Preparation, Physicochemical Properties, and Hemocompatibility of the Composites Based on Biodegradable Poly(Ether-Ester-Urethane) and Phosphorylcholine-Containing Copolymer

Abstract

To improve the hemocompatibility of the biodegradable medical poly(ether-ester-urethane) (PEEU), containing uniform-size aliphatic hard segments that was prepared in our lab, a copolymer containing phosphorylcholine (PC) groups was blended with the PEEU. The PC-copolymer of poly(MPC-co-EHMA) (PMEH) was first obtained by copolymerization of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (EHMA), and then dissolved in mixed solvent of ethanol/chloroform to obtain a homogeneous solution. The composite films (PMPU) with varying PMEH content were prepared by solvent evaporation method. The physicochemical properties of the composite films with varying PMEH content were researched. The PMPU films exhibited higher thermal stability than that of the pure PEEU film. With the PMEH content increasing from 5 to 20 wt%, the PMPU films also possessed satisfied tensile properties with ultimate stress of 22.9–15.8 MPa and strain at break of 925–820%. The surface and bulk hydrophilicity of the films were improved after incorporation of PMEH. In vitro degradation studies indicated that the degradation rate increased with PMEH content, and it took 12–24 days for composite films to become fragments. The protein adsorption and platelet-rich plasma contact tests were adapted to evaluate the surface hemocompatibility of the composite films. It was found that the amount of adsorbed protein and adherent platelet on the surface decreased significantly, and almost no activated platelets were observed when PMEH content was above 5 wt%, which manifested good surface hemocompatibility. Due to the biodegradability, acceptable tensile properties and good surface hemocompatibility, the composites can be expected to be applied in blood-contacting implant materials.

Effect of Thermal Aging on the Physico-Chemical and Optical Properties of Poly(ester urethane) Elastomers Designed for Passive Damping (Pads) of the Railway

“…Polyurethanes (PURs) are a class of polymers containing the urethane segments (–NHCOO–) in the main chains. This structure assures very good chemical resistance and mechanical properties [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Polyurethane elastomers (PUREs) have known increasing interest because of their efficient cost-effective production process and recyclability, as compared to vulcanized elastomers.…”

Functional Zwitterionic Polyurethanes: State‐of‐the‐Art Review

“…Hou and co‐workers enhanced hemocompatibility by blending a PC‐containing copolymer with a biodegradable medical polymer and prepared composite films by evaporating the solvent with varying PC content. [ 100 ] With an increasing PC content, the protein adsorption and platelet adhesion on the film surface decreased significantly, demonstrating excellent surface hemocompatibility (Figure 6f).…”

Surface modification of polycarbonate urethane by grafting polyethylene glycol and bivalirudin drug for improving hemocompatibility

“…[16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Among them, surface modification is the most popular and appropriate method, which usually involves introducing a high-activated barrier to repulse proteins by coating with antithrombosis/anticoagulant drugs onto the surface. 6,17,[23][24][25][26][27][28] Some improvements in the hemocompatibility of PCU have been found after modification with heparin, rapamycin, resveratrol, and polyethylene glycol (PEG), etc. Remarkably, for successful surface grafting modification, it is crucial to consider the full range of criteria.…”

“…Regarding this, numerous strategies have been explored for improving surface hemocompatibility 16–22 . Among them, surface modification is the most popular and appropriate method, which usually involves introducing a high‐activated barrier to repulse proteins by coating with antithrombosis/anticoagulant drugs onto the surface 6,17,23–28 . Some improvements in the hemocompatibility of PCU have been found after modification with heparin, rapamycin, resveratrol, and polyethylene glycol (PEG), etc.…”