Hodges D E, McNally K M, Welch A J
Biomedical Engineering Laser Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
J Biomed Opt. 2001 Oct;6(4):427-31. doi: 10.1117/1.1412436.
Solid protein solder-doped polymer membranes were developed for laser-assisted tissue repair. Biodegradable polymer membranes of controlled porosity were fabricated with poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and salt particles, using a solvent-casting and particulate-leaching technique. The membranes provided a porous scaffold that readily absorbed the traditional protein solder composed of serum albumin, indocyanine green dye, and de-ionized water. In vitro investigations were conducted to assess the influence of various processing parameters on the strength of tissue repairs formed using the new membranes. These parameters included PLGA copolymer and PLGA/PEG blend ratios, membrane pore size, initial albumin weight fraction, and laser irradiance used to denature the solder. Altering the PLGA copolymer ratio had little effect on repair strength, however such variations are known to influence the degradation rate of the membranes. The repair strength increased with increased membrane pore size and bovine serum albumin concentration. The addition of PEG during the membrane casting stage increased the flexibility of the membranes but not necessarily the repair strength. Typically, the repair strength increased with increasing irradiance from 12 to 18 W/cm(2). The new solder-doped polymer membranes provided all of the benefits associated with solid protein solders including high repair strength and improved edge coaptation. In addition, the flexible, moldable nature of the new membranes offers the capability of tailoring the membranes to a wide range of clinically relevant geometries.
