Biodegradable polydioxanone

Other synthetic polymers that have been utilised in the development of biomedical nanofibrous structures include the nonbiodegradable polyurethane (KhU et al., 2003 Kim et al., 2009 Verreck et al., 2003) and biodegradable polydioxanone (Kalfa et al., 2010). 

V. Janik, L. Horak, J. Hnanicek, J. Malek, and H.-U. Laasch, Biodegradable polydioxanone stents a new option for therapy-resistant anastomotic strictures of the colon, Eur. Radiol, 21 (9), 1956-1961, Sep. 2011. 

Most of the commercially available biodegradable devices are polyesters composed of homopolymers or copolymers of glycolide and lactide. There are also devices made from copolymers of trimethylene carbonate and e-caprolactone, and a suture product made from polydioxanone. 

It is a colorless, crystalline, biodegradable synthetic polymer. Chemically, polydioxanone is a polymer of multiple repeating ether-ester units. It is characterized by a glass transition temperature in the range of -10 and 0°C and a crystallinity of about 55%. Polydioxanone is generally extruded into fibers however, care should be taken to process the pol)uner to the lowest possible tanperature in order to avoid its spontaneous depolymerization back to the monomer. The ether oxygen group in the backbone of the polymer chain is responsible for its flexibility [48,49]. 

Nishida, H. 2005. Biodegradation of polydioxanone. Biopolymers Online, Part 9. Miscellaneous biopolymers and biodegradation of polymers. 

It seems that polydioxanones and, in particular poly(para-dioxanone) and derivatives, are attractive biodegradable materials for various surgical applications. 

The ability to undergo biodegradation producing nontoxic by-products is a useful property for some medical applications. Biodegradable polymers [71] have been formulated for uses such as sutures, vascular grafts, drug delivery devices, and scaffolds for tissue regeneration, artihcial skin, orthopedic implants, and others. The polymers commonly known in the medical field for such applications include poly(a-hydroxy esters), poly(e-caprolactone), poly(ortho esters), polyanhydrides, poly(3— hydroxybutyrate), polyphosphazenes, polydioxanones, and polyoxalates (see Chapter 2 of Industrial Polymers, Specialty Polymers, and Their Applications). 

In contrast, biodegradable implants can adapt to the dynamic processes of bone healing through decreasing amounts of weight-bearing material Over a few months the introduced material disappears and there is no need to operate on a patient to remove it In this field, PGA, PLA, PHD, and polydioxanone can poten-... 

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