A critical review of fibrous polyurethane-based vascular tissue engineering scaffolds

Abstract

Certain polymeric materials such as polyurethanes (PUs) are the most prevalent class of used biomaterials in regenerative medicine and have been widely explored as vascular substitutes in several animal models. It is thought that PU-based biomaterials possess suitable hemo-compatibility with comparable performance related to the normal blood vessels. Despite these advantages, the possibility of thrombus formation and restenosis limits their application as artificial functional vessels. In this regard, various surface modification approaches have been developed to enhance both hemo-compatibility and prolong patency. While critically reviewing the recent advances in vascular tissue engineering, mainly PU grafts, this paper summarizes the application of preferred cell sources to vascular regeneration, physicochemical properties, and some possible degradation mechanisms of PU to provide a more extensive perspective for future research.

Pullulan as promoting endothelialization capacity of electrospun PCL-PU scaffold

“…In this regard, polyurethane (PU) is one of the essential materials for soft tissue prostheses due to its physicomechanical properties, tensile strength, and hemo-compatibility. 10 Their most common medical applications include vascular prostheses, blood filters, catheters, and artificial heart valves. 10,11 Polycaprolactone (PCL), approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), is a biodegradable and semi-crystalline polymer that has been considered due to its high solubility and ability to combine with other polymers.…”

“…10 Their most common medical applications include vascular prostheses, blood filters, catheters, and artificial heart valves. 10,11 Polycaprolactone (PCL), approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), is a biodegradable and semi-crystalline polymer that has been considered due to its high solubility and ability to combine with other polymers. Therefore, it is a suitable option for a wide range of regenerative medicine programs and implants due to the mentioned specifications, low degradation rate, and superior rheological properties of PCL compared to its counterparts.…”

Role of Chemical Linkage in Solvation of Polyurethanes in Organic Solvents Studied by Explicit Molecular Dynamics Simulations

“…These values are in agreement with the perpendicular orientation between the rings as reported from the study of polyurethane elastomers. 51 The torsion angle (dihedral) autocorrelation function (ACF) was calculated according to the equation (3) where ϕ(t) is the dihedral angle at any frame t and ⟨•••⟩ is the average over different initial time frames τ. Figure 6 shows the dihedral autocorrelation of ϕ and ψ.…”

“…1,2 There is a lot of interest in these polymers in medical applications due to their biocompatibility. 3,4 The electrospun polyurethane nanofibers have potential applications in air filtration and water treatment. 5−8 The properties of polyurethanes not only depend on their chemical structure but also on processing conditions.…”

Remodeling of structurally reinforced (TPU+PCL/PCL)-Hep electrospun small-diameter bilayer vascular grafts interposed in rat abdominal aortas

“…The thermoplastic poly(ether urethane) (TPU) elastomer is a multiblock copolymer comprising crystalline hard and amorphous soft segments, joined through van der Waals and hydrogen bonding interactions showing not only good blood compatibility, but also favourable compliance owing to the low elastic modulus. 35,36 As a possible solution to the challenge of aneurysm formation remained in the in vivo remodeling of PCL-Hep SLVGs, in this work the TPU was intended to be coelectrospun with PCL onto the outer surface of PCL SLVGs followed by surface heparinization to create a kind of structurally reinforced (TPU+PCL/PCL)-Hep small-diameter bilayer vascular grafts (BLVGs). To further assess the in vivo remodeling potential, a rat abdominal aorta interpositional model for a period of 6 months implantation was performed.…”