A degradable
polycaprolactone(PCL)/
poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid, LA:GA = 80:20) (PLGA) ureter tubular
stent was fabricated by electrospinning. The structure and properties of the
stents were investigated by the mechanical property testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), degradability test in vitro and MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The
stent was transplanted to the dorsal muscle of rabbit to evaluate its tissue compatibility. It was shown that the
stent has the nano-structure. The mechanical test showed that with the increase in PCL concentration, the mechanical properties of the
stent gradually increased, and it could meet the demands of a urethral
stent. The collapse time of different concentration of PCL/PLGA (5%, 15%, and 25%) was 28, 42, and 56 days, respectively. These results provide strong evidence that the degradation time can be increased with the increase in PCL concentration. The results of the MTT assay show that the PCL/PLGA
stent had no cytotoxicity. In muscle implantation tests, acute tissue reactions due to operation
trauma were seen in all specimens at 1 week. After four weeks, the number of inflammatory cells had decreased significantly. Only a few inflammatory cells were seen in the PCL/PLGA
stent group after 12 weeks, and the
foreign body reaction was more severe in the control group. Animal orthotopic
transplantation experiments of these ureteral
stents will be done to evaluate its degradable model and tissue compatibility.