Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) addition modifies P(D,L)LA sponge degradation and protein release

Polylactic acid (PLA)-derived polymers are widely used in many biotechnological fields, thanks to their biocompatibility and resorbability through natural pathways. Moreover, PLA is one of the few polymers in which both the properties and the stereochemical structure can be easily modified, making possible a specific 'tailoring' of the final polymer according to the desired use. In this study, we obtained, by salt leaching technique, P(d,l)LA sponges in which various concentrations of α-tocopherol (Vit. E 10-40%, w/w) were incorporated. Vit.E is a natural biological antioxidant, also known to have anti-inflammatory activity, which has been extensively used to improve biostability and biocompatibility of different biomaterials. To assess whether Vit.E could modify the main physical-chemical properties of P(d,l)LA sponges, their morphology, water uptake and hydrolytic degradation kinetics, along with protein loading and releasing attitudes, were investigated. Our results highlighted that incorporation of Vit.E into P(d,l)LA sponges modified the sponge morphology, decreased P(d,l)LA water uptake and degradation, and modified protein releasing kinetics. These Vit.E-related effects could make P(d,l)LA more suitable as drug delivery system and tissue engineering scaffold.