Long-Term Sustained Release from a Biodegradable Photo-Cross-Linked Network for Intraocular Corticosteroid Delivery.

Intravitreal sustained delivery of corticosteroids such as dexamethasone is an effective means of treating a number of ocular diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, and age-related or diabetic macular edema. There are currently marketed devices for this purpose, yet only one, Ozurdex, is degradable. In vitro release of dexamethasone from the Ozurdex device is limited to approximately 30 days, however. It was the objective of this study to examine the potential for prolonged and sustained release of a corticosteroid in vitro from a degradable polymer prepared from terminally acrylated star co- and ter-prepolymers composed of d,l-lactide, ε-caprolactone, and trimethylene carbonate co-photo-cross-linked with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. Through manipulation of the network polymer glass transition temperature and degradation rate, a sustained release of triamcinolone was achieved, with an estimated release duration greater than twice that of the Ozurdex system. Moreover, a period of nearly constant release was obtained using a network prepared from 5000 Da star-poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-d,l-lactide) triacrylate (3:1 trimethylene carbonate:d,l-lactide) co-cross-linked with 700 Da poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate). These formulations show promise as implantable, intravitreal corticosteroid delivery devices.

Effect of decellularized adipose tissue particle size and cell density on adipose-derived stem cell proliferation and adipogenic differentiation in composite methacrylated chondroitin sulphate hydrogels.

An injectable composite scaffold incorporating decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) as a bioactive matrix within a hydrogel phase capable of in situ polymerization would be advantageous for adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) delivery in the filling of small or irregular soft tissue defects. Building on previous work, the current study investigates DAT milling methods and the effects of DAT particle size and cell seeding density on the response of human ASCs encapsulated in photo-cross-linkable methacrylated chondroitin sulphate (MCS)-DAT composite hydrogels. DAT particles were generated by milling lyophilized DAT and the particle size was controlled through the processing conditions with the goal of developing composite scaffolds with a tissue-specific 3D microenvironment tuned to enhance adipogenesis. ASC proliferation and adipogenic differentiation were assessed in vitro in scaffolds incorporating small (average diameter of 38 ± 6 µm) or large (average diameter of 278 ± 3 µm) DAT particles in comparison to MCS controls over a period of up to 21 d. Adipogenic differentiation was enhanced in the composites incorporating the smaller DAT particles and seeded at the higher density of 5 × 10(5) ASCs/scaffold, as measured by glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) enzyme activity, semi-quantitative analysis of perilipin expression and oil red O staining of intracellular lipid accumulation. Overall, this study demonstrates that decellularized tissue particle size can impact stem cell differentiation through cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, providing relevant insight towards the rational design of composite biomaterial scaffolds for adipose tissue engineering.

Composite hydrogel scaffolds incorporating decellularized adipose tissue for soft tissue engineering with adipose-derived stem cells.

An injectable tissue-engineered adipose substitute that could be used to deliver adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), filling irregular defects and stimulating natural soft tissue regeneration, would have significant value in plastic and reconstructive surgery. With this focus, the primary aim of the current study was to characterize the response of human ASCs encapsulated within three-dimensional bioscaffolds incorporating decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) as a bioactive matrix within photo-cross-linkable methacrylated glycol chitosan (MGC) or methacrylated chondroitin sulphate (MCS) delivery vehicles. Stable MGC- and MCS-based composite scaffolds were fabricated containing up to 5 wt% cryomilled DAT through initiation with long-wavelength ultraviolet light. The encapsulation strategy allows for tuning of the 3-D microenvironment and provides an effective method of cell delivery with high seeding efficiency and uniformity, which could be adapted as a minimally-invasive in situ approach. Through in vitro cell culture studies, human ASCs were assessed over 14 days in terms of viability, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) enzyme activity, adipogenic gene expression and intracellular lipid accumulation. In all of the composites, the DAT functioned as a cell-supportive matrix that enhanced ASC viability, retention and adipogenesis within the gels. The choice of hydrogel also influenced the cell response, with significantly higher viability and adipogenic differentiation observed in the MCS composites containing 5 wt% DAT. In vivo analysis in a subcutaneous Wistar rat model at 1, 4 and 12 weeks showed superior implant integration and adipogenesis in the MCS-based composites, with allogenic ASCs promoting cell infiltration, angiogenesis and ultimately, fat formation.

VEGF-induced angiogenesis following localized delivery via injectable, low viscosity poly(trimethylene carbonate).

