Abstract

In any surgical procedure, a suture is considered crucial. In the case of post-operative are the wound closure related to surgical procedure continues to pose a problem. Presently, Oxidized Regenerated Cellulose (ORC) is being commonly used in the absorption of hemostatic materials. But ORC medical suture product is not commercially available. It has been aimed to produce innovative braided suture by TEMPO-mediated Oxidation Regenerated Cellulose (TORC) so as to obtain a suture material having and perfect in mechanical properties. A circular braiding machine has been used to produce sutures from regenerated cellulose strands. The braiding is followed by TEMPO-mediated oxidation treatment as an option. Various investigation techniques that include ATR-FTIR, electrical conductivity, XRD analysis, physical properties and in vitro degradation properties have been used to characterize the sutures under various oxidation time. It has been further shown that the RC sutures have been oxidized and formed the carboxylic (-COOH) functional group. There has been a gradual increase in the carboxyl content in the case of TORC sutures due to extension of oxidation time. This has been accompanied by a gradual reduction in the strength, weight, and diameter of TORC sutures. Also, it is established that the knot pull strength of the TORC declined after 4 weeks. It has been shown that TEMPO oxidation reaction significantly promoted the degradation of TORC sutures. Overall, TORC sutures were successfully produced with favorable biodegradability, revealing potential prospects of clinical applications.

Keywords: Biodegradability; Characterization; Surgical sutures; Oxidized regenerated cellulose; In vitro degradation; Tensile strength