Compatibilized polymer blends based on PDLLA and PCL for application in bioartificial liver

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Development of porous scaffolds is crucial for tissue engineering applications.
• Poly(D,L-lactide) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blends are explored for scaffold fabrication.
• Improving scaffold morphology and biocompatibility is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of poly(D,L-lactide-co-caprolactone) copolymer on the morphological properties of poly(D,L-lactide)/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blend scaffolds.
• To evaluate the efficiency of these enhanced scaffolds for hepatocyte culture and tissue engineering.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of porous scaffolds using poly(D,L-lactide)/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blends.
• Addition of poly(D,L-lactide-co-caprolactone) copolymer as a compatibilizing agent.
• Morphological characterization of the blend scaffolds.
• Biological assays to assess hepatocyte adhesion, proliferation, and growth on the scaffolds.

Main Results:

• The addition of the copolymer significantly reduced the dispersed phase dimensions by an order of magnitude.
• Scaffold morphology was found to be dependent on polymer composition.
• Scaffolds composed of poly(D,L-lactide) with 30% poly(epsilon-caprolactone) promoted excellent hepatocyte adhesion, proliferation, and growth.
• The copolymer addition markedly improved the overall biomedical performance of the scaffolds.

Conclusions:

• Poly(D,L-lactide-co-caprolactone) copolymer effectively acts as a compatibilizer, refining the morphology of poly(D,L-lactide)/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blend scaffolds.
• These improved scaffolds demonstrate significant potential for tissue engineering applications, particularly for liver cells.
• The study highlights the importance of polymer composition and compatibilization in designing advanced biomaterials for regenerative medicine.