Technique to control pH in vicinity of biodegrading PLA-PGA implants

¹Orthopaedic Bioengineering, Department of Orthopaedics, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284, USA.

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research

|July 1, 1997

Summary

Incorporating basic salts into polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) implants effectively neutralizes acidic degradation byproducts, preventing harmful pH decreases and improving biocompatibility. This study demonstrates a viable strategy for enhancing the safety of these common biomedical polymers.

Area of Science:

Biomaterials Science
Polymer Chemistry
Biomedical Engineering

Background:

Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) are widely used biodegradable polymers.
Concerns exist regarding their biocompatibility due to potential pH decrease during degradation.
Acidic byproducts can negatively impact surrounding tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if incorporating basic salts can mitigate pH drop near degrading PLA-PGA implants.
To assess the impact of basic salts on the degradation characteristics of PLA-PGA implants.
To evaluate the biocompatibility implications of pH control during polymer degradation.

Main Methods:

In vitro degradation study of PLA-PGA implants.
Incorporation of basic salts (calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxyapatite, sodium bicarbonate) into implants.
Monitoring of pH changes in the surrounding media over 9 weeks.
Analysis of implant swelling, molecular weight, and mass changes.

Main Results:

All tested basic salts successfully controlled the pH decrease.
Calcium carbonate implants maintained pH between 7.4 and 6.3.
Calcium hydroxyapatite and sodium bicarbonate implants maintained pH between 6.9-4.3 and 8.2-4.5, respectively.
No significant differences in molecular weight or mass loss were observed at 9 weeks.

Conclusions:

Basic salts effectively offset the pH decrease associated with PLA-PGA degradation in vitro.
This strategy holds promise for improving the biocompatibility of PLA-PGA implants.
Further in vivo studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

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Technique to control pH in vicinity of biodegrading PLA-PGA implants

Area of Science:

Background:

Purpose of the Study:

Main Methods:

Main Results:

Conclusions:

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