Porous biodegradable polymer scaffolds for nerve regeneration

Markus S. Widmer, Gregory R.D. Evans, Keith Brandt, Tom Savel, Charles W. Patrick, Antonios G. Mikos

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Porous biodegradable polymer scaffolds were manufactured and characterized for nerve regeneration. A biodegradable polymer consisting of 75:25 PLGA was dissolved in methylene chloride and salt crystals. The mixture was heated and then extruded to form tubes. Mechanical testing was performed by embedding conduits into aluminum tubes. In vitro study was performed to determine the influence of degradation on mechanical properties. In vivo study was carried out by interposing conduits into the right sciatic nerve of rats. After 6 six, the conduits were removed for histology. The stress versus strain plot from mechanical testing revealed an initial linear region. However, after applying a certain level of force, the stress rapidly deviated. Histology tests showed that after 6 weeks, all conduits remained flexible and there was no severe inflammatory reaction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages353-354
Number of pages2
StatePublished - Jan 1 1997
EventProceedings of the 1997 Bioengineering Conference - Sunriver, OR, USA
Duration: Jun 11 1997Jun 15 1997

Conference

ConferenceProceedings of the 1997 Bioengineering Conference
CitySunriver, OR, USA
Period06/11/9706/15/97

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