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Poliglecaprone (PGCL) Sutures
Poliglecaprone (PGCL) is a synthetic absorbable suture material made from a copolymer of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone, extruded as a monofilament rather than braided. Like all synthetic absorbable sutures it is broken down by hydrolysis rather than by enzyme activity.
Why it matters
Poliglecaprone is the synthetic absorbable that is both a copolymer with a flexible comonomer and a monofilament, and the two facts are connected: the caprolactone fraction is what makes a single extruded strand of a glycolide-based polymer pliable enough to be practical. Reading composition and construction together, rather than separately, is what the material rewards.
Composition: what caprolactone contributes
Poliglecaprone is a copolymer of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone. Glycolide is the same monomer that forms PGA and the bulk of polyglactin 910, so the material sits in the same ester chemistry and is absorbed the same way — by hydrolysis, water reaching the backbone and cleaving it, strength lost before mass.
Epsilon-caprolactone is what makes it its own material. It is a seven-membered cyclic ester, and when the ring opens it contributes a long, flexible segment to the polymer chain — quite unlike the short, rigid units that glycolide and lactide contribute. The practical consequence runs straight into the next section. This is also why poliglecaprone is not a monofilament version of polyglactin 910: caprolactone and lactide are different comonomers, and the two materials have separate specifications in separate instructions for use.
The composition supplied in surgical suture is designated poliglecaprone 25. Individual manufacturers supply it under their own brand names; Dolphin Sutures manufactures poliglecaprone 25 under the brand name Petcryl Mono.
Why the construction follows from the chemistry
Composition and construction are usually described as separate facts about a suture. In poliglecaprone they are the same fact seen twice.
A glycolide homopolymer extruded as a single strand would be a stiff thing. PGA and polyglactin 910 get their pliability from construction instead — many fine filaments braided together, so the strand bends because the filaments move relative to one another rather than because the polymer itself is flexible. That is why both are braided, and it is why both are coated: braiding leaves interstices and surface texture, and a coating is the response to them.
Poliglecaprone takes the other route. The caprolactone segments make the polymer flexible in itself, so a single extruded filament is practical. That has knock-on properties that are worth stating precisely because they are structural rather than performance claims: there are no interstices, so capillarity does not arise; there is no braid surface, so there is nothing for a coating to address, and the material is supplied uncoated. Memory — the tendency to return to the packaged shape — is a handling property associated with monofilaments generally, and how a given strand handles is a matter for the surgeon rather than a specification.
What belongs to the IFU
More than usual, on this material. Poliglecaprone carries contraindications for specific tissue types and cautions relating to specific patient conditions. Those are exactly the statements the instructions for use exists to make, and they are product-specific and market-specific. Along with the strength-retention profile and the absorption period — two separate figures, as always — they belong to the controlled document supplied with the product, and reading them there is the point at which the general material description in this article stops being sufficient.
– Read more about poliglecaprone sutures manufactured by Dolphin Sutures
Key terminology
- Glycolide
- The cyclic dimer of glycolic acid, and the major monomer in poliglecaprone. Polymerised alone it forms polyglycolic acid (PGA).
- Epsilon-caprolactone
- A seven-membered cyclic ester and the comonomer in poliglecaprone. Its ring opens into a long, flexible chain segment, which is what distinguishes this copolymer from the glycolide/lactide family.
- Copolymer
- A polymer built from more than one monomer. Poliglecaprone is a copolymer of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone.
- Monofilament
- A single extruded strand rather than many filaments laid together. It has no interstices and therefore no capillarity.
- Hydrolysis
- Breakdown of the polymer by reaction with water. It proceeds by loss of tensile strength first, then loss of mass, and is the absorption mechanism for all synthetic absorbable sutures.
- Memory
- A strand's tendency to return to the shape it was packaged in. It is a handling property associated with monofilament construction rather than with braids.
- Poliglecaprone 25
- The designation used for the specific copolymer composition supplied in surgical suture. It is the form the material is normally encountered in.
