The effect of soft segment structure on in vitro biodegradation of segmented polyurethanes

IntroductionSegmented polyurethanes (SPUs) are extensively employed in the field of biomaterials, due to their excellent and tunable physicochemical properties.ObjectivesIn this study, two series of polyurethanes based on block and random (glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PGC) macro-diols with glycolide to ε-caprolactone (GA:CL) ratios of (50:50 (PU-50) and 30:70 (PU-30)) were synthesized.MethodsThe effect of macro-diols’ structure on in vitro biodegradation profile of the polymers (in PBS, at 37°C for 2 months) were investigated, via FTIR and SEM. Also, mass loss of the polymers in this period was calculated.ResultsThe results of mass loss measurement showed that as amount of glycolide monomer increased in the soft segment structure, biodegradation rate of the polymers increased. The highest mass loss of about 40% was registered for PU-50. Also FTIR results showed that the degradation mechanism of these polymers was mainly hydrolytic degradation

Keywords:

Segmented polyurethane , Soft segment structure , Glycolide , In vitro biodegradation