Amino Acid‐Based Thermoplastic Polyurethanes for Pelvic Floor Tissue Scaffolds

Abstract

Biocompatible and biodegradable elastomers are of interest in soft tissue repair. A biodegradable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was synthesized using an amino acid‐based diisocyanate, along with polycaprolactone diol and polyethylene glycol, to improve its biocompatibility, and different reaction times were investigated to study their effects. The structure, mechanical, thermal, swelling, and biodegradation behavior, as well as cytotoxicity, of the resulting polymers were characterized. The optimal TPU showed a tensile strength of 6.5 MPa, a Young's modulus of 26.1 MPa, and good resilience upon cyclic loading. The TPU presented no cytotoxic effect when exposed to dental pulp fibroblasts. Aligned porous scaffolds were produced by using a freeze–drying method with a custom‐made mold to mimic the structure and mechanical properties of native pelvic floor tissue. The scaffolds exhibited a tensile strength of 1.24 MPa and Young's modulus of 4.76 MPa, both within the ranges of tensile strength and Young's modulus of native cardinal ligaments and uterosacral ligaments. This work demonstrates that the amino acid‐based TPU has potential for application in pelvic floor tissue scaffolds.