Using poly(l-lactic acid) and poly(ɛ-caprolactone) blends to fabricate self-expanding, watertight and biodegradable surgical patches for potential fetoscopic myelomeningocele repair.

Our study focuses on the development and characterization of a self-expanding, watertight and biodegradable patch for fetoscopic myelomeningocele (MMC) prenatal repair. We fabricated poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) blend films by solution casting. Formulation c with average glass transition temperature of 37.6 ± 1.2°C was chosen for temporospatial recovery. Favorable results from surface studies reflected homogeneous dispersion of polymers in the blend. The cytotoxicity was studied in human foreskin fibroblasts. The blend film was cytocompatible, evidenced by matching percentage of live cells in exposed and control solutions. Subsequently, liquid water permeability experiments confirmed watertight nature of films. Finally, in vitro degradation was investigated in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and amniotic fluid (AF) separately for 16 weeks. Similar weight loss (n = 6, p = 0.912) and significantly different (n = 3, p = 0.025) surface roughness was observed in PBS and AF, respectively, at 16 weeks. Functional group analysis displayed increasing carbonyl and hydroxyl bonds in PBS and AF, respectively, over time, indicating progression of hydrolytic degradation. Favorable characterization results provide strong evidence to employ PLA-PCL blend films as surgical patches in fetoscopic MMC repair. Designed patch serves as standalone system to successfully tackle impending hurdles of MMC repair and proves to be a superior alternative compared to existing patches.