ELECTROSPUN ANTI-ADHESION BARRIER
An article includes a fibrous mat of poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) resin and a resin of a hydrogel forming polymer, such as a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). Methods of making such articles include electrospinning a combination of PGS resin and PVOH resin to form nanofibers and depositing the nanofibers onto a surface to form the fibrous mat. The mat is suitable for a variety of medical uses, including as a barrier that can be deployed in surgical procedures.
1 . A method comprising
electrospinning a combination of poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) resin and a hydrogel forming polymer resin to form nanofibers; and
depositing the nanofibers onto a surface to form a fibrous mat.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the combination is free of a cross-linking agent.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the hydrogel forming polymer resin is poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) and the nanofibers exhibit cross-linking between the PGS and PVOH upon deposition onto the surface.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the PGS and PVOH are a blend.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the PGS and PVOH are blended in a common solvent to form a solution for the electrospinning.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the total solids content of the solution is in the range of about 2% to about 10% by weight.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the nanofibers are electrospun from the solution being pumped at a rate of about 1 microliter per minute to about 200 microliters per minute.
8 . The method of claim 1 comprising electrospinning at a voltage differential in the range of 5 kV to 70 kV.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface onto which the nanofibers are deposited is a textile.
10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a pouch from the fibrous mat.
11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising electrospinning a second set of nanofibers from a composition different than the combination of PGS and the hydrogel forming polymer and co-depositing the second set of nanofibers with the PGS-hydrogel forming nanofibers to form the fibrous mat.
12 . An article comprising a fibrous mat of nanofibers made according to the method of claim 1 .
13 . The article of claim 12 , wherein the hydrogel forming polymer is selected from the group consisting of PVOH, hyaluronic acid, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, alginate, collagen, gelatin, and combinations thereof.
14 . The article of claim 13 , wherein the hydrogel forming polymer comprises PVOH.
15 . The article of claim 12 , wherein the PGS has a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 2,000 Daltons to about 50,000 Daltons.
16 . The article of claim 12 , wherein the hydrogel forming polymer comprises PVOH having a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 10,000 Daltons to about 100,000 Daltons.
17 . The article of claim 12 , wherein the PGS has a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 10,000 to about 15,000 Daltons and the hydrogel forming polymer is PVOH having a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 10,000 Daltons to about 25,000 Daltons.
18 . The article of claim 17 , wherein the nanofibers are 40% to 60% by weight PGS and 60% to 40% by weight PVOH.
19 . The article of claim 12 , wherein the fibrous mat has a thickness of about 30 microns to about 500 microns.
20 . The article of claim 19 , wherein the fibrous mat has a thickness of about 100 microns to about 200 microns.
21 . The article of claim 12 , wherein the fibrous mat further comprises cellular materials.
22 . The article of claim 12 , wherein the fibrous mat further comprises an active ingredient.
23 . A method comprising placing the article of claim 12 on a tissue surface within a mammalian body.
24 . The method of claim 23 comprising placing the article as a barrier intermediate two adjacent tissue surfaces within the mammalian body.
25 . A method comprising
electrospinning a combination of PGS resin and a hydrogel forming polymer resin to form a first set of nanofibers;
electrospinning a second material to form a second set of nanofibers;
co-depositing the first set of nanofibers and the second set of nanofibers onto a surface to form a fibrous mat.
26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the second set of nanofibers has a larger average cross-sectional diameter than the first set of nanofibers.
27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein electrospinning the second material comprises electrospinning a blend of PGS, PVOH and cells to form the second set of nanofibers.
28 . The method of claim 27 further comprising electrospinning a third material comprising collagen to form a third set of nanofibers and co-depositing the third set of nanofibers with the first and second sets of nanofibers to form the fibrous mat.
29 . The method of claim 28 comprising forming the fibrous mat as a synthetic extra cellular matrix (ECM) material.