Crosslinked poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(sebacic anhydride) composites combining biodegradation, controlled drug release and shape memory effect

In this study, we investigated the shape memory effect and drug release behavior of a biodegradable polymeric composite consisted of crosslinked poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (cPCL) and poly(sebacic anhydride) (PSA). This composite was prepared by a solution-casting method. The drug delivery system was applied to cooperate with the shape memory property in the biodegradable polymeric composites for the first time. The effect of PSA addition on the mechanical, shape memory, in vitro degradation and drug release behavior was studied by static tensile test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), FT-IR and degradation evaluation, etc. In vitro degradation and drug release results showed that the degradation speed of cPCL and the release accumulation of drug could be enhanced by adding PSA into cPCL matrix. The multifunctional polymer composite has great potential as drug eluting stents in biomedical field. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.