In vitro biocompatibility and degradation of terpolyester 3HB-co-4HB-co-3HHx,consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate, 4-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate

A terpolyester consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB), 4-hydroxybutyrate (4HB) and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HHx), abbreviated as P(3HB-co-4HB-co-3HHx), was studied for possible application as an implant biomaterial. L929 mouse fibroblasts, MC3T3-E1 murine osteoblasts and a human cell line of immortalized human keratinocyte (HaCat cells) were used to study the biocompatibility of P(3HB-co-4HB-co-3HHx). Cell morphology and cell activity were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the MTT assay, respectively. All three cell types showed higher activities when grown on films of P(3HB-co-4HB-co-3HHx) compared with their growth on poly(lactic acid) (PLA), co-polyester PHBHHx films and on polylysine-coated plates (blank), respectively. The three cell types grown on the terpolyester also demonstrated a well-spread cell shape and large number of pseudopods due to strong cell–cell and cell–material interactions. It was clearly observed that P(3HB-co-4HB-co-3HHx) had a much faster degradation rate than PHBHHx after 15 weeks of incubation in phosphate-buffered saline under dynamic conditions. The results proved that the terpolyester had favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability compared with the well-studied polyesters PLA and PHBHHx.