L-cysteine aided polyaniline capped SrO2 nanoceramics: Assessment of MC3T3-E1-arbitrated osteogenesis and anti-bactericidal efficacy on the polyurethane 2D nanofibrous substrate.

Fabricating bioartificial bone graft ceramics retaining structural, mechanical, and bone induction properties akin to those of native stem-cell niches is a major challenge in the field of bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Moreover, the developed materials are susceptible to microbial invasion leading to biomaterial-centered infections which might limit their clinical translation. Here, we successfully developed biomimetic porous scaffolds of polyurethane-reinforcedL-cysteine-anchored polyaniline capped strontium oxide nanoparticles to improve the scaffold's biocompatibility, osteo-regeneration, mechanical, and antibacterial properties. The engineered nanocomposite substrate PU/L-Cyst-SrO2 @PANI (0.4 wt%) significantly promotes bone repair and regeneration by modulating osteolysis and osteogenesis. ALP activity, collagen-I, ARS staining, as well as biomineralization of MC3T3-E1 cells, were used to assess the biocompatibility and cytocompatibility of the developed scaffolds in vitro, confirming that the scaffold provided a favorable microenvironment with a prominent effect on cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. Furthermore, osteogenic protein markers were studied using qRT-PCR with expression levels of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), secreted phosphoprotein 1 (Spp-I), and collagen type I (Col-I). The overall results suggest that PU/L-Cyst-SrO2 @PANI (0.4 wt%) scaffolds showed superior interfacial biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, load-bearing ability, and osteoinductivity as compared to pristine PU. Thus, prepared bioactive nanocomposite scaffolds perform as a promising biomaterial substrate for bone tissue regeneration.

A multifunctional, one-step gas foaming strategy for antimicrobial silver nanoparticle-decorated 3D cellulose nanofiber scaffolds.

Creating nanoparticle-decorated nanofibers in a single step can greatly speed up and scale up the production of scaffolds for various applications. In this study, we report a facile multifunctional method for the simultaneous foaming and synthesis of silver nanoparticles-covered three-dimensional cellulose using sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The physicochemical properties of the 3D cellulose-Ag scaffold were evaluated and compared to 2D CA membranes, including morphology (porous 3D vs flat 2D), mechanical properties (22.72 vs <13 MPa Young's modulus), antibacterial effect (27 vs 0 mm zone of inhibition), and biocompatibility. The findings suggest that our method enables the scaffold to be easily manufactured-indicating it can be used to scale-up manufacturing processes-with high bioactivity, antibacterial effect, and biocompatibility, showing potential as a 3D structure production method for tissue engineering and other relevant applications.

A Novel Design of Tri-Layer Membrane with Controlled Delivery of Paclitaxel and Anti-Biofilm Effect for Biliary Stent Applications.

Here, we developed a novel biliary stent coating material that is composed of tri-layer membrane with dual function of sustained release of paclitaxel (PTX) anticancer drug and antibacterial effect. The advantages of using electrospinning technique were considered for the even distribution of PTX and controlled release profile from the nanofiber mat. Furthermore, film cast method was utilized to fabricate AgNPs-immobilized PU film to direct the release towards the tumor site and suppress the biofilm formation. The in vitro antibacterial test conducted against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria species showed excellent antibacterial effect. The in vitro drug release study confirmed the sustained release of PTX from the tri-layer membrane and the release profile fitted first order with correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.98. Furthermore, the release mechanism was studied using Korsmeyer-Peppas model, revealing that the release mechanism follows Fickian diffusion. Based on the results, this novel tri-layer membrane shows curative potential in clinical development.

Simple conversion of 3D electrospun nanofibrous cellulose acetate into a mechanically robust nanocomposite cellulose/calcium scaffold.

Cellulose and its derivatives are widely used as nanofibrous biomaterials, but obtaining 3D cellulose nanofibers is difficult and relevant research is scarce. In the present study, we propose a simple method for converting electrospun 3D cellulose acetate/lactic acid nanofibers via calcium hydroxide treatment into a 3D cellulose/calcium lactate nanocomposite matrix. The conversion resulted in producing a stronger nanofibrous matrix (1.382 MPa vs. 0.112 MPa) that is more hydrophilic and cell-friendly compared to the untreated cellulose acetate/lactic acid group. The successful conversion was verified via FTIR, XPS, TGA, DTG, and XRD. The ability of the scaffolds to provide a suitable environment for cell growth and infiltration was verified by CCK assay and confocal microscopy. The porous nature, mechanical strength, and presence of calcium make the 3D cellulose/calcium lactate matrix a promising material for bone tissue engineering.

Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Alginate Porous Scaffold Incorporated with Decellularized Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum Particle for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Deer antler velvet (DAV), Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum, has been known for the outstanding growth rate and used in extracted liquid form in oriental herbal medicine for the tissue regeneration. The DAV is also famous for the abundance of many different minerals, proteins, growth factors and interleukins. The immense amount of DAV is consumed to produce DAV extract in Asian countries. However, the mechanical strength and the morphologic features of DAV have been overlooked. In this study, we revisited the possibility of DAV as a bone tissue scaffold. We first obtained DAV particles via physical decellularization followed by levigation procedure and then applied to the fabrication of three-dimensional porous alginate/DAVP sponge through lyophilizing alginate/DAVP hydrogel as a potential bone tissue scaffold source. The morphological and physicochemical properties of alginate/DAVP sponge were characterized using UTM, SEM, FE-SEM, and FT-IR. The alginate-based highly porous sponge demonstrated the interconnected porous structure with DAVP and improved mechanical properties. We expected both alginate/DAVP and DAVP are potential for tissue engineering application.

In Situ Biological Transmutation of Catalytic Lactic Acid Waste into Calcium Lactate in a Readily Processable Three-Dimensional Fibrillar Structure for Bone Tissue Engineering.

A bioinspired three-dimensional (3D) fibrous structure possesses biomimicry, valuable functionality, and performance to scaffolding in tissue engineering. In particular, an electrospun fibrous mesh has been studied as a scaffold material in various tissue regeneration applications. We produced a low-density 3D polycaprolactone/lactic acid (LA) fibrous mesh (3D-PCLS) via the novel lactic-assisted 3D electrospinning technique exploiting the catalytic properties of LA as we reported previously. In the study, we demonstrated a strategy of recycling the LA component to synthesize the osteoinductive biomolecules in situ, calcium lactate (CaL), thereby forming a 3D bioactive PCL/CaL fibrous scaffold (3D-SCaL) for bone tissue engineering. The fiber morphology of 3D-PCLS and its packing degree could have been tailored by modifying the spinning solution and the collector design. 3D-SCaL demonstrated successful conversion of CaL from LA and exhibited the significantly enhanced biomineralization capacity, cell infiltration and proliferation rate, and osteoblastic differentiation in vitro with two different cell lines, MC3T3-e1 and bone marrow stem cells. In conclusion, 3D-SCaL proves to be a highly practical and accessible strategy using a variety of polymers to produce 3D fibers as a potential candidate for future regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications.