering substrate materials, it is imperative to choose one that exhibits good biocompatibility, not eliciting an unresolved inflammatory response nor demonstrate extreme immunogenicity or cytotoxicity. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are bioplastics produced by microorganisms that proved to be bioabsorbable; particularly, the biocompatibility of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV) has been studied by a number of different research groups for a variety of medical applications, which include controlled release, surgical sutures, wound dressings, lubricating powders, orthopaedic uses, etc.  Other important features of the scaffolds are the size and interconnection of the pores since it must allow cells to migrate, grow and keep its normal functionality in the same way as the extracellular matrix does.  Thus, the aim of this contribution is to present advances in the preparation of PHBV scaffolds for skin regeneration made by thermal induced phase separation (TIPS). Pore size and its interconnection can be tailored by controlling the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the phase separation. Scanning electron microscopy and Hg intrusion porosimetry allows determining pore size and shape as well as the interconnectivity of the pores. Finally, the biodegradation kinetics of the scaffolds was tested in vitro in order to evaluate the influence of the concentration of lipases and the morphology of the scaffolds.