Stereocomplex formation by enantiomeric poly(lactic acid) graft-type phospholipid polymers for tissue engineering

A porous scaffold as a cell-compatible material was designed and prepared using a phospholipid copolymer composed of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), n-butyl methacrylate, and enantiomeric macromonomers, the poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) macromonomer, and poly(D-lactic acid) (PDLA) macromonomer. On the basis of the wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements, the formation of a stereocomplex between the PLLA and PDLA segments of the copolymer was observed on the porous scaffold. The porous structure was prepared by a sodium chloride leaching technique, and the pore was linked to the scaffold. The pore size was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and found to be ca. 200 microm. These observations suggest that the porous scaffold makes it possible to produce cell-compatible materials, which may involve the following advantages for tissue engineering: (i) cell compatibility using phospholipid copolymer, (ii) adequate cell adhesion by poly(lactic acid), and (iii) complete disappearance of scaffold by dissociation of stereocomplex. The cell experiment using the porous scaffold will be the next subject and reported in a forthcoming paper.