Development of a hyaluronan-polyethylene copolymer for use in articular cartilage repair
Date
2009
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Abstract
Articular cartilage is the connective tissue which covers the ends of long bones, providing a lubricious, hydrodynamic surface for articulation and energy dissipation. Articular cartilage has a limited ability to repair itself; once the native tissue has become damaged, either from injury or disease (e.g., arthritis), it is irreversible and the tissue will degrade with time resulting in joint pain. The goal of this research was to develop a permanent (i.e., non biodegradable/bioerodible) bioactive material and assess its applicability for articular cartilage repair and/or replacement. Utilizing two constituents, polyethylene (the 'gold standard' bearing material for total joint replacements) and hyaluronan (HA, a native component of articular cartilage), a hyaluronan-polyethylene graft copolymer (HA-co-HDPE) was developed. The novel HA- co-HDPE material was successfully synthesized using an interfacial polymerization reaction in a non-aqueous environment. Although the material has limited melt-processability, it is more processable than HA and was successfully compression molded into samples for physical, mechanical and in vitro biological characterization (e.g., swell ratio, dynamic mechanical analysis). HA-co-HDPE exploits the strength, rigidity and melt-processability associated with HDPE, and achieves increased osteogenic potential by incorporating the highly hydrophilic biopolymer HA. In conclusion, the swelling, mechanical and degradation properties of the copolymer can be custom-optimized for biomedical applications by tailoring chemical or physical crosslinking strategies and varying the amount and molecular weights of HA and HDPE incorporated into the copolymer.
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Subject
articular cartilage
biomaterials
hyaluronan-polyethylene copolymer
polymer chemistry
polymer engineering
polymer science
biomedical engineering
mechanical engineering
materials science