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Fibroblasts proliferation and apoptosis as well as tissue response after implantation of elastomers containing nanocrystalline TiO2were investigated in the present in vitroand in vivostudy. Materials investigated were soft poly(aliphatic/aromatic‐ester) multiblock thermoplastic elastomers with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) hard segments and dimerized linoleic acid (DLA) soft segments, respectively, containing 0.2 wt% TiO2nanoparticles. An investigation of the influence of TiO2nanoparticles incorporated into polymeric material on in vitrobiocompatibility revealed enhanced cell proliferation and diminished number of necrotic and apoptotic cells as compared to nanoparticles‐free polymer. Implantation tests indicated that the observed tissue changes were similar to those observed with medical‐grade silicone elastomer, no evidence of contact necrosis being observed. The unchanged morphology of rat liver hepatocytes and the lack of parenchymal necrosis also indicated that exposure to the material containing TiO2nanoparticles, did not cause any cytotoxic reactions. The present study, thus, showed that elastomeric polyester containing TiO2nanoparticles are interesting biomimetic constructs for improved tissue regeneration.

This paper will discuss the biocompatibility and dynamic fatigue properties of polystyrene-b-polyisobutylene-b-polystyrene thermoplastic elastomer with 30 wt % polystyrene (SIBS30), an emerging FDA-approved biomaterial. SIBS30 is a very soft, transparent biomaterial resembling silicone rubber, with superior mechanical properties. Using the hysteresis method adopted for soft biomaterials, the dynamic fatigue properties of SIBS30 were found to be between those of polyurethane and silicone rubber, with fatigue life twice as long as that of silicone. Under single load testing (SLT, 1.25 MPa), SIBS30 displayed less than half the dynamic creep compared to silicone, both in air and in vitro (37 °C, simulated body fluid). Hemolysis and 30- and 180-day implantation studies revealed excellent biocompatibility of the new biomaterial. The results presented in this paper indicate that, in comparison with silicone rubber, SIBS30 has similar biocompatibility and superior dynamic fatigue properties.