Porous Polymer Sustained Release Without Toxic Additives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional biopolymer materials used in tissue engineering face challenges in maintaining bioactivity for a long period without toxic additives and exhibit harmful toxicity due to complex methods like covalent immobilization and heparin intermediated immobilization for sustained release of bioactive molecules.
Innovation Solution
A porous polymer material with a dense, interconnected porous structure that allows for sustained release of bioactive molecules without additives or surface modification, using polymers like poly(ε-caprolactone) and hydrophilic polymers, and a method of preparation involving spraying polymer solutions into non-solvents to create particles or sheets with controlled particle sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If covalent immobilization or heparin intermediated immobilization is used for sustained release of bioactive molecules, then the release duration is extended, but toxic additives and harmful effects are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes toxic additives (EDC/NHS, heparin) from the system by using a physical porous structure instead of chemical immobilization methods. The porous polymer material achieves sustained release through its interconnected pore network without requiring harmful chemical agents for molecular attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a porous polymer material with interconnected internal pores to achieve sustained release of bioactive molecules. The porous structure provides large surface area and controlled porosity (30-80%) that enables long-term release without toxic additives, directly resolving the contradiction between release duration and toxicity.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If covalent immobilization through surface modification is used, then sustained release is achieved, but the process complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex chemical modification steps (surface modification with amine groups, EDC/NHS hydrolysis, covalent bonding procedures) and replaces them with a simple porous structure fabrication process. The sustained release function is achieved through physical pore structure rather than complex chemical surface engineering.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the approach from chemical parameter control (surface chemistry, functional groups) to physical parameter control (porosity 30-80%, pore size, interconnected structure). This parameter transformation simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining sustained release capability.
3Reliability
If high concentration of bioactive molecules is used for effective regeneration, then the regeneration efficiency is improved, but cytotoxicity occurs at the injection site
Solution Approach 1:
The porous polymer material enables periodic or sustained release of bioactive molecules over time rather than bolus injection. The interconnected pores facilitate controlled diffusion that maintains effective concentration for tissue regeneration while avoiding the cytotoxic peak concentrations associated with single high-dose injections.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The porous polymer material enables a harmless, sustained release of bioactive molecules over a long period, applicable in various bio-fields, without using toxic additives or surface modification, and can be used in forms like particles or sheets for tissue regeneration and other biomaterial applications.
Implementation Method 1
releases the biomaterial slowly while maintaining a specific effective concentration
Implementation Method 2
repeating desorption/adsorption of the bioactive molecules on the dense porous structure
Implementation Method 3
spraying polymer solutions into non-solvents to create particles or sheets
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to: a porous polymer material having a porous structure over the entire polymer and having a dense porous structure in which pores are connected to each other therein. The porous polymer material is harmless to the human body as it does not use toxic organic solvents. In addition, a porous polymer material can be prepared without using any additives for forming pores and the particle size can be easily controlled, and thus a polymer material suitable for various uses can be prepared. Furthermore, the extended release of a loaded bioactive material is possible only by the dense porous structure of a polymer itself without using an additive and a surface modification method in the porous polymer material of the present invention. Therefore, the porous polymer material can be applied to a biodegradable material in various bio-fields requiring the extended release of a bioactive material.