Improved in vivo stability of silicon-containing polyurethane by fluorocarbon side chain modulation of the surface structure

J Mater Chem B. 2021 Apr 14;9(14):3210-3223. doi: 10.1039/d1tb00140j. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Abstract

As a class of widely used biomedical materials, polyurethanes suffer from their insufficient stability in vivo. Although the commercialized silicone-polyetherurethanes (SiPEUs) have demonstrated excellent biostability compared with polyetherurethanes (PEUs) for long-term implantation, the usage of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) inevitably decreased the mechanical properties and unexpected breaches were observed. In this study, we introduced a fluorinated diol (FDO) into SiPEU to modulate the molecular interactions and micro-separated morphology. The fluorinated silicon-containing polyurethane (FSiPEU) was achieved with desirable silicone- and fluorine-enriched surfaces and mechanical properties at a low silicon content. As evidenced by in vitro culture of macrophages and in vivo hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, FSiPEU demonstrated a minimized inflammatory response. After implantation in mice for 6 months, the material was devoid of significant surface degradation and had the least chain cleavage of soft segments. The results indicate that FSiPEU could be promising candidates for long-term implantation considering the combination of biostability, biocompatibility and mechanical performances.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Fluorocarbons / chemistry*
  • Fluorocarbons / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Molecular Structure
  • Polyurethanes / chemical synthesis
  • Polyurethanes / chemistry*
  • Polyurethanes / pharmacology
  • Silicon / chemistry*
  • Silicon / pharmacology
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Fluorocarbons
  • Polyurethanes
  • Silicon