Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Oct 13.
doi: 10.1111/aor.70028. Online ahead of print.

In Vitro Calcification Evaluation of Polycarbonate Urethane-Impact of Production Processes

Jan Ritter  1 , Christoph Schmitz  1 , Stephan Rütten  2 , Abdelhafid Aqil  3 , Cécile Oury  3 , Thomas Schmitz-Rode  4 , Willi Jahnen-Dechent  5 , Ulrich Steinseifer  1 , Johanna C Clauser  1
Affiliations

In Vitro Calcification Evaluation of Polycarbonate Urethane-Impact of Production Processes

Jan Ritter et al. Artif Organs. .

Abstract

Background: Heart valve diseases remain a leading cause of death in industrialized nations. Polycarbonate urethane (PCU) is a promising material for heart valve prostheses due to its biocompatibility and low calcification tendency. However, the impact of processing methods on calcification remains unclear.

Methods: PCU patches were fabricated via hot pressing or solution casting. Both groups (n = 3 each), along with bovine pericardium patches as positive controls (n = 3), were incubated for 10 weeks in a custom in vitro calcification fluid. Calcification, cytocompatibility, and material properties were assessed using light and electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC).

Results: Calcification was observed in hot-pressed PCU and control patches but not in solution-cast PCU. Both PCU types showed comparable cytocompatibility. Spectroscopy and GPC revealed chemical and structural changes in hot-pressed PCU, likely promoting calcification.

Conclusion: Hot pressing alters the chemical structure of PCU and increases its calcification propensity without affecting cytocompatibility. These findings highlight the importance of process control and in vitro screening during heart valve material development.

Keywords: biomaterials; electron microscopy; hot pressing; patch testing; prosthetic heart valve materials; surface analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. F. B. Ahmad and R. N. Anderson, “The Leading Causes of Death in the US for 2020,” JAMA 325, no. 18 (2021): 1829–1830, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.5469.
    1. A. Timmis, N. Townsend, C. P. Gale, et al., “European Society of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2019,” European Heart Journal 41, no. 1 (2020): 12–85, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz859.
    1. P. Pibarot and J. G. Dumesnil, “Prosthetic Heart Valves: Selection of the Optimal Prosthesis and Long‐Term Management,” Circulation 119, no. 7 (2009): 1034–1048, https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.778886.
    1. A. Ciubotaru, S. Cebotari, I. Tudorache, E. Beckmann, A. Hilfiker, and A. Haverich, “Biological Heart Valves,” Biomedizinische Technik/Biomedical Engineering 58, no. 5 (2013): 389–397, https://doi.org/10.1515/bmt‐2012‐0148.
    1. G. M. Bernacca, T. G. Mackay, and D. J. Wheatley, “In Vitro Function and Durability of a Polyurethane Heart Valve: Material Considerations,” Journal of Heart Valve Disease 5, no. 5 (1996): 538–542.

LinkOut - more resources