Cytotoxicity testing of a new caprolactone-coated self-expanding bioabsorbable self-reinforced poly-L-lactic acid urethral stent

Forty to 75% of strictures recur within 2 years of urethrotomy and the essential problem remains how to prevent the edges of the cut stricture from adhering to each other and the scar from shrinking. To solve this problem different kinds of urethral stents have been used. Recently a new bioabsorbable self-expanding urethral stent was developed by our group. The core consists of self-reinforced (SR) poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and the coating is made of an amorphous copolymer of caprolactone and D,L-lactic acid [P(epsilon-CL/D,L-LA)]. The aim of our present study was to test the cytotoxicity of the new material used to coat the SR-PLLA urethral stent utilizing the thymidine incorporation method (DNA synthesis inhibition test). The new materials showed no acute toxicity and can be regarded as biocompatible in medical devices.