| dc.description.abstract | A series of novel, physiologically-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone)-co-(α-allyl carboxylate-ε-caprolactone) [x%PCL-y%ACPCL (x and y: molar ratio)] shape memory polymers (SMPs) were synthesized with excellent shape memory properties (shape fixity and shape recovery >98% for most compositions) and melting temperatures ranging from 45.4 – 28.6 oC. These films are elastic and ductile like PCL, but tended to have lower moduli in this study. In vitro cell viability results suggested that these materials are equivalent to or better than PCL in terms of endothelial biocompatibility. Also like PCL, these materials hydrolytically degrade very slow (<15% mass loss after 127 days). Principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that thermal, mechanical, and shape memory properties can be further optimized for given y%ACPCL copolymers by adjusting Mn, Mw, PDI and XG to achieve an even more versatile range of polymer characteristics. A 89.4%PCL-10.6%ACPCL SMP tube functionalized via embedding in a collagen gel with pro-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory peptides was able to form capillary connections to the native artery and provide a conduit (i.e. collateral blood vessel) for blood flow past a severely occluded region of the carotid artery after just 2 weeks. This study demonstrates the promise of this technique for treating carotid artery disease (CAD) and the potential utility of these novel materials for other vascular applications. | |
