Ex vivo evaluation of biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) films in digestive fluids

Successful application of biodegradable implants in the gastrointestinal tract requires intensive research to understand their degradation behavior. We studied biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) films in several digestive glands using films formed from a solution of PCL in dichloromethane and ether. Examination of the film morphology showed that solvent evaporation resulted in the formation of a smooth and flat surface. In addition, our results revealed that the PCL films degraded very differently in different digestive glands while they continued to undergo hydrolysis. There was also significant weight loss in the PCL films in saliva and gastric juice, which indicates that the degradation was sensitive to protein enzymes. Deconstruction of the PCL film was first discovered when it was incubated with saliva for 6 weeks. These results indicate that the degradation by saliva was mainly responsible for the enzymatic erosion of the film, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.