Morphology-induced physico-mechanical and biological characteristics of TPU-PDMS blend scaffolds for skin tissue engineering applications.

Composition and architecture of scaffolds are the most important factors determining the performance of skin substitutes. In this work, morphology induced unique physical and biological characteristics of compatibilized TPU-PDMS blend scaffolds at 90:10, 80:20, and 70:30 blend ratios of TPU and PDMS was studied. The fiber morphology, porosity, surface wettability, and mechanical properties of electrospun scaffolds were distinctly influenced by the presence of PDMS. Interestingly, the scaffold architecture varied from electrospun fibers to porous fibers and finally occurrence of unique porous beads noticed at 30% PDMS in the microstructure which was confirmed using FESEM. Micro-CT analysis revealed that the porosity of electrospun scaffolds was enhanced from 61% to 79% with 30 parts of PDMS addition. Moreover, MTT assay and cell proliferation were studied using human skin fibroblast cells and found to be significantly enhanced with the PDMS percentage. TPU-PDMS blends offer better overall performance at 70:30 blend ratio of TPU and PDMS (T70P30). Only 4% of hemolysis was observed for T70P30 blends, which establishes the hemocompatibility of the material. In comparison, the results reveal the potential of the cytocompatible T70P30 scaffold for the fabrication of skin substitutes for tissue engineering applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 1634-1644, 2019.

Blends of thermoplastic polyurethane and polydimethylsiloxane rubber: assessment of biocompatibility and suture holding strength of membranes.

In the present investigation, a compatibilized blend of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is prepared by using copolymer of ethylene and methyl acrylate (EMA) as a reactive compatibilizer. Detailed in vitro biocompatibility studies were carried out for this compatibilized blend and the material was found noncytotoxic towards L929 mouse fibroblast subcutaneous connective tissue cell line. Microporosity was created on the surface of membranes prepared from the blend material by adopting the crazing mechanism. Cell proliferation and growth studies on the membranes surface showed that the microporous surface favoured ingrowth of the cells compared with a nonmicroporous surface. Suture holding strength studies indicate that the microporous membranes have enough strength to withstand the cutting and tearing forces through the suture hole. This blend material could be evaluated further to find its suitability in various implant applications.