Synthesis and Characterization of Degradable Polar Hydrophobic Ionic Polyurethane Scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering Applications

In tissue engineering, the ability to manipulate scaffold design characteristics is important to achieve functional tissue regeneration. In this study, degradable polar hydrophobic ionic polyurethane (D-PHI) porous scaffolds were synthesized using a lysine-based divinyl oligomer (DVO). Optimization studies on the DVO and D-PHI scaffold synthesis were conducted to maximize isocyanate and methacrylate monomer conversion, respectively. D-PHI scaffold properties were manipulated through the introduction of a lysine-based cross-linker. Specifically, increasing D-PHI cross-linker concentration resulted in an increase of the elastic modulus (0.5-21 MPa), a decrease of the elongation-at-yield (45-5%) and a reduction of scaffold swelling (170-100%). Based on a preliminary study with A10 vascular smooth muscle cells, D-PHI scaffolds demonstrated the ability to support cell adhesion and growth during 2 weeks of culture, suggesting their potential suitability for longer term vascular tissue engineering. The versatility of the D-PHI properties may allow for the tailoring of cell-material interaction and ultimately functional tissue regeneration.