Influence of Sterilization Technologies on Electrospun Poly(ester urea)s for Soft Tissue Repair

Degradable poly­(ester urea)­s (PEU)­s were electrospun into nanofiber sheets and assessed for their potential to be used in soft tissue repair. The level of residual solvent was measured and the effects of ethylene oxide and electron beam sterilization techniques on molecular mass, mass distribution, and morphology were quantified. Two PEU compositions that formed stable nanofiber sheets were advanced into a pilot study in vitro and in vivo as candidate materials for hernia repair. Cell viability, spreading, proliferation, and migration were examined in vitro. Nanofiber sheets were implanted subcutaneously into mice and analyzed via microangiography and histology for tissue incorporation. Nanofiber sheets performed similarly to decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) in vitro, but the lack of sufficient pore structure inhibited cellular infiltration after 14 days of culture. The lack of microporous features in nanofiber sheets also contributed to low levels of cellular infiltration, angiogenesis, and matrix deposition in vivo. A preliminary study to increase pore size in nanofibers was performed using coaxial electrospinning resulting in significant improvement in tissue infiltration in vivo.