Renewable Photo-Cross-Linkable Polyester-Based Biomaterials: Synthesis, Characterization, and Cytocompatibility Assessment

The present work consist of the synthesis of photo-cross-linkable materials, based on unsaturated polyesters (UPs), synthesized from biobased monomers from renewable sources such as itaconic acid and 1,4-butanediol. The UPs were characterized to assess the influence of polycondensation reaction temperature and cross-linking time on their final properties. For this purpose, different UV irradiation exposure periods were tested. Homogeneous, uniform, and transparent films were obtained after 1, 3, and 5 min of UV exposure. These cross-linked films were then characterized. All materials presented high gel content, which was dependent on the reaction's temperature. The thermal behaviors of the UPs were shown to be similar. In vitro hydrolytic degradation tests showed that the materials can undergo degradation in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7.4 and 37 °C, ensuring their biodegradability over time. Finally, to assess the applicability of the polyesters as biomaterials, their cytocompatibility was determined by using human dermal fibroblasts.