Abstract
Calcification is the principal cause of failure of glutaraldehyde cross-linked bovine pericardium used as cardiac valve substitutes. Young age, glutaraldehyde pretreatment, and mechanical factors are identified as the main causes of biocalcification. Glutaraldehyde pretreatment is believed to create void spaces in the fiber matrix increasing the availability of physical niches for calcification. In the present paper, glutaraldehyde cross-linked pericardial tissue (GCPC) was filled by grafting polymers with different properties which impart flexibility to the pericardium. These polymers included glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and butylacrylate (BA) initiated by ceric ion technique. Tensile strength, shrinkage temperature, and differential scanning thermogram were recorded for the glutaraldehyde cross-linked tissues before and after polymer grafting. Calcification studies were done subdermally in rat models. The best anticalcification properties were observed in tissues grafted with GMA: BA monomers of mole ratio of 15:7.2 and initiator concentration of 7.5 x 10-3 mol L-1.
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