GRAFT-COPOLYMERIZATION OF METHYLMETHACRYLATE ONTO GLUTARALDEHYDE CROSS-LINKED PERICARDIAL TISSUE

Calcification is the principle cause of failure of tissue derived card iac valves replacement pre-treated with glutaraldehyde. Glutaraldehyde incorporation and crosslinks introduced upon pretreatment creates gap s or void spaces in the bioprosthetic tissue which serve as nucleation sites for calcification. Calcification can be reduced or prevented by filling these spaces with large molecules capable of acting as space fillers. In the present study efforts have been made to introduce spac e-fillers substantively into fiber matrix by grafting acrylic monomers , namely methylmethacrylate using eerie ammonium nitrate as the initia tor system. The percent grafting, graft efficiency and total conversio n for monomer to tissue weight ratio were determined. The formation of graft copolymers was confirmed by infrared spectra, determination of nitrogen, hydroxyproline and arginine contents.