Adjustable Degradation Properties and Biocompatibility of Amorphous and Functional Poly(ester-acrylate)-Based Materials

Tuning the properties of materials toward a special application is crucial in the area of tissue engineering. The design of materials with predetermined degradation rates and controlled release of degradation products is therefore vital. Providing a material with various functional groups is one of the best ways to address this issue because alterations and modifications of the polymer backbone can be performed easily. Two different 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane/glycidyl methacrylate-based (MDO/GMA) copolymers were synthesized with different feed ratios and immersed into a phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.4 and in deionized water at 37 degrees C for up to 133 days. After different time intervals, the molecular weight changes, mass loss, pH, and degradation products were determined. By increasing the amount of GMA functional groups in the material, the degradation rate and the amount of acidic degradation products released from the material were decreased. As a result, the composition of the copolymers greatly affected the degradation rate. A rapid release of acidic degradation products during the degradation process could be an important issue for biomedical applications because it might affect the biocompatibility of the material. The cytotoxicity of the materials was evaluated using a MTT assay. These tests indicated that none of the materials demonstrated any obvious cytotoxicity, and the materials could therefore be considered biocompatible.