Solvent effects on the microstructure and properties of 75/25 poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) tissue scaffolds

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research 2004-09, Vol.70A (3), p.506-513
• Main Authors: Sander, Edward A., Alb, Alina M., Nauman, Eric A., Reed, Wayne F., Dee, Kay C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biocompatible Materials - chemical synthesis; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - metabolism; compression; Compressive Strength; Lactic Acid - chemical synthesis; Lactic Acid - chemistry; Materials Testing; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; microstructure; Permeability; PLGA; Polyglycolic Acid - chemical synthesis; Polyglycolic Acid - chemistry; Polymers - chemical synthesis; Polymers - chemistry; scaffold; Solvents - chemistry; Tissue Engineering - instrumentation; Tissue Engineering - methods
• ISSN: 1549-3296; 0021-9304; 1552-4965; 1097-4636
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.30109

Poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) is used in many biomedical applications because it is biodegradable, biocompatible, and FDA approved. PLGA can also be processed into porous tissue scaffolds, often through the use of organic solvents. A static light scattering experiment showed that 75/25 PLGA is well solvated in acetone and methylene chloride, but forms aggregates in chloroform. This led to an investigation of whether the mechanical properties of the scaffolds were affected by solvent choice. Porous 75/25 PLGA scaffolds were created with the use of the solvent casting/particulate leaching technique with three different solvents: acetone, chloroform, and methylene chloride. Compression testing resulted in stiffness values of 21.7 ± 4.8 N/mm for acetone, 18.9 ± 4.2 N/mm for chloroform, and 30.2 ± 9.6 N/mm for methylene chloride. Permeability testing found values of 3.9 ± 1.9 × 10−12 m2 for acetone, 3.6 ± 1.3 × 10−12 m2 for chloroform, and 2.4 ± 1.0 × 10−12 m2 for methylene chloride. Additional work was conducted to uncouple polymer/solvent interactions from evaporation dynamics, both of which may affect the scaffold properties. The results suggest that solvent choice creates small but significant differences in scaffold properties, and that the rate of evaporation is more important in affecting scaffold microstructure than polymer/solvent interactions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 70A: 506–513, 2004