Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hybrids as injectable biomaterials

Abstract

One of the major issues with the currently available injectable biomaterials for hard tissue replacement is the mismatch between their mechanical properties and those of the surrounding bone. Hybrid bone cements that combine the benefits of tough polymeric and bioactive ceramic materials could become a good alternative. In this work, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was copolymerized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to form injectable in situ cross-linkable hybrid cements. The hybrids were characterized in terms of their mechanical, rheological, handling and in vitro bioactive properties. The results indicated that hybridization improves the mechanical and bioactive properties of POSS and PEG. The Young moduli of the hybrids were lower than those of commercial cements and more similar to those of cancellous bone. Furthermore, the strength of the hybrids was similar to that of commercial cements. Calcium deficient hydroxyapatite grew on the surface of the hybrids after 28 days in PBS, indicating bioactivity. The study showed that PEG–POSS-based hybrid materials are a promising alternative to commercial bone cements.

Electrospinning of poly(lactic acid)/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanocomposites and their potential in chondrogenic tissue regeneration

“…[31] Choosing properly these organic groups, POSS nanomolecules have been added via casting or melting to some commodities, [32] engineering polymers, [33,34] and high-performance polymers like polyimide (PI). [35] Up to date there are not so many applications regarding this kind of nanomolecules applied to biological purposes; POSS added to a polymer like poly(ethylene glycol)-α,ω-acrylate [36] or to polyester urethane [37] are some examples. Nevertheless, the effect in the biocompatibility of the PLLA after adding poly(ethylene glycol)-POSS (peg-POSS) is unknown.…”

Star‐Shaped, Biodegradable, and Elastomeric PLLA‐PEG‐POSS Hybrid Membrane With Biomineralization Activity for Guiding Bone Tissue Regeneration

“…The tensile modulus was much higher than that of artificial biodegradable polymer, including PGS PCD, as well as most human soft tissues (blood vessels, tendon, and ligament), and comparable to that of sponge bone . The elongation was also significantly higher compared with reported linear PLLA‐POSS and PEG‐POSS hybrids . This great improvement in the modulus for SPPS can be attributed to the increase in the number of cross‐linking points and the cage‐shaped POSS phase.…”

“…POSS reinforced polymers have exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical properties and been used for promising biomedical applications . POSS reinforced linear PLLA and PEG hybrid biomaterials have been reported . However, these reported hybrids showed high brittleness (below 30% strain), low biomineralization ability, and the work did not investigate osteoblast biocompatibility.…”

Novel crosslinkable polyester resin–based composites as injectable bioactive scaffolds

“…This means that the in vivo bioactivity of a biomaterial can be predicted from the apatite formation at its surface in SBF. The material testing in SBF is the routine method of evaluating the in vitro bioactivity, but PBS, which contains more phosphates than SBF is been also frequently used to confirm bioactivity instead of SBF [62,63].…”