Biodegradation Behavior Control for Shape Memory Polyester Poly(Glycerol-Dodecanoate): An In Vivo and In Vitro Study

Poly(glycerol-dodecanoate) (PGD) has garnered increasing attention in biomedical engineering for its degradability, shape memory, and rubber-like mechanical properties. Adjustable degradation is important for biodegradable implants and is affected by various aspects, including material properties, mechanical environments, temperature, pH, and enzyme catalysis. The crosslinking and chain length characteristics of poly(lactic acid) and poly(caprolactone) have been widely used to adjust the in vivo degradation rate. The PGD degradation rate is affected by its crosslink density in in vitro hydrolysis; however, there is no difference in vivo. We believe that this phenomenon is caused by the differences in enzymatic conditions in vitro and in vivo. In this study, it is found that the degradation products of PGD with different molar ratios of hydroxyl and carboxyl (MRH/C) exhibit varied pH values, affecting the enzyme activity and thus achieving different degradation rates. The in vivo degradation of PGD is characterized by surface erosion, and its mass decreases linearly with degradation duration. The degradation duration of PGD is linearly extrapolated from 9–18 weeks when MRH/C is in the range of 2.00–0.75, providing a protocol for adjusting the degradation durations of subsequent implants made by PGD.