The Effect Of Structural Parameters on the Degradation Of
Bioerodible Scaffolds
K. Zygourakis (1) and P. Markenscoff (2)
(1) Chemical Engrg & Bioengineering Depts.
Rice Univ., Houston, TX
(2) Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Univ. of Houston, Houston, TX
ABSTRACT
A computer simulation tool is developed to study the degradation of highly porous
biodegradable scaffolds consisting of one or more highly heterogeneous solid components.
Heterogeneities are caused by local variations in the crystallinity, chemical
composition or micro-porosity and result in solids consisting of micro-domains
with a distribution of hydration and dissolution rates. When surface erosion is
the dominant mechanism, simulation results show that the degradation rates are
enhanced when the macropore size is decreased while keeping the pore void fraction
constant. This enhancement is caused by the increase in the solvent/biomaterial
contact area associated with the smaller pore sizes. However, this effect, diminishes
when bulk erosion becomes the dominant degradation mechanism. The overall degradation
rates are enhanced when the degree of phase heterogeneity increases. When surface
erosion is the controlling mechanism, phase heterogeneities lead to the formation
of rough dissolution fronts that significantly enhance the degradation rates of
the bioerodible scaffolds.
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