Bioerosion, defined

Polymer bioerosion can be defined as the conversion of an initially water-insoluble material to a water-soluble material and does not necessarily signify a major chemical degradation. 

However, in concurrence with Heller s suggestion (Heller, 1987), bioerosion is herein defined as changes in polymer or matrix structure that occur under physiologic conditions as a consequence of a chemical reaction, dissolution of a water-soluble polymer, dissolution of a water-insoluble... 

It is a prerequisite that after implantation of the newly established tissue into an organism the scaffold, as a foreign material, should show clear effects of bioerosion and bioresorption under the influence of cells after a short period. A few polymers exhibit this behaviour, such as polyesters like poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(glycolic acid) or their copolymers poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). Polyphosphazenes are known to be converted into harmless phosphates and ammonia salts and, together with residues of carbon-based side arms, should be excreted easily from the body. Furthermore, polyphosphazenes and their properties can be tailored, leading to defined bioresorption kinetics, defined pore sizes and defined additional chemical functionalities. Thus, polyphosphazenes can be considered as extraordinary materials for the synthesis of scaffolds to be applied in TE. 

---