A Comparative Study on In vitro Degradation Behaviors of Poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) Scaffolds and Films

In vitro degradation behaviors of three-dimensional porous scaffolds and films made from amorphous poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (85/15) were systematically investigated up to 12 weeks in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution at 37 degrees C. The following properties of the scaffolds and films were compared as a function of degradation time: pH value of PBS, water uptake, weight, molecular mass and its distribution, and morphology. The results show that the films degraded much faster than the scaffolds. The film's degradation was heterogenous due to the increased concentration of the acidic degradation products inside. However, owing to much thinner pore walls, heterogenous degradation due to the autocatalytic effect was not observed in the scaffolds.