In vivo Study of the Effect of Composition and Implantation Site on Scaffold Degradation Rate: Polycaprolactone+20wt%TaOx, Intramuscular

Tissue engineering devices stabilize wounds, then degrade. However, published degradation rates often conflict. Incorporating monitoring functionality into devices allows real-time assessment of degradation and failure, but requires contrast agents, as polymer devices are invisible to most medical imaging modalities. Therefore, computed tomography (CT)-visible composite scaffolds were created from 5-20 wt% tantalum oxide (TaOx) nanoparticles in polymers with distinct degradation profiles: polycaprolactone, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) 85:15 and PLGA 50:50, representing slow, medium and fast degrading materials. Scaffolds, mimicking biomedical devices, were implanted into mice intramuscularly or intraperitoneally, and monitored via CT over 20 weeks. Scaffold degradation profile was dictated by polymer matrix, regardless of nanoparticle addition. Foreign body response was dependent on implant site and in mid-degrading composites degradation rates transitioned from linear degradation intramuscularly to exponential degradation intraperitoneally. Nanoparticle excretion via liver and spleen lagged polymer degradation. Overall, real time tracking of device behavior was demonstrated, advancing an era of personalized medicine. This dataset contains longitudinal microCT scans of PCL+20wt% TaOx, implanted intramuscualarly. Each individual in the group (n=6) was scanned with a 25 mm field of view (4 min total scan time) at 50 μm resolution, centered on the implanted scaffold. After all acquisitions, individual scaffolds were again sub-reconstructed using the Quantum GX software to 12 µm resolution.