Custom-Made Generation of Three-Dimensional Nonwovens Composed of Polyglycolide or Polylactide for the Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering

Polymers composed of polyglycolide (PGA) or polylactide (PLA) have been studied in multiple research projects for orthopedic applications, cardiovascular tissue engineering (TE) and drug delivery systems. In a recent TE study we generated and analyzed custom-made nonwovens composed of PGA, PLA, a composite structure of PLA/PGA, and the copolymer PLG regarding the behavior of cells when seeded onto these structures. The fabrication of the individual nonwovens was optimized for this study. PGA nonwovens revealed notable cell compatibility, with large amounts of extracellular matrix proteins. Unfortunately, rapid shrinking induced by labored hydrolytic degradation and failing resistibility to cells was detected. Incorporation of additional, long-living material, e.g., PLA was essential for the fabrication of an applicable TE substitute. The best results, combining cell compatibility and longevity of the cell-matrix construct, were achieved using the PLA/PGA composite. The durability of PLA/PGA composite structures makes them promising for use in such regions of increased load, as the heart and particularly for the tissue engineering of cardiovascular structures such as heart valves.