AbstractSilicone-urethanes, polymers combining the characteristics of two widely used biomaterials, i.e. polyurethanes and silicones, are highly valued in many applications, including medical implants. To assess properties of these materials in contact with living cells, a set of different silicone-urethane materials, candidates for tissue engineering scaffolds, was synthesized and characterized. Two different oligomeric siloxane diols: Tegomer-2111 (Teg) and KF-6001 (KF), and two different types of diisocyanate, MDI and IPDI, were used in synthesis. Blood platelets adhesion to surfaces of selected materials showed a higher thrombogenicity of material based on Teg. Human fibroblasts were used in in vitro biocompatibility tests. The viability of cells cultured on silicone-urethanes was tested by XTT assay. Teg-based silicone-urethanes showed a significantly higher biocompatibility than those based on KF. Materials based on MDI compared to IPDI were found to be significantly more favoured by cells, not necessarily due to the type of diisocyanate but maybe also because of the necessity of using potentially toxic catalyst which accompanies the use of IPDI. Our studies indicate that silicone-urethanes are potent materials for tissue engineering products development. On the basis of the observations performed in cell culture, Tegomer- 2111 as oligomeric siloxane diol and MDI as diisocyanate are recommended as starting materials for silicone-urethane scaffolds synthesis.
An Assessment of Cell Culture Plate Surface Chemistry for in Vitro Studies of Tissue Engineering Scaffolds