Controllable self-biodegradation of polycaprolactone/polyurethane composite sutures enabled by random heteropolymers-immobilized lipase

Lu Jianqi; Fan Lingling; Wang Yihu; Zhou Xiaoli; Peng Yujia; Dong Weiliang; Jiang Min

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Controllable self-biodegradation of polycaprolactone/polyurethane composite sutures enabled by random heteropolymers-immobilized lipase

Updated：2026-09-17

- Controllable self-biodegradation of polycaprolactone/polyurethane composite sutures enabled by random heteropolymers-immobilized lipase
- Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol. 95, Issue 7, Pages: 139-150(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  Key Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
  State Key Laboratory of Materials—Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
  Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
- Author bio：
  
  *Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses:xlzhou@njtech.edu.cn(X. Zhou)
  *Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses:yujia_peng@njtech.edu.cn(Y. Peng).
- Funds：
- DOI：
  CLC：
- Received：16 September 2025，
  
  Revised：2026-01-15，
  
  Accepted：01 February 2026，
  
  Online First：03 April 2026，
  
  Published：2026-07
- Accepted：
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Lu Jianqi, Fan Lingling, Wang Yihu, et al. Controllable self-biodegradation of polycaprolactone/polyurethane composite sutures enabled by random heteropolymers-immobilized lipase[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 95(7): 139-150.
DOI：

Lu Jianqi, Fan Lingling, Wang Yihu, et al. Controllable self-biodegradation of polycaprolactone/polyurethane composite sutures enabled by random heteropolymers-immobilized lipase[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 95(7): 139-150. DOI：

摘要

Abstract

Current absorbable sutures face challenges in matching heterogeneous tissue healing timelines

leading to postoperative complications from delayed degradation. Thus

self-biodegradable polycaprolactone/polyurethane (PCL/PU) composite sutures

via

electrospinning

incorporating

Burkholderia cepacia

lipase (BCL) stabilized by random heteropolymers (RHP) was developed in this research. RHP can maintain BCL activity retention at 40%—90% in organic solvents. The PCL70/PU30 suture exhibited optimal mechanics (tensile strength was (28.44 ± 1.25) MPa and Young's modulus was (42.43 ± 5.3) MPa)

following the incorporation of the BCL-RHP complex

the suture's key mechanical properties were largely maintained and remained within the range compatible with typical suture applications. Enzyme-loading gradients (0.05%—0.5% (mass)) enabled precise degradation control. 0.5% (mass) enzyme-loaded sutures fully disintegrated spontaneously in simulated wound fluid within 15 days

this timeframe aligns with the typical epidermal healing cycle (approximately 2 weeks)

suggesting the potential for achieving dynamic degradation-healing synchronization

in vivo

. In addition

functionalization of self-biodegradable composite sutures was achieved by embeddin

g thymol for synergistic bioactivity. Thymol achieved a cumulative release of 86.76% ± 1.34% over 120 h

endowing the self-biodegradable composite sutures with sustained antioxidant (79.85% ABTS

scavenging rate) and antibacterial activity (significantly suppressing the growth of

Staphylococcus aureus

). Concurrently

the self-biodegradable composite sutures demonstrated favorable cytocompatibility in L929 fibroblast cell. The RHP-enabled enzyme stabilization strategy overcomes clinical-ecological limitations of conventional sutures

offering programmable degradation and multifunctionality for precision medicine.

关键词

Keywords

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