Abstract
The synthesis and characterization of biodegradable polymers for applications of interbody vertebral cages are described. Poly(glycolide-co-L- lactide) (PLGA) with high compression strength and controllable biodegradability was synthesized by varying the molar composition ratio of glycoide to L-lactide. Molecular weights and thermal properties of copolymers were dependent on the composition ratio. In particular, the copolymer with the 8:2 ratio of glycolide to L-lactide was found to have higher molecular weight and crystallinity. The copolymer showed high compression strength of 71±5 MPa, comparable to the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cage. The copolymers did not have any defect in the intrastructure and show the compact structures. They could be fabricated into interbody vertebral cervical cages without any critical problems. Biodegradable cages described in this work can be used as a promising alternative to currently used non-degradable cages.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1268-1272 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2009 |
Keywords
- Biodegradable
- Glycolide
- Interbody vertebral cage
- L-lactide
- PLGA