Search results for " Tissue Engineering"

Micro- to Nanoscale Bio-Hybrid Hydrogels Engineered by Ionizing Radiation

2021

Bio-hybrid hydrogels consist of a water-swollen hydrophilic polymer network encapsulating or conjugating single biomolecules, or larger and more complex biological constructs like whole cells. By modulating at least one dimension of the hydrogel system at the micro- or nanoscale, the activity of the biological component can be extremely upgraded with clear advantages for the development of therapeutic or diagnostic micro- and nano-devices. Gamma or e-beam irradiation of polymers allow a good control of the chemistry at the micro-/nanoscale with minimal recourse to toxic reactants and solvents. Another potential advantage is to obtain simultaneous sterilization when the absorbed doses are wi…

Micro - Architectural Data Extraction for Electrospun Poly (Ester Urethane) Urea Scaffolds for Biomechanical Modeling.

2009

Problem: Soft tissue engineered applications have raised the need for accurate descriptions of tissue microstructure and their contributions to global mechanical behavior [1]. Accurate material image analysis is crucial to model engineered tissue biomechanics. The present study proposes a novel method to automatically collect micro-architectural data from electron micrographs (SEM) of electrospun poly (ester urethane) urea (PEUU). Methods: Sets of contiguous SEM images for electrospun PEUU scaffolds made using three mandrel collection tangential velocities (1.5, 4.5, 9.0 m/s) were analyzed. A combination of thresholding and morphological procedures enabled overlaps of fibers to be detected.…

Human nasoseptal chondrocytes maintain their differentiated phenotype on PLLA scaffolds produced by thermally induced phase separation and supplement…

2018

Damage of hyaline cartilage such as nasoseptal cartilage requires proper reconstruction, which remains challenging due to its low intrinsic repair capacity. Implantation of autologous chondrocytes in combination with a biomimetic biomaterial represents a promising strategy to support cartilage repair. Despite so far mostly tested for bone tissue engineering, bioactive glass (BG) could exert stimulatory effects on chondrogenesis. The aim of this work was to produce and characterize composite porous poly(L-lactide) (PLLA)/1393BG scaffolds via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) technique and assess their effects on chondrogenesis of nasoseptal chondrocytes. The PLLA scaffolds without or…

Biocompatible Polymers and Processing Techniques in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering

2013

In situ forming hydrogels of new amino hyaluronic acid/benzoyl-cysteine derivatives as potential scaffolds for cartilage regeneration

2012

A new chemical strategy is described to link ethylenediamino (EDA) groups to primary hydroxyl groups of hyaluronic acid (HA) and the obtained derivatives have been characterized by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR analyses. Such HA–EDA derivatives have been exploited to control the functionalization degree in benzoyl-cysteine (BC) groups, chosen as moieties able to allow both self-assembling in aqueous media and an oxidative crosslinking. In particular, the kinetics of oxidation of thiol groups in HA–EDA–BC derivatives has been studied in Dulbecco's Phosphate Buffer Solution (DPBS) pH 7.4 by colorimetric assays and rheological measurements. Mechanical properties of chemical hydrogels obtained after oxida…

Carboxylated-xyloglucan and peptide amphiphile co-assembly in wound healing.

2021

Abstract Hydrogel wound dressings can play critical roles in wound healing protecting the wound from trauma or contamination and providing an ideal environment to support the growth of endogenous cells and promote wound closure. This work presents a self-assembling hydrogel dressing that can assist the wound repair process mimicking the hierarchical structure of skin extracellular matrix. To this aim, the co-assembly behaviour of a carboxylated variant of xyloglucan (CXG) with a peptide amphiphile (PA-H3) has been investigated to generate hierarchical constructs with tuneable molecular composition, structure, and properties. Transmission electron microscopy and circular dichroism at a low c…

Decellularized tracheal prelamination implant: A proposed bilateral double organ technique

2021

Introduction In tracheal replacement transplantation, prelamination is a critical stage. Nowadays, the most widely used prelamination technique is the prethoracic fascia flap with lateral thoracic artery. We propose a flap based on the internal thoracic artery, which allows a relatively non-aggressive double organ implant, and we have tested its efficacy in decellularized tracheas. Material and methods Tracheas of albino New Zealand rabbits were decellularized following a protocol that uses detergents and cryogenization, sterilized with 1kGy gamma radiation and tutorized with a stent. Bilateral pedicled flaps made of pectoral fascia and a muscular component were harvested through a longitud…

A 3D‑scaffold of PLLA induces the morphological differentiation and migration of primary astrocytes and promotes the production of extracellular vesi…

2019

The present study analyzed the ability of primary rat astrocytes to colonize a porous scaffold, mimicking the reticular structure of the brain parenchyma extracellular matrix, as well as their ability to grow, survive and differentiate on the scaffold. Scaffolds were prepared using poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) via thermally-induced phase separation. Firstly, the present study studied the effects of scaffold morphology on the growth of astrocytes, evaluating their capability to colonize. Specifically, two different morphologies were tested, which were obtained by changing the polymer concentration in the starting solution. The structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and a…

A novel approach to fully characterize fiber network morphology of planar fibrous tissues and scaffolds

2010

Understanding how scaffold structure influences cell morphology, metabolism, phenotypic expression, and predicting mechanical behaviors have increasingly become crucial goals in the development of engineered tissue scaffolds. A novel image-based analysis algorithm that provides an automatic tool to characterize engineered tissue fiber network topology is presented. Micro architectural descriptors that unambiguously define the fiber network topology were detected, which include fiber orientation distribution, connectivity, intersection spatial density, and diameter. Algorithm performance was tested using actual sample scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of (1) electrospun poly(ester ur…

Bi-layer PCL/PLA scaffold prepared by melt for interface tissue engineering

2017

The development of porous multilayer devices allow controlling chemical, physical and mechanical properties by tuning the properties of each single layer. For instance, this feature is of main concern for the production of porous devices designed to regenerate diseased zones at the interface of tissue presenting intrinsic anisotropic structures that gradually change from one tissue to another. In this context, synthetic biodegradable polymers commonly used biomedical applications include polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL). In this work, a novel bi-layered multiphasic scaffold (BLS) is presented. It is composed by a PLA-layer presenting pore size in the range of 90-110 μm while…