Abstract
Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), a tough elastomer, has been proposed for tissue engineering applications due to its desired mechanical properties, biocompatibility and controlled degradation. Despite interesting physical and chemical properties, PGS shows limited water uptake capacity (∼2%), thus constraining its utility for soft tissue engineering. Therefore, a modification of PGS that would mimic the water uptake and water retention characteristics of natural extracellular matrix is beneficial for enhancing its utility for biomedical applications. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of highly elastomeric poly(glycerol sebacate)-co-polyethylene glycol (PGS-co-PEG) block copolymers with controlled water uptake characteristics. By tailoring the water uptake property, it is possible to engineer scaffolds with customized degradation and mechanical properties. The addition of PEG results in almost 15-fold increase in water uptake capacity of PGS, and improves its mechanical stability under dynamic loading conditions. PGS-co-PEG polymers show elastomeric properties and can be subjected to serve deformation such as bending and stretching. The Young's modulus of PGS-co-PEG can be tuned from 13 kPa to 2.2 MPa by altering the amount of PEG within the copolymer network. Compared to PGS, more than six-fold increase in elongation was observed upon PEG incorporation. In addition, the rate of degradation increases with an increase in PEG concentration, indicating that degradation rate of PGS can be regulated. PGS-co-PEG polymers also support cell proliferation, and thus can be used for a range of tissue engineering applications.