Technical characteristics
- Composition
- Copolymer of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone
- Construction
- Monofilament (extruded single strand)
- Coating
- None — coating addresses braid construction, and this material is not braided
- Absorption mechanism
- Hydrolysis — loss of tensile strength precedes loss of mass
- Colour
- Available dyed (violet) and undyed
- Capillarity
- Not applicable — a monofilament has no interstices
- Dolphin brand
- Petcryl Mono
- Strength retention & absorption period
- Stated in the instructions for use supplied with the product — these are product-specific and are not reproduced here.
- Indications & contraindications
- Stated in the instructions for use. Poliglecaprone carries contraindications for specific tissue types and patient conditions; the IFU is the controlled source for them.
- Standards
- Manufactured to meet the USP and EP requirements for synthetic absorbable surgical sutures
How it compares
| Material | Origin | Construction | Absorption mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poliglecaprone | Synthetic (glycolide/caprolactone copolymer) | Monofilament | Hydrolysis |
| Polydioxanone | Synthetic (p-dioxanone) | Monofilament | Hydrolysis |
| PGA | Synthetic (100% glycolide) | Braided multifilament | Hydrolysis |
| Polyglactin 910 | Synthetic (glycolide/L-lactide copolymer) | Braided multifilament | Hydrolysis |
| Catgut | Natural (purified collagen) | Twisted | Enzymatic (proteolytic) |
What clinicians weigh when selecting
Read the contraindications, not just the indications
Poliglecaprone's instructions for use states tissue types and patient conditions the material is not indicated for. The relevant question is whether the case falls inside any of them, and that is answered by the IFU rather than by a material article.
Monofilament against braided
A monofilament has no interstices and no capillarity; a braid is pliable and seats a knot readily. Both properties are real and they point in different directions depending on the field.
Absorption profile against healing time
The relevant question is how long the tissue needs support, read against the strength-retention profile in the product's instructions for use. A material that outlasts the need is not automatically the safer choice.
Composition within the synthetic families
Caprolactone is a different comonomer from lactide, and poliglecaprone is therefore a different material from polyglactin 910 rather than a monofilament version of it. Each has its own profile in its own instructions for use.
Handling and memory
Memory is a handling property of monofilament construction generally. How a given strand handles is a matter of surgeon technique and preference rather than a specification.
Regulatory status in your market
Approved indications differ by market. The instructions for use supplied with the product in your country is the governing document.
Frequently asked questions
What is poliglecaprone made of?
A copolymer of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone, extruded as a monofilament. The composition supplied in surgical suture is designated poliglecaprone 25.
Is poliglecaprone a brand name?
No — poliglecaprone 25 is the generic designation for the material, and the one the pharmacopoeias and the instructions for use use. Several manufacturers supply it under their own brand names; Dolphin Sutures supplies it as Petcryl Mono.
Why is poliglecaprone a monofilament when PGA and polyglactin 910 are braided?
The caprolactone fraction contributes long, flexible segments to the polymer chain. That flexibility is what makes a single extruded strand of a glycolide-based polymer practical to handle, where a glycolide homopolymer is generally braided to obtain pliability from construction instead.
Is poliglecaprone suture coated?
No. A coating addresses the drag and surface texture that come from braiding. A monofilament has no interstices and no braid surface, so there is nothing for a coating to address.
How long does poliglecaprone take to absorb?
The absorption period is product-specific and is stated in the instructions for use supplied with the product. We do not publish absorption figures outside that document, because the IFU is the controlled source.
Are there tissues poliglecaprone should not be used in?
Yes. The material carries contraindications for specific tissue types and cautions for specific patient conditions. These are stated in the instructions for use supplied with the product, which is the controlled document for them.
Instructions for use
The instructions for use supplied with the product is the controlled document for indications, contraindications, strength-retention and absorption data, warnings and precautions. This material carries specific contraindications; the IFU states them. Where this article and the instructions for use differ, the instructions for use govern. Approved indications vary by market.
Medical & regulatory notice
This article is general reference information about a suture material for healthcare professionals. It is not medical advice, not a recommendation for any procedure or patient, and not a substitute for the instructions for use supplied with the product or for clinical judgement. Product availability and approved indications vary by market. Dolphin Sutures manufactures surgical sutures; nothing here should be read as a claim of clinical benefit or of superiority over another material.