Preparation and modification of mediumchain- length poly(3 Hydroxyalkanoates) as osteoconductive and amphiphilic porous scaffold / Nor Faezah Ansari
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are hydrophobic biopolymers with huge potential for biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, excellent mechanical properties and biodegradability. A porous composite scaffold made of medium-chainlength poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (mcl-PHA) and hydroxyapatit...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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2017
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| Online Access: | http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/8148/ http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/8148/1/All.pdf http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/8148/6/faezah.pdf |
| Summary: | Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are hydrophobic biopolymers with huge potential
for biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, excellent mechanical
properties and biodegradability. A porous composite scaffold made of medium-chainlength
poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (mcl-PHA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) was fabricated
using particulate leaching technique and NaCl as porogen. Different percentages of HA
loading was investigated that would support the growth of osteoblast cells. Ultrasonic
irradiation was applied to facilitate the dispersion of HA particles into mcl-PHA matrix.
Different P(3HO-co-3HHX)/HA composites were investigated using Field Emission
Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform
Infrared Spectra (FTIR) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDXA). The scaffolds
were found to be highly porous with interconnecting pore structures and HA particles
were homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix. The scaffolds biocompatibility
and osteoconductivity were also assessed following the proliferation and differentiation
of osteoblast cells on them. From the results, it is clear that scaffolds made from
P(3HO-co-3HHX)/HA composites are viable candidate materials for bone tissue
engineering applications. Additionally, glycerol 1,3-diglycerol diacrylate (GDD) was
graft copolymerized onto poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) P(3HO-co-
3HHX) to render the latter more hydrophilic. Grafting of P(3HO-co-3HHX) backbone
was performed using benzoyl peroxide as free radical initiator in homogenous acetone
solution. The graft copolymer of P(3HO-co-3HHX)-g-GDD was characterized using
spectroscopic and thermal methods. The presence of GDD monomer in the grafted
P(3HO-co-3HHX) materials linked through covalent bond was indicated by
spectroscopic analyses. Different parameters affecting the graft yield viz. monomer
concentration, initiator concentration, temperature and reaction time were also
investigated. Water uptake measurement showed that P(3HO-co-3HHX)-g-GDD copolymer became more hydrophilic as the GDD concentration in the copolymer
increased. Introduction of hydroxyl groups via grafted GDD monomers improved the
wettability and imparted amphiphilicity to the graft copolymer, thus potentially
improving their facility for cellular interaction. Thermal stability of grafted copolymer
reduced with increased grafting yield. The activation energy, Ea, for the graft
copolymerization was calculated at ~ 51 kJ mol-1. Mechanism of grafting reaction was
also proposed in the study. Scaffolds of P(3HO-co-3HHX)-g-GDD/HA were
successfully fabricated via graft copolymerization and physical blend in order to
improve the hydrophilicity of the mcl-PHA. FTIR analysis showed the presence of new
absorption spectra for –OH and PO which indicated the presence of GDD and HA in
mcl-PHA structure, respectively. EDX analysis was applied to ratify the distribution of
HA particles within the P(3HO-co-3HHX)-g-GDD/HA composite matrix. Toxicity of
the composite was studied against Artemia franciscana in brine shrimp lethality assay
(BSLA). No significant mortality of the test organism was recorded, thus implied that
the novel scaffold poses negligible toxicity risk to the cell. It is concluded that P(3HOco-
3HHX)-g-GDD/HA composite is potentially useful for biomedical applications. |
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