Effect of sterilisation by gamma irradiation on the ability of polycaprolactone (PCL) to act as a scaffold material

This paper investigates the effect of sterilisation by gamma irradiation (dose 2.5 Mrad) on the following properties of polycaprolactone (PCL): (1) degradation rate (catalysed by lipase), (2) mechanical properties, (3) the ability of cells to attach and subsequently grow on its surface. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used to determine the effects of gamma irradiation of weight average (Mw) and number average (Mn) molecular weights. Gamma irradiation significantly decreased the rate of degradation, although the rates depended on the initial mass of polymer; it also affected the appearance of the degraded specimens when they were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Irradiation also significantly increased the mechanical yield stress but not the failure stress of PCL. It caused a significant increase in Mw and decrease in Mn that could be attributed to chain scission and cross-linking. Chondrocyte attachment and growth on PCL was not significantly affected by gamma irradiation.