A biohybrid composite consisting of extracellular matrix (ECM) gel from porcine dermal tissue and biodegradable elastomeric fibers was generated and evaluated for soft tissue applications. ECM gel possesses attractive biocompatibility and bioactivity with weak mechanical properties and rapid degradation, while electrospun biodegradable poly(ester urethane)urea (PEUU) has good mechanical properties but limited cellular infiltration and tissue integration. A concurrent gel electrospray/polymer electrospinning method was employed to create ECM gel/PEUU fiber composites with attractive mechanical properties, including high flexibility and strength. Electron microscopy revealed a structure of interconnected fibrous layers embedded in ECM gel. Tensile mechanical properties could be tuned by altering the PEUU/ECM weight ratio. Scaffold tensile strengths for PEUU/ECM ratios of 67/33, 72/28 and 80/20 ranged from 80–187 kPa in the longitudinal axis (parallel to the collecting mandrel axis) and 41–91 kPa in the circumferential axis with 645–938% breaking strains. The 72/28 biohybrid composite and a control scaffold generated from electrospun PEUU alone were implanted into Lewis rats, replacing a full-thickness abdominal wall defect. At 4 wk, no infection or herniation was found at the implant site. Histological staining showed extensive cellular infiltration into the biohybrid scaffold with the newly developed tissue well integrated with the native periphery, while minimal cellular ingress into the electrospun PEUU scaffold was observed. Mechanical testing of explanted constructs showed evidence of substantial remodeling, with composite scaffolds adopting properties more comparable to the native abdominal wall. The described elastic biohybrid material imparts features of ECM gel bioactivity with PEUU strength and handling to provide a promising composite biomaterial for soft tissue repair and replacement.

Biodegradable polyurethane patches have been applied as temporary mechanical supports to positively alter the remodeling and functional loss following myocardial infarction. How long such materials need to remain in place is unclear. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of porous onlay support patches made from one of three types of biodegradable polyurethane with relatively fast (poly(ester urethane) urea; PEUU), moderate (poly(ester carbonate urethane)urea; PECUU), and slow (poly(carbonate urethane) urea; PCUU) degradation rates in a rat model of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Microporous PEUU, PECUU or PCUU (n = 10 each) patches were implanted over left ventricular lesions 2 wk following myocardial infarction in rat hearts. Infarcted rats without patching and age-matched healthy rats (n = 10 each) were controls. Echocardiography was performed every 4 wk up to 16 wk, at which time hemodynamic and histological assessments were performed. The end-diastolic area for the PEUU group at 12 and 16 wk was significantly larger than for the PECUU or PCUU groups. Histological analysis demonstrated greater vascular density in the infarct region for the PECUU or PCUU versus PEUU group at 16 wk. Improved left ventricular contractility and diastolic performance in the PECUU group was observed at 16 wk compared to infarction controls. The results indicate that the degradation rate of an applied elastic patch influences the functional benefits associated patch placement, with a moderately slow degrading PECUU patch providing improved outcomes.

A biodegradable elastomeric scaffold was created by electrospinning a mixed solution of poly(ester urethane)urea (PEUU) and porcine dermal extracellular matrix (dECM) digest, with PEUU included to provide elasticity, flexibility, and mechanical support and dECM used to enhance bioactivity and biocompatibility. Micrographs and differential scanning calorimetry demonstrated partial miscibility between PEUU and dECM. With greater dECM content, scaffolds were found to possess lower breaking strains and suture retention strength, although initial modulus was greater with higher dECM concentrations. The hybrid scaffolds containing 0% to 50% dECM had tensile strengths of 5 to 7 MPa, breaking strains of 138% to 611%, initial moduli of 3 to 11 Mpa, and suture retention strengths of 35 to 59 MPa. When hydrated, scaffolds were found to contract markedly with 50% dECM content. When used in a rat full-thickness abdominal wall replacement model, no herniation, infection, or tissue adhesion was observed after 4 and 8 weeks with a scaffold containing 25% dECM or a control 100% PEUU scaffold. Scaffolds incorporating dECM were significantly thicker at the time of explant, with greater numbers of associated smooth muscle actin-positive staining cells than in the control, but minimal cellular infiltration and remodeling of the scaffold were detected regardless of dECM addition. The processing of dECM and PEUU from a mixed solution thus provided a scaffold with evidence of better bioactivity and with mechanical properties not achievable with digested dECM alone.