Surface channel patterned and endothelialized poly(glycerol sebacate) based elastomers

Abstract

Prevascularization of tissue equivalents is critical for fulfilling the need for sufficient vascular organization for nutrient and gas transport. Hence, endothelial cell culture on biomaterials is of great importance for researchers. Numerous alternate strategies have been suggested in this sense, with cell-based methods being the most commonly employed. In this study, poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) elastomers with varying crosslinking ratios were synthesized and their surfaces were patterned with channels by using laser ablation technique. In order to determine an ideal material for cell culture studies, the elastomers were subsequently mechanically, chemically, and biologically characterized. Following that, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were seeded into the channels established on the PGS membranes and cultured under various culture conditions to establish the optimal culture parameters. Lastly, the endothelial cell responses to the synthesized PGS elastomers were evaluated. Remarkable cell proliferation and impressive cellular organizations were noticed on the constructs created as part of the investigation. On the concrete output of this research, arrangements in various geometries can be created by laser ablation method and the effects of various molecules, drugs or agents on endothelial cells can be evaluated. The platforms produced can be employed as an intermediate biomaterial layer containing endothelial cells for vascularization of tissue-engineered structures, particularly in layer-by-layer tissue engineering approaches.

Different methods of synthesizing poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS): A review

“…PGS degradation can be evaluated by three methods: in vitro hydrolysis degradation, in vitro enzymatic degradation, and in vivo degradation. Independent of the degradation type, the PGS degradation process follows the surface erosion mechanism (Wang et al, 2003;Sundback et al, 2005;Pomerantseva et al, 2009;Guo et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2014;Li et al, 2015;Souza et al, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology frontiersin.org Zhang et al, 2020;Tevlek et al, 2022). This mechanism is characterized by linear mass loss and corresponding volume decrease while preserving the shape, surface integrity, and mechanical properties.…”

“…For example, replacing 10% (mol) of sebacic acid with succinic acid resulted in a PGS-cosuccinate film, "Yg-10/4 (90/10)", which had a weight loss of 22 g/m 2 , an increase in degradation resistance of >50%, compared to PGS. Tevlek et al (2022) cured three sets of PGS elastomers for different times (14, 12, and 10 h) and performed in vitro hydrolytic and enzymatic degradations in a 28-day process. The hydrolytic mass losses were 9.65%, 13.79%, and 24.82%, and the enzymatic degradation mass losses were 12.75%, 19.54%, and 43.75%, respectively.…”

“… Tevlek et al (2022) also performed PGS prepolymerization in a microwave reactor (White-Westinghouse, United States) at 650 W without any catalyst or extra chemical material. The process was completed by exposing the reagents to microwaves for a total of five times, at 15 s intervals for 1 min.…”

“…PGS is considered hydrophilic, with a WCA around 38–94° ( Guo et al, 2014 ; Gaharwar et al, 2015 ; Aghajan et al, 2020 ; Chang et al, 2021 ; Martín-Cabezuelo et al, 2021a ; Tevlek et al, 2022 ). A higher glycerol ratio synthesis promotes decreased WCA as it increases the number of hydroxyl groups.…”

“…However, a higher ratio of sebacic acid increases the hydrophobic group content and WCA values ( Guo et al, 2014 ). For PGS produced from a molar reagent ratio of 1:1 (G:S), the increase in cross-link density, which consumes more hydroxyl groups, provides more wettable surfaces ( Conejero-García et al, 2017 ; Tevlek et al, 2022 ). However, when the cross-link density increases by urethane ( Golbaten-Mofrad et al, 2021 ) or methacrylate ( Singh et al, 2018 ) bonds, the WCA value increases ( Singh et al, 2018 ; Golbaten-Mofrad et al, 2021 ).…”