Electrospinning and biocompatibility evaluation of biodegradable polyurethanes based on L -lysine diisocyanate and L -lysine chain extender

A series of biodegradable polyurethanes (PUs) were synthesized using poly(Îμ-caprolactone) diol (PCL) to react with L-lysine ethyl ester diisocyanate (LDI) chain extend with L-lysine ethyl ester (LEE) in solution of DMF. The structure was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, ¹H-NMR, Fourier transform infrared, and DSC analyses. Mechanical property testing showed that their tensile strength rose with increasing the hard segment content with a maximum tensile strength of 34.43 ± 1.73 MPa. The average mass loss for the hydrolytic degradation was only about 13 % in 56 days while this value for the enzymatic degradation was around 95 % in 30 days. The morphological and biomechanical characters of the tubular scaffolds electrospun from the as-prepared PUs were also examined. As the solution concentration was varied from 10 to 18% (w/v), the fiber diameter was progressively increased, and the scaffold tensile strength was enhanced from 2.82 ± 0.16 MPa to 7.07 ± 0.44 MPa, the suture retention strength from 2.48 ± 0.33 to 8.38 ± 0.35 N, and the burst pressure strength from 72 ± 2 to 172 ± 2 kPa, all higher than those of native blood vessels. At the same time, the L-929 mouse fibroblasts (L-929) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells were used in cytotoxicity and cell-adhesion evaluations toward the electrospun scaffolds. The level of toxicity is less than level 1, and cells were found to attach well to and remain viable on the scaffolds.