An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral Disc
Disc herniation is one of the most ubiquitous healthcare problems in modern cities—severe patients eventually require surgical intervention. However, the existing operations—spinal fusion and artificial disc replacement—alter the biomechanics of the spine, leaving much room for improvement. The appr...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/4/1481 |
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| author | Mengying Yang Dingding Xiang Yuru Chen Yangyang Cui Song Wang Weiqiang Liu |
| author_facet | Mengying Yang Dingding Xiang Yuru Chen Yangyang Cui Song Wang Weiqiang Liu |
| author_sort | Mengying Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Disc herniation is one of the most ubiquitous healthcare problems in modern cities—severe patients eventually require surgical intervention. However, the existing operations—spinal fusion and artificial disc replacement—alter the biomechanics of the spine, leaving much room for improvement. The appropriateness of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for biomedical applications has been recognised due to its high water content, excellent biocompatibility, and versatile mechanical properties. In this study, a newly-designed PVA–bacterial cellulose (PVA-BC) composite was assembled to mimic both the biomechanics and annular structure of natural intervertebral discs (IVDs). PVA-BC composites of various concentrations were fabricated and tested under unconfined compression and compressive creep in order to acquire the values of the normalised compressive stiffness and whole normalised deformation. The normalised compressive stiffness increased considerably with an increasing PVA concentration, spanning from 1.82 (±0.18) to 3.50 (±0.14) MPa, and the whole normalised deformation decreased from 0.25 to 0.13. Formulations of 40% PVA provided the most accurate mimicry of natural human IVDs in normalised whole deformation, and demonstrated higher dimensional stability. The biocompatible results further confirmed that the materials had excellent biocompatibility. The novel bionic structure and formulations of the PVA-BC materials mimicked the biomechanics and structure of natural IVDs, and ensured dimensional stability under prolonged compression, reducing the risk of impingement on the surrounding tissue. The PVA-BC composite is a promising material for third-generation artificial IVDs with integrated construction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:31:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ba8cd5e5d9884470b1a322a41cf4d668 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:31:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-ba8cd5e5d9884470b1a322a41cf4d6682023-11-23T20:53:58ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-02-01154148110.3390/ma15041481An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral DiscMengying Yang0Dingding Xiang1Yuru Chen2Yangyang Cui3Song Wang4Weiqiang Liu5Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaBiomechanics and Biotechnology Lab, Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaDisc herniation is one of the most ubiquitous healthcare problems in modern cities—severe patients eventually require surgical intervention. However, the existing operations—spinal fusion and artificial disc replacement—alter the biomechanics of the spine, leaving much room for improvement. The appropriateness of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for biomedical applications has been recognised due to its high water content, excellent biocompatibility, and versatile mechanical properties. In this study, a newly-designed PVA–bacterial cellulose (PVA-BC) composite was assembled to mimic both the biomechanics and annular structure of natural intervertebral discs (IVDs). PVA-BC composites of various concentrations were fabricated and tested under unconfined compression and compressive creep in order to acquire the values of the normalised compressive stiffness and whole normalised deformation. The normalised compressive stiffness increased considerably with an increasing PVA concentration, spanning from 1.82 (±0.18) to 3.50 (±0.14) MPa, and the whole normalised deformation decreased from 0.25 to 0.13. Formulations of 40% PVA provided the most accurate mimicry of natural human IVDs in normalised whole deformation, and demonstrated higher dimensional stability. The biocompatible results further confirmed that the materials had excellent biocompatibility. The novel bionic structure and formulations of the PVA-BC materials mimicked the biomechanics and structure of natural IVDs, and ensured dimensional stability under prolonged compression, reducing the risk of impingement on the surrounding tissue. The PVA-BC composite is a promising material for third-generation artificial IVDs with integrated construction.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/4/1481PVA-BCintervertebral discbiomechanicscreepunconfined compression |
| spellingShingle | Mengying Yang Dingding Xiang Yuru Chen Yangyang Cui Song Wang Weiqiang Liu An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral Disc Materials PVA-BC intervertebral disc biomechanics creep unconfined compression |
| title | An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral Disc |
| title_full | An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral Disc |
| title_fullStr | An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral Disc |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral Disc |
| title_short | An Artificial PVA-BC Composite That Mimics the Biomechanical Properties and Structure of a Natural Intervertebral Disc |
| title_sort | artificial pva bc composite that mimics the biomechanical properties and structure of a natural intervertebral disc |
| topic | PVA-BC intervertebral disc biomechanics creep unconfined compression |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/4/1481 |
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