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of low molecular weight poly(trimethylene carbonate) for localized vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) delivery. Poly(trimethylene carbonate) of various molecular weights was prepared by ring-opening polymerization initiated by 1-octanol. The resultant polymers were liquid at room temperature with low glass transition temperatures and viscosities at 37 degrees C that permitted their injection through an 18 (1/2) G 1.5'' needle. Particles consisting of VEGF co-lyophilized with trehalose were mixed into the polymers and the rate of release of VEGF was assessed in vitro. With a 1% particle loading, VEGF was released from the polymer at a rate of 20 ng/day over a period of 3 weeks. This release behavior was independent of the molecular weight of polymer used. Increasing the VEGF content in the lyophilized particles did not increase the VEGF release rate, an effect attributed to the solubility limit of VEGF in the solution formed upon dissolution of the particles. The VEGF released retained its bioactivity at greater than 95% of that of as-lyophilized VEGF, as assessed using a human aortic endothelial cell proliferation assay. This high bioactivity was supported by in vivo release experiments, wherein VEGF containing polymer implants induced the generation of significantly greater numbers of blood vessels towards the polymer implant than controls. The blood vessels did not remain stable and were reduced in number by three weeks, due to the unsustained and low concentration of VEGF released. This formulation approach, of using a low viscosity polymer delivery vehicle, is potentially useful for localized delivery of acid-sensitive proteins, such as VEGF.

Reversed phase capillary HPLC using polymer-entrapped C18 particles.

Novel capillary columns containing polymer-entrapped octadecylsilyl-modified silica microspheres were evaluated for chromatographic performance. The polymer forms only at the particle surface and in as little as 10 s strongly immobilizes them, obviating the need for a frit. The photoinitiated polymerization is patternable, and various entrapment styles were compared, all of which withstood pressure drops of at least 5000 psi (345 bar). The fritless nature of the columns allows a unique mass production capability whereby long packed columns are entrapped and simply cut afterward. Since the material has previously been shown to be a proficient nanoelectrospray emitter, the columns have enormous potential for use in capillary LC-MS. The evaluation suggests that for the designs that have minimal entrapped regions, the column performance is equivalent to commercial columns containing similar particles.

Microstructured photonic fibers as multichannel electrospray emitters.

Novel multichannel electrospray emitters are presented that use silica-based microstructured fibers (MSFs) to split the flow allowing efficient desolvation during electrospray. The MSFs investigated in this study possess 30-168 individual fluidic channels (each channel being 5 microm in diameter) that form a 2D emitting array. Multiple flow paths afford stable electrospray at flow rates ranging from the microspray (e.g., 1000 nL/min) to the nanoelectrospray (e.g., 10 nL/min) regime with moderate to negligible flow-induced backpressures. The electrospray stability of highly aqueous solutions (up to 99.9% water with 0.1% acetic acid) is enhanced through modification of the emitting surface with a hydrophobic silylation reagent (chlorotrimethylsilane). Furthermore, by successfully spraying highly concentrated salt solutions, this study demonstrates that multichannel MSF emitters provide enhanced robustness to clogging, leading to increased operational throughput.

Surface roughening of a non-tapered open tubular emitter for improved electrospray ionization mass spectrometry performance at low flow rates.

A non-tapered open tubular emitter with 75 microm internal diameter (i.d.) and 360 microm external diameter (o.d.) was developed by simply grinding the exit aperture of a fused-silica capillary. The roughened emitter, with a relatively large aperture, generates stable electrospray signals (generally <5% relative standard deviation (RSD) for most conditions studied) at less than 500 nL/min flow rates, and was characterized with atomic force microscopy. The surface treatment greatly extends the operational range of an open tubular emitter to lower flow rates, compared to that of a cleaved capillary with similar dimensions. The stabilized nanoelectrospray is attributed to the increased surface roughness and modified wetting characteristics of the emitter exit resulting from grinding. Electrospray performance was evaluated, and as a result of the enhanced sensitivity from a roughened emitter, five femtomoles of leucine enkephalin were detected at a 50 nL/min flow rate with a signal to noise (S/N) ratio of 48. Furthermore, trypsin-digested bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used to demonstrate the application of the emitter in protein identification, giving a sequence coverage of 60%. These emitters are robust, and may become a facile alternative to tapered emitters at moderate nano flow rates (e.g. 50 to 500 nL/min).