3D打印强韧两性离子聚碳酸酯聚氨酯半月板替代物用于改善软骨磨损

Developing a meniscus substitute that meets high in vivo demands of toughness, anti-fatigue, and lubrication remains a great challenge. Herein, a zwitterionic polyurethane (PU) prepolymer is synthesized through the reaction of sulfobetaine-based diol, polycarbonate diol, and hexamethylene diisocyanate. The zwitterionic PU prepolymer is then chain-extended by adipic acid dihydrazide to form multiple hydrogen-bonded crosslinked zwitterionic supramolecular polyurethane. By regulating the hydrogen bonds in the hard segment and hydration under the aqueous environment, the introduced zwitterionic side group can significantly enhance the toughness, printability, and lubrication of PU elastomer. By using the fused deposition modeling three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, the zwitterionic PU meniscus scaf-fold with robustness, toughness and lubrication was customized without any other post-treatment. In swelling equilibrium, the printed zwitterion-PU construct demonstrates Young’s modulus of 16.87 ± 2.00 MPa, toughness of 19.90 ± 5.94 MJ m−3, tear energy of 12.51 ± 1.57 kJ m−2, and excellent fatigue resistance. The 3D-printed zwitterionic PU meniscus replacement is implanted into the rabbits’ knee joint for 12 weeks with the in vivo result demonstrating an appealing capability to efficiently alleviate the cartilage surface wear.