Search results for "tissue engineering"
showing 10 items of 370 documents
The pre-vascularisation of a collagen-chondroitin sulphate scaffold using human amniotic fluid-derived stem cells to enhance and stabilise endothelia…
2015
Abstract A major problem in tissue engineering (TE) is graft failure in vivo due to core degradation in in vitro engineered constructs designed to regenerate thick tissues such as bone. The integration of constructs post-implantation relies on the rapid formation of functional vasculature. A recent approach to overcome core degradation focuses on the creation of cell-based, pre-engineered vasculature formed within the TE construct in vitro , prior to implantation in vivo . The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether an amniotic fluid-derived stem cell (AFSC)–human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) co-culture could be used to engineer in vitro vasculature in a collag…
Response of micro- and macrovascular endothelial cells to starch-based fiber meshes for bone tissue engineering.
2006
The establishment of a functional vasculature is as yet an unrealized milestone in bone reconstruction therapy. For this study, fiber-mesh scaffolds obtained from a blend of starch and poly(caprolactone) (SPCL), that have previously been shown to be an excellent material for the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow cells and thereby represent great potential as constructs for bone regeneration, were examined for endothelial cell (EC) compatibility. To be successfully applied in vivo, this tissue engineered construct should also be able to support the growth of ECs in order to facilitate vascularization and therefore assure the viability of the construct upon implantation. The ma…
Endothelial cell colonization and angiogenic potential of combined nano- and micro-fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
2008
Presently the majority of tissue engineering approaches aimed at regenerating bone relies only on postimplantation vascularization. Strategies that include seeding endothelial cells (ECs) on biomaterials and promoting their adhesion, migration and functionality might be a solution for the formation of vascularized bone. Nano/micro-fiber-combined scaffolds have an innovative structure, inspired by extracellular matrix (ECM) that combines a nano-network, aimed to promote cell adhesion, with a micro-fiber mesh that provides the mechanical support. In this work we addressed the influence of this nano-network on growth pattern, morphology, inflammatory expression profile, expression of structura…
Covalent RGD modification of the inner pore surface of polycaprolactone scaffolds
2011
Scaffold production for tissue engineering was demonstrated by means of a hot compression molding technique and subsequent particulate leaching. The utilization of spherical salt particles as the pore-forming agent ensured complete interconnectivity of the porous structure. This method obviated the use of potentially toxic organic solvents. To overcome the inherent non-cell-adhesive properties of the hydrophobic polymer polycaprolactone (PCL) surface activation with a diamine was performed, followed by the covalent immobilization of the adhesion-promoting RGD-peptide. The wet-chemical approach was performed to guarantee modification throughout the entire scaffold structure. The treatment wa…
Microstructural manipulation of electrospun scaffolds for specific bending stiffness for heart valve tissue engineering
2012
Biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers are attractive for application in cardiovascular tissue construct development due to their amenability to a wide range of physical property tuning. For heart valve leaflets, while low flexural stiffness is a key design feature, control of this parameter has been largely neglected in the scaffold literature where electrospinning is being utilized. This study evaluated the effect of processing variables and secondary fiber populations on the microstructure, tensile and bending mechanics of electrospun biodegradable polyurethane scaffolds for heart valve tissue engineering. Scaffolds were fabricated from poly(ester urethane) urea (PEUU) and the deposition…
Integration of PCL and PLA in a monolithic porous scaffold for interface tissue engineering.
2016
A novel bi-layered multiphasic scaffold (BLS) have been fabricated for the first time by combining melt mixing, compression molding and particulate leaching. One layer has been composed by polylactic acid (PLA) presenting pore size in the range of 90-110µm while the other layer has been made of polycaprolactone (PCL) with pores ranging from 5 to 40µm. The different chemo-physical properties of the two biopolymers combined with the tunable pore architecture permitted to realize monolithic functionally graded scaffolds engineered to be potentially used for interface tissues regenerations. BLS have been characterized from a morphological and a mechanical point of view. In particular, mechanica…
Electrospun Polyhydroxyethyl-Aspartamide-Polylactic Acid Scaffold for Biliary Duct Repair: A Preliminary In Vivo Evaluation
2017
Abstract Tissue engineering has emerged as a new approach with the potential to overcome the limitations of traditional therapies. The objective of this study was to test whether our polymeric scaffold is able to resist the corrosive action of bile and to support a cell's infiltration and neoangiogenesis with the aim of using it as a biodegradable tissue substitute for serious bile duct injuries. In particular, a resorbable electrospun polyhydroxyethyl-aspartamide–polylactic acid (90 mol% PHEA, 10 mol% PLA)/polycaprolactone (50:50 w/w) plate scaffold was implanted into rabbit gallbladder to assess the in vivo effects of the lytic action of the bile on the scaffold structure and then as a tu…
Synthesis, characterization and foaming of PHEA-PLLA, a new graft copolymer for biomedical engineering
2014
Abstract In this study a chemical grafting procedure was set up in order to link high molecular weight poly L-lactic acid (PLLA) chains to the hydrophilic α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) backbone. A graft copolymer named PHEA-g-PLLA (or simply PHEA–PLLA) was obtained bearing a degree of derivatization of 1.0 mol.% of PLLA as grafted chain. This new hybrid derivative offers both the opportune crystallinity necessary for the production of scaffolds trough a thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) technique and the proper chemical reactivity to perform further functionalizations with bio-effectors and drugs. PHEA–PLLA porous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications were…
Polylactide-based materials science strategies to improve tissue-material interface without the use of growth factors or other biological molecules
2018
In a large number of medical devices, a key feature of a biomaterial is the ability to successfully bond to living tissues by means of engineered mechanisms such as the enhancement of biomineralization on a bone tissue engineering scaffold or the mimicking of the natural structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This ability is commonly referred to as "bioactivity". Materials sciences started to grow interest in it since the development of bioactive glasses by Larry Hench five decades ago. As the main goal in applications of biomedical devices and tissue scaffolds is to obtain a seamless tissue-material interface, achieving optimal bioactivity is essential for the success of most biomate…
Characterization of the complete fiber network topology of planar fibrous tissues and scaffolds
2010
Understanding how engineered tissue scaffold architecture affects cell morphology, metabolism, phenotypic expression, as well as predicting material mechanical behavior has recently received increased attention. In the present study, an image-based analysis approach that provides an automated tool to characterize engineered tissue fiber network topology is presented. Micro-architectural features that fully defined fiber network topology were detected and quantified, which include fiber orientation, connectivity, intersection spatial density, and diameter. Algorithm performance was tested using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of electrospun poly(ester urethane)urea (ES-PEUU) scaffo…