Abstract
Polymeric materials are largely employed for the manufacturing of implants for variousreasons, but they are typically invisible by conventional imaging methods. To improve surgicalprocedure and postoperative implant follow-up though, biomaterials are needed which allow anaccurate and efficient imaging. Here, we present a direct and versatile strategy that allows tocovalently immobilize T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents at the surface ofvarious clinically relevant polymeric biomaterials. An aryl-azide bearing complex of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) and gadolinium (Gd) has beensynthesized for easy photografting onto polymer surfaces. Polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactide(PLA), polyurethane (PU), polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polypropylene (PP) have beenselected as clinically relevant substrates and successfully functionalized with the photosensitiveMRI probe DOTA/Gd. Following in vitro assessment of their biocompatibility and MRIvisibility, commercial MRI-visible PP hernia repair meshes (MRI-meshes) have been prepared.MRI-meshes have been implanted in rats for in vivo evaluation of their imaging capacities over1 month. Histological evaluation and Gd biodistribution studies have been carried outconfirming the potential of this straightforward approach to simply yield imageable medicaldevices.