Search results for "mineralization"

Enzyme-based biosilica and biocalcite: biomaterials for the future in regenerative medicine

2013

The oldest animals on Earth, sponges, form both the calcareous and the siliceous matrices of their spicules enzymatically. Until recently, it has been neglected that enzymes play crucial roles during formation of these biominerals. This paradigm shift occurred after the discovery that the enzyme silicatein, which catalyzes the polycondensation of silica, and the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA), which catalyzes the formation of bicarbonate (HCO3(-)/CaCO3), produce solid amorphous bioglass or biocalcite. This suggests that in mammals, biosilica and biocalcite can act anabolically during hydroxyapatite (HA) synthesis and bone formation. Biosilica and biocalcite are thus promising candidates for…

Bioinspired synthesis of multifunctional inorganic and bio-organic hybrid materials

2012

Owing to their physical and chemical properties, inorganic functional materials have tremendous impacts on key technologies such as energy generation and storage, information, medicine, and automotive engineering. Nature, on the other hand, provides evolution-optimized processes, which lead to multifunctional inorganic–bio-organic materials with complex structures. Their formation occurs under physiological conditions, and is goverened by a combination of highly regulated biological processes and intrinsic chemical properties. Nevertheless, insights into the molecular mechanisms of biomineralization open up promising perspectives for bioinspired and biomimetic design and the development of …

Osteogenic potential of a biosilica-coated P(UDMA-co-MPS) copolymer

2020

A P(UDMA-co-MPS) copolymer was surface-functionalized through the polycondensation activity of the enzyme silicatein. The resulting biosilica coating significantly enhanced mineralization of osteoblastic cells, thereby revealing its osteogenic potential. Consequently, the functionalized copolymer may be explored as an alternative to conventionally used acrylics in applications where stable bone-material interfaces are required.

Strukturelle Veränderungen in säuregeätztem Schmelz im konfokalen Laser-Scanning-Mikroskop

1996

The aim of the present investigation was to elucidate structural alternations in enamel subjected to acid etch technique and treatment under remineralizing conditions by means of a new microscopy technique known as confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Blocks of enamel were treated with 37% phosphoric acid and exposed for 3 weeks to an oral environment. Tomographic CLSM images were subsequently obtained and compared with controls. CLSM proved to be a reliable, highly reproducible and simple method of qualitative assessment of structural changes occurring on the surface of enamel and in areas below the surface as deep as 100 microns or more. Structural alterations associated with acid a…

Nanoscale assembly processes revealed in the nacroprismatic transition zone of Pinna nobilis mollusc shells

2015

Intricate biomineralization processes in molluscs engineer hierarchical structures with meso-, nano-, and atomic architectures that give the final composite material exceptional mechanical strength and optical iridescence on the macroscale. This multiscale biological assembly inspires new synthetic routes to complex materials. Our investigation of the prism-nacre interface reveals nanoscale details governing the onset of nacre formation using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. A wedge polishing technique provides unprecedented, large-area specimens required to span the entire interface. Within this region, we find a transition from nanofibrillar aggregation to irregu…

Influence of saline and pH on collagen type I fibrillogenesis in vitro: Fibril polymorphism and colloidal gold labelling

2007

We have produced different collagen type I fibrils by in vitro fibrillogenesis of acetic acid-soluble collagen within the pH range 2.5-9.0, in the presence and absence of 150 mM NaCl. The varying relatively stable molecular assemblies and polymorphic fibrillar end-products produced after 24 h incubation have been assessed and compared by the TEM study of specimens negatively stained with uranyl acetate. In the presence of 150 mM NaCl, the assembly of collagen at low pH (2.5) leads to the formation of initial molecular aggregates that progressively link together at slightly higher pH (5.0) to form sub-fibrils and spindle-shaped D-banded bundles of sub-fibrils. At pH 6.0 these D-banded bundle…

Fluoride-induced precipitates on enamel surface and subsurface areas visualised by electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy

1997

The present study examined the enamel surface after in vitro topical treatments with a neutral 2% NaF solution. For minimising the risk of artefacts, samples were inspected without pre-treatment as fresh, naturally wet specimens by complementary techniques: variable pressure electron microscopy (VP-SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). VP-SEM provided information on the surface morphology, whereas CLSM allowed non-destructive visualisation of subsurface areas. Neutral NaF solutions induced globular precipitates on the enamel surfaces. If the globules formed may be described as "calcium fluoride like material", the additional information of this experiment is that, after intera…

A Milestone in Biomineralization: From a Structural Assessment to a Genetic Concept of Mineral Formation. Or How the Enzyme Silicatein Forms a Solid …

2013

A portable fiber-optic raman spectrometer concept for evaluation of mineral content within enamel tissue

2017

BACKGROUND Measurement of tooth enamel mineralization using a clinically viable method is essential since variation of mineralization may be used to monitor caries risk or in assessing the effectiveness of remineralization therapy. Fiber optic Raman systems are becoming more affordable and popular in context of biomedical applications. However, the applicability of fiber optic Raman systems for measurement of mineral content within enamel tissue has not been elucidated significantly in the prior literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human teeth with varying degrees of enamel mineralization were selected. In addition alligator, boar and buffalo teeth which have increasing amount of mineral conten…

Bioengineering of the silica-polymerizing enzyme silicatein-alpha for a targeted application to hydroxyapatite.

2009

Since its discovery, numerous biotechnological approaches have aimed to explore the silica-polymerizing catalytic activity of the enzyme silicatein. In vivo, silicatein catalyzes polymerization of amorphous silica nanospheres from soluble precursors. In vitro, it directs the formation of nanostructured biosilica. This is of interest for various applications that strive to benefit from both the advantages of the biological system (i.e., silica synthesis under physiological conditions) and the cell mineralization-stimulating effect of biosilica. However, so far immobilization of silicatein has been hampered by the complex multistep procedure required. In addition, the chemical surface modific…