Concomitant Control of Mechanical Properties and Degradation in Resorbable Elastomer-like Materials Using Stereochemistry and Stoichiometry for Soft Tissue Engineering

YesComplex biological tissues are highly viscoelastic and dynamic. Efforts to repair or replace cartilage, tendon, muscle, and vasculature using materials that facilitate repair and regeneration have been ongoing for decades. However, materials that possess the mechanical, chemical and resorption characteristics necessary to recapitulate these tissues have been difficult to mimic using synthetic resorbable biomaterials. Herein, we report a series of resorbable elastomer-like materials that are compositionally identical and possess varying ratios of cis:trans double bonds in the backbone. These features afford concomitant control over the mechanical and surface eroding degradation properties of these materials. We show the materials can be functionalized post-polymerization with bioactive species and enhance cell adhesion. Furthermore, an in vivo rat model demonstrates that degradation and resorption are dependent on succinate stoichiometry in the elastomers and the results show limited inflammation highlighting their potential for use in soft tissue regeneration and drug delivery

Production and characterization of chemically cross-linked collagen scaffolds

Chemical cross-linking of collagen-based devices is used as a means of increasing the mechanical stability and control the degradation rate upon implantation. Herein, we describe techniques to produce cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GTA; amine terminal cross-linker), 4-arm polyethylene glycol succinimidyl glutarate (4SP; amine terminal cross-linker), diphenyl phosphoryl azide (DPPA; carboxyl terminal cross-linker) and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC; carboxyl terminal cross-linker) collagen films. In addition, we provide protocols to characterise the biophysical (swelling), biomechanical (tensile) and biological (metabolic activity, proliferation and viability using human dermal fibroblasts and THP-1 macrophages) properties of the cross-linked collagen scaffolds.This work has been supported by the Science Foundation Ireland, Career Development Award Programme (grant agreement number: 15/CDA/3629); Science Foundation Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund (grant agreement number: 13/RC/2073); and EU H2020, ITN award, Tendon Therapy Train Project (grant agreement number: 676338).Peer reviewe