Degradable polycaprolactone/buffer composites as pH regulating carrier materials for drug delivery and 3D printed biomaterials

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Polymeric materials such as biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) have garnered significant attention for their utility in biomedical applications. With its notable low glass transition temperature (Tg), PCL exhibits flexibility at physiological temperatures, rendering it an ideal candidate for drug delivery systems, particularly in fibrous form. This suitability is particularly pronounced when these fibres are designed for placement within periodontal pockets resulting from periodontitis. However, the degradation of PCL yields acidic by-products, potentially impacting adjacent dental structures. To address this, several composites comprising PCL and buffering agents (CaCO3, MgCO3, NaHCO3, Na2HPO4, and TRIS) were processed to scaffolds using fused deposition modelling. For fine mineral powders (MgCO3, Na2HPO4) resulted in an extrudability of up to 20 wt% added to the PCL, whereas otherwise 30 wt% added buffer could be processed without any problems. The primary objective of these composites is to modulate the pH within the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) to prevent demineralization of teeth. It was found, that only MgCO3 added to PCL can keep pH above 7.4 during enzymatic degradation over 28 days. This ensured that the polymer matrix was 100% degraded without lowering the pH value, which might prevent deminarlization of dental hard tissues for it future intended application. This influence can be directly attributed to the solubility of MgCO3, as all other buffer substances are rinsed out of the PCL matrix too quickly (max. 9 days).

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number102087
Number of pages11
JournalMaterialia
Volume34 (2024)
Publication statusPublished - 10 Apr 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-0228-6140/work/158306392

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • 3D printing, Biocomposites, Biodegradable polymers, Lipase, Periodontitis