In vitro characterization of a biocompatible composite based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as a potential scaffold for tissue engineering.

The use of regeneration scaffolds has been a promising strategy in the bone tissue engineering area. Among the materials available for this purpose the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) - PHB stands out for its adequate biocompatibility and osteoinduction capacity. Hydroxyapatite, in turn, has as its main characteristics its ability to increase bioactivity and cell proliferation. Thus, the objective of the present study was to obtain PHB composites with nanohydroxyapatite (Hap) (0.05%, 0.20%, and 0.50%) and evaluate the microstructure, thermal and mechanical properties and molecular dynamics. Besides that, in vitro biological properties such as wettability, cell viability and adhesion of L929 fibroblasts cells, enzymatic degradation and radiographic contrast were evaluated. The results indicate a weak interaction between Hap and PHB, however, the dispersion states of the nanoparticles can influence crystallization and thermal stability. Through the evaluation of the mechanical behavior was verified a harder behavior with the Hap addition. The wettability of the systems showed a tendency to increase with the addition of nanoparticles. All systems presented high values of viability and cell adhesion, the latter being more pronounced for systems containing Hap. The nanoparticles acted as a barrier slowing the rate of enzymatic degradation and contributed to the increase in radiographic contrast. The results obtained indicate that the systems are promising for application in tissue engineering.

Single-shot measurement of solids and liquids T1 values by a small-angle flip-flop pulse sequence.

We propose the small-angle flip-flop (SAFF) pulse sequence as an alternative procedure for the rapid measurement of the 1 H spin-lattice relaxation time in the laboratory frame (T1 ) of solid and liquid substances, in a time-domain NMR experiment. Based on the original flip-flop pulse sequence, this technique allows the fast estimation of T1 values of samples that require minutes to hours of acquisition time if traditional pulse sequences are employed. We have applied SAFF to different substances, with T1 ranging from microseconds up to seconds, including natural clays, polymers, and organic and inorganic solvents. We also demonstrate the potential of the pulse sequence in the real-time monitoring of dynamic processes, such as the conformational changes of polymeric materials during heating. The results we obtained with SAFF are comparable with those acquired with the inversion-recovery pulse sequence, with the addition of several benefits. This pulse sequence obeys steady-state and magnetization-conserving principles, making it possible to dismiss the need for relaxation delay times of the order of 5T1 . SAFF has shown high sensitivity in the resolution of individual components of T1 in multiexponential systems and can be easily integrated to well-established pulse sequences, such as Magic Sandwich Echo and Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill, for the single-shot determination of T1 and T2 or T2* .