Search results for "tissue engineering."
showing 10 items of 361 documents
Polymeric scaffolds prepared via thermally induced phase separation: Tuning of structure and morphology
2008
Scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering applications like dermal reconstruction were prepared by Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS) starting from a ternary solution PLLA/dioxane/water. The experimental protocol consisted of three consecutive steps, a first quench from the homogeneous solution to an appropriate demixing temperature (within the metastable region), a holding stage for a given residence time, and a final quench from the demixing temperature to a low temperature (within the unstable region). A large variety of morphologies, in terms of average pore size and interconnection, were obtained upon modifying the demixing time and temperature, owing to the interplay of nucleat…
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…
Endothelialization of chitosan porous conduits via immobilization of a recombinant fibronectin fragment (rhFNIII7–10)
2013
Abstract The present study aimed to develop a pre-endothelialized chitosan (CH) porous hollowed scaffold for application in spinal cord regenerative therapies. CH conduits with different degrees of acetylation (DA; 4% and 15%) were prepared, characterized (microstructure, porosity and water uptake) and functionalized with a recombinant fragment of human fibronectin (rhFNIII 7–10 ). Immobilized rhFNIII 7–10 was characterized in terms of amount ( 125 I-radiolabelling), exposure of cell-binding domains (immunofluorescence) and ability to mediate endothelial cell (EC) adhesion and cytoskeletal rearrangement. Functionalized conduits revealed a linear increase in immobilized rhFNIII 7–10 with rhF…
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…
The rapid anastomosis between prevascularized networks on silk fibroin scaffolds generated in vitro with cocultures of human microvascular endothelia…
2010
The survival and functioning of a bone biomaterial upon implantation requires a rapidly forming and stably functioning vascularization that connects the implant to the recipient. We have previously shown that human microcapillary endothelial cells (HDMEC) and primary human osteoblast cells (HOS) in coculture on various 3-D bone biomaterial scaffolds rapidly distribute and self-assemble into a morphological structure resembling bone tissue. Endothelial cells form microcapillary-like structures containing a lumen and these were intertwined between the osteoblast cells and the biomaterial. This tissue-like self-assembly occurred in the absence of exogenously added angiogenic stimuli or artific…
Attachement and spreading of fibroblasts on an RGD peptide-modified injectable hyaluronan hydrogel
2004
Hyaluronan (HA) hydrogels resist attachment and spreading of fibroblasts and most other mammalian cell types. A thiol-modified HA (3,3'-dithiobis(propanoic dihydrazide) [HA-DTPH]) was modified with peptides containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence and then crosslinked with polyethylene glycol (PEG) diacrylate (PEGDA) to create a biomaterial that supported cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation. The hydrogels were evaluated in vitro and in vivo in three assay systems. First, the behavior of human and murine fibroblasts on the surface of the hydrogels was evaluated. The concentration and structure of the RGD peptides and the length of the PEG spacer influenced cell attachment and spre…
Development of polymeric functionally graded scaffolds: a brief review.
2016
Over recent years, there has been a growing interest in multilayer scaffolds fabrication approaches. In fact, functionally graded scaffolds (FGSs) provide biological and mechanical functions potentially similar to those of native tissues. Based on the final application of the scaffold, there are different properties (physical, mechanical, biochemical, etc.) which need to gradually change in space. Therefore, a number of different technologies have been investigated, and often combined, to customize each region of the scaffolds as much as possible, aiming at achieving the best regenerative performance. In general, FGSs can be categorized as bilayered or multilayered, depending on the number…
A Standardised Approach to the Biomechanical Evaluation of Tracheal Grafts
2021
[EN] The ideal tracheal substitute must have biomechanical properties comparable to the native trachea, but currently there is no standardised approach to evaluating these properties. Here we propose a novel method for evaluating and comparing the properties of tracheal substitutes, thus systematising both measurement and data curation. This system was tested by comparing native rabbit tracheas to frozen and decellularised specimens and determining the histological characteristics of those specimens. We performed radial compression tests on the anteroposterior tracheal axis and longitudinal axial tensile tests with the specimens anastomosed to the jaw connected to a measuring system. All ca…
Nanocarbons in electrospun polymeric nanomats for tissue engineering: A review
2017
Electrospinning is a versatile process technology, exploited for the production of fibers with varying diameters, ranging from nano- to micro-scale, particularly useful for a wide range of applications. Among these, tissue engineering is particularly relevant to this technology since electrospun fibers offer topological structure features similar to the native extracellular matrix, thus providing an excellent environment for the growth of cells and tissues. Recently, nanocarbons have been emerging as promising fillers for biopolymeric nanofibrous scaffolds. In fact, they offer interesting physicochemical properties due to their small size, large surface area, high electrical conductivity an…
3D Bioprinting for Vascularized Tissue-Engineered Bone Fabrication
2020
Vascularization in bone tissues is essential for the distribution of nutrients and oxygen, as well as the removal of waste products. Fabrication of tissue-engineered bone constructs with functional vascular networks has great potential for biomimicking nature bone tissue in vitro and enhancing bone regeneration in vivo. Over the past decades, many approaches have been applied to fabricate biomimetic vascularized tissue-engineered bone constructs. However, traditional tissue-engineered methods based on seeding cells into scaffolds are unable to control the spatial architecture and the encapsulated cell distribution precisely, which posed a significant challenge in constructing complex vascul…