Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applications

Several biomedical polymers are widely utilized by surgeons as implants, bone cements, or sutures. This study focuses on plasticizing biomedical grades of innovative bioresorbable polymers based on lactic acid, using a derivative of ferulic acid as the plasticizer, aiming to attain properties approp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Antoine Gallos, Fany Reffuveille, Christine Guillaume, Jennifer Varin-Simon, Sophie Gangloff, Florent Allais, Frédéric Velard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17518253.2025.2462203
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849716714852319232
author Antoine Gallos
Fany Reffuveille
Christine Guillaume
Jennifer Varin-Simon
Sophie Gangloff
Florent Allais
Frédéric Velard
author_facet Antoine Gallos
Fany Reffuveille
Christine Guillaume
Jennifer Varin-Simon
Sophie Gangloff
Florent Allais
Frédéric Velard
author_sort Antoine Gallos
collection DOAJ
description Several biomedical polymers are widely utilized by surgeons as implants, bone cements, or sutures. This study focuses on plasticizing biomedical grades of innovative bioresorbable polymers based on lactic acid, using a derivative of ferulic acid as the plasticizer, aiming to attain properties appropriate for use as sutures. The thermo-mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the resulting polymer blends were thoroughly evaluated. A blend consisting of poly[DL-lactide-co-poly(ethylene glycol)] with 30 w% of plasticizer exhibited a significant increase in elongation at break, from 11% to 598%. The tensile strength of the plasticized poly-(L,L-lactide)-co-glycolide reached 19.8 MPa, comparable to a standard polypropylene suture. Microscopic analyses showed the migration of the crystallized plasticizer to the surface of the blend. Not only did cell culture tests confirm the biocompatibility of the blends but also blends did not promote cell or bacterial proliferation on their surfaces, indicating their potential suitability for sutures where the biological inertness of the biomaterials is required. These results demonstrate the feasibility of significantly enhancing the thermo-mechanical properties of commercially available polymers, already used for medical applications, without compromising their biocompatibility, solely through the addition of a non-reactive additive.
format Article
id doaj-art-ef27d89f92fd47d495d4806cdd47b6ce
institution DOAJ
issn 1751-8253
1751-7192
language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews
spelling doaj-art-ef27d89f92fd47d495d4806cdd47b6ce2025-08-20T03:12:54ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGreen Chemistry Letters and Reviews1751-82531751-71922025-12-0118110.1080/17518253.2025.2462203Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applicationsAntoine Gallos0Fany Reffuveille1Christine Guillaume2Jennifer Varin-Simon3Sophie Gangloff4Florent Allais5Frédéric Velard6URD Agro-Biotechnologies Industrielles (ABI), CEBB, AgroParisTech, Pomacle, FranceUniversité de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BIOS, Reims, FranceUniversité de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BIOS, Reims, FranceUniversité de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BIOS, Reims, FranceUniversité de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BIOS, Reims, FranceURD Agro-Biotechnologies Industrielles (ABI), CEBB, AgroParisTech, Pomacle, FranceUniversité de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BIOS, Reims, FranceSeveral biomedical polymers are widely utilized by surgeons as implants, bone cements, or sutures. This study focuses on plasticizing biomedical grades of innovative bioresorbable polymers based on lactic acid, using a derivative of ferulic acid as the plasticizer, aiming to attain properties appropriate for use as sutures. The thermo-mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the resulting polymer blends were thoroughly evaluated. A blend consisting of poly[DL-lactide-co-poly(ethylene glycol)] with 30 w% of plasticizer exhibited a significant increase in elongation at break, from 11% to 598%. The tensile strength of the plasticized poly-(L,L-lactide)-co-glycolide reached 19.8 MPa, comparable to a standard polypropylene suture. Microscopic analyses showed the migration of the crystallized plasticizer to the surface of the blend. Not only did cell culture tests confirm the biocompatibility of the blends but also blends did not promote cell or bacterial proliferation on their surfaces, indicating their potential suitability for sutures where the biological inertness of the biomaterials is required. These results demonstrate the feasibility of significantly enhancing the thermo-mechanical properties of commercially available polymers, already used for medical applications, without compromising their biocompatibility, solely through the addition of a non-reactive additive.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17518253.2025.2462203Mechanical propertiesthermal propertiesferulic acidbiocompatibilitybioelastomer
spellingShingle Antoine Gallos
Fany Reffuveille
Christine Guillaume
Jennifer Varin-Simon
Sophie Gangloff
Florent Allais
Frédéric Velard
Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applications
Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews
Mechanical properties
thermal properties
ferulic acid
biocompatibility
bioelastomer
title Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applications
title_full Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applications
title_fullStr Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applications
title_full_unstemmed Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applications
title_short Tuning thermo-mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid-based copolymers for biomedical applications
title_sort tuning thermo mechanical properties of elastomeric lactic acid based copolymers for biomedical applications
topic Mechanical properties
thermal properties
ferulic acid
biocompatibility
bioelastomer
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17518253.2025.2462203
work_keys_str_mv AT antoinegallos tuningthermomechanicalpropertiesofelastomericlacticacidbasedcopolymersforbiomedicalapplications
AT fanyreffuveille tuningthermomechanicalpropertiesofelastomericlacticacidbasedcopolymersforbiomedicalapplications
AT christineguillaume tuningthermomechanicalpropertiesofelastomericlacticacidbasedcopolymersforbiomedicalapplications
AT jennifervarinsimon tuningthermomechanicalpropertiesofelastomericlacticacidbasedcopolymersforbiomedicalapplications
AT sophiegangloff tuningthermomechanicalpropertiesofelastomericlacticacidbasedcopolymersforbiomedicalapplications
AT florentallais tuningthermomechanicalpropertiesofelastomericlacticacidbasedcopolymersforbiomedicalapplications
AT fredericvelard tuningthermomechanicalpropertiesofelastomericlacticacidbasedcopolymersforbiomedicalapplications