Development of Graphene Oxide-/Galactitol Polyester-Based Biodegradable Composites for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

We have developed nanocomposites based on galactitol/adipic acid in the molar ratio of 1:1 with different weight percentages of graphene oxide (GO). The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of enhanced physicochemical properties achieved due to the addition of GO to the polymers on cellular responses. The chemical structures of the polymer and composites were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the uniform distribution of GO in the polymers. Differential scanning calorimetry showed no significant variation in the glass-transition temperature of the nanocomposites. Dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrated the increase of Young’s modulus with the increase in the addition of GO to the polymer from 0.5 to 1 wt % and a dramatic decrease in modulus with the addition of 2 wt % GO to the polyester. Contact angle analysis illustrated a slight increase in hydrophilicity with the addition of GO to the polyester. Investigations on the hydrolytic degradation and dye release were performed and revealed that the degradation and release decreased with the increase in the weight percentages of GO but increased for 2 wt % GO with the polymer. The rates of degradation and dye release followed first-order and Higuchi kinetics, respectively. The initial in vitro cytocompatibility studies exhibited minimal toxicity. Mineralization studies proved that these nanocomposites stimulated osteogenesis. This study has salient implications for designing biodegradable polymers for use as scaffolds with tailored release.

Bone Tissue Engineering via Carbon‐Based Nanomaterials

“…Thus, GO, which has excellent mechanical properties, has been studied as a filler material together with various polymers to improve their mechanical performances. As expected, a small amount of GO (i.e., 1% in weight percentage) would significantly improve the mechanical properties of the composite scaffolds . However, it is worth noting that in some cases too much of GO in the composites might be detrimental to the mechanical performance .…”

“…Thanks to the rich presence of polar oxygen‐containing functionalities, the addition of GO can also increase the hydrophilicity of the composite materials. Many groups have reported the decrease in the water contact angles upon the addition of GO to their polymeric scaffold materials . The enhancement of hydrophilicity significantly improved the protein and cell adhesion strength of the composite materials, which is a key parameter for BTE scaffold fabrications.…”

“…As expected, a small amount of GO (i.e., 1% in weight percentage) would significantly improve the mechanical properties of the composite scaffolds . However, it is worth noting that in some cases too much of GO in the composites might be detrimental to the mechanical performance . For example, in Chatterjee's study, the Young's modulus of galactitol polyester increases as the addition of GO increased from 0.5 to 1 wt.% while a dramatic decrease in modulus was observed as the addition of GO increased to 2 wt.% .…”

“…With the improved cell adhesion, the cell viability and proliferation have also been increased. Most importantly, the presence of GO could increase the osteogenic differentiation and thus significantly stimulate osteogenesis as evidenced by ALP activity, osteogenic gene expression, and mineralization by Alizarin Red staining studies . The increased osteogenesis might be attributed to mainly three reasons: first, the relatively high modulus in the presence of GO.…”

“…[93][94][95][96][97][98] However, it is worth noting that in some cases too much of GO in the composites might be detrimental to the mechanical performance. [93,96,97] For example, in Chatterjee's study, the Young's modulus of galactitol polyester increases as the addition of GO increased from 0.5 to 1 wt.% while a dramatic decrease in modulus was observed as the addition of GO increased to 2 wt.%. [93] Thanks to the rich presence of polar oxygen-containing functionalities, the addition of GO can also increase the hydrophilicity of the composite materials.…”