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Bioactive and mechanically strong Bioglass®‐poly( D,L ‐lactic acid) composite coatings on surgical sutures
Author(s) -
Chen Q. Z.,
Blaker J. J.,
Boccaccini A. R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.30379
Subject(s) - materials science , coating , extrusion , simulated body fluid , composite number , polymer , chemical engineering , composite material , biomedical engineering , scanning electron microscope , medicine , engineering
New coating processes have been investigated for degradable (Vicryl®) and nondegradable (Mersilk®) sutures with the aim to develop Bioglass® coated polymer fibers for wound healing and tissue engineering scaffold applications. First, the aqueous phase of a Bioglass® particle slurry was replaced with a poly( D,L ‐lactic acid) (PDLLA) polymer dissolved in solvent dimethyle carbonate (DMC) to act as third phase. SEM observations indicated that this alteration significantly improved the homogeneity of the coatings. Second, a new coating strategy involving two steps was developed: the sutures were first coated with a Bioglass®–PDLLA composite film followed by a second PDLLA coating. This two‐step process of coating has addressed the problem of poor adherence of Bioglass® particles on suture surfaces. The coated sutures were knotted to determine qualitatively the mechanical integrity of the coatings. The results indicated that adhesion strength of coatings obtained by the two‐step method was remarkably enhanced. A comparative assessment of the bioactivity of one‐step and two‐step produced coatings was carried out in vitro using acellular simulated body fluid (SBF) for up to 28 days. Coatings produced by the two‐step process were found to have similar bioactivity as the one‐step produced coatings. The novel Bioglass®/PDLLA/Vicryl® and Bioglass®/PDLLA/Mersilk® composite sutures are promising bioactive materials for wound healing and tissue engineering applications. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2006