Modified Poly(ε-caprolactone) with Tunable Degradability and Improved Biofunctionality for Regenerative Medicine

Jun Shen; Weihao Yuan; Maryam Badv; Alireza Moshaverinia; Paul S Weiss

doi:10.1021/acsmaterialsau.3c00027

Modified Poly(ε-caprolactone) with Tunable Degradability and Improved Biofunctionality for Regenerative Medicine

ACS Mater Au. 2023 Jul 10;3(5):540-547. doi: 10.1021/acsmaterialsau.3c00027. eCollection 2023 Sep 13.

Authors

Jun Shen^{1

2}, Weihao Yuan³, Maryam Badv⁴, Alireza Moshaverinia^{2

3}, Paul S Weiss^{1

5

6

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
² California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
³ Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology, Section of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
⁵ Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
⁶ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.

Abstract

The use of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) for biomedical applications is well established, particularly for permanent implants, due to its slow degradation rate, suitable mechanical properties, and biocompatibility. However, the slow degradation rate of PCL limits its application for short-term and temporary biomedical applications where bioabsorbability is required. To enhance the properties of PCL and to expand its biomedical applications, we developed an approach to produce PCL membranes with tunable degradation rates, mechanical properties, and biofunctional features. Specifically, we utilized electrospinning to create fibrous PCL membranes, which were then chemically modified using potassium permanganate to alter their degradability while having minimal impact on their fibrous morphology. The effects of the chemical treatments were investigated by treating the samples for different time periods ranging from 6 to 48 h. After the 48 h treatment, the membrane degraded by losing 25% of its mass over 12 weeks in degradation studies, while maintaining its mechanical strength and exhibiting superior biofunctional features. Our results suggest that this approach for developing PCL with tailored properties could have significant potential for a range of biomedical applications.