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Multifunctional Shape‐Memory Polymer Foams with Bio‐inspired Antimicrobials
Author(s) -
Monroe Mary Beth Browning,
Easley Alexandra D.,
Grant Katie,
Fletcher Grace K.,
Boyer Calla,
Maitland Duncan J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.201701015
Subject(s) - biocompatibility , materials science , antimicrobial , shape memory polymer , polymer , shape memory alloy , composite material , biomedical engineering , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , medicine , engineering , metallurgy
Despite a number of clinically available hemostats, uncontrolled bleeding is the primary cause of trauma‐related death. Shape‐memory polymer (SMP) foams have a number of desirable properties for use as hemostats, including shape recovery to enable delivery into bleed sites, biocompatibility, and rapid blood clotting. To expand upon this material system, the current work aims to incorporate phenolic acids, which are honey‐based antimicrobial agents, into SMP foams. We showed that cinnamic acid (CA) can be utilized as a monomer in SMP synthesis to provide foams with comparable pore structure and retained cytocompatibility. The addition of CA enabled tuning of thermal and shape‐memory properties within clinically relevant ranges. Furthermore, the modified foams demonstrated initial and sustained antimicrobial effects against gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria. These multifunctional scaffolds demonstrate potential for use as hemostats to improve upon current hemorrhage treatments and provide a new tool in tuning the biological and material properties of SMP foams.