Bioactive glass/polymer composites are promising materials for bone tissue engineering. The present research group has developed porous hybrid scaffolds comprised of 50% polyvinyl alcohol/50% bioactive glass with a 70%SiO ₂–30%CaO composition. Prior studies have also shown the adequate structural and mechanical behavior of these scaffolds. As such, the present study investigates the in vitro and in vivo osteogenic potential of the scaffold, using mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from the bone marrow of female rats. MTT, alkaline phosphatase activity, collagen secretion and Von Kossa staining were conducted to evaluate the differentiation ability of MSC in an osteogenic medium. The in vitro results indicate an increase in both cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation when the hybrid material is present. Von Kossa staining showed a progressive increase in mineralization nodules, coupled with time differentiation. For the in vivo evaluation...

Bone substitute material properties such as granule size, macroporosity, microporosity and shape have been shown to influence the cellular inflammatory response to a bone substitute material. Keeping these parameters constant, the present study analyzed the in vivo tissue reaction to three bone substitute materials (granules) with different chemical compositions (hydroxyapatite (HA), beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and a mixture of both with a HA/TCP ratio of 60/40 wt%). Using a subcutaneous implantation model in Wistar rats for up to 30 days, tissue reactions, including the induction of multinucleated giant cells and the extent of implantation bed vascularization, were assessed using histological and histomorphometrical analyses. The results showed that the chemical composition of the bone substitute material significantly influenced the cellular response. When compared to HA, TCP attracted significantly greater multinucleated giant cell formations within the implantation...

This study investigates human chondrocyte expansion on four macroporous gelatine microcarriers (CultiSpher) differing with respect to two manufacturing processes—the amount of emulsifier used during initial preparation and the gelatine cross-linking medium. Monolayer-expanded articular chondrocytes from three donors were seeded onto the microcarriers and cultured in spinner flask systems for a total of 15 days. Samples were extracted every other day to monitor cell viability and establish cell counts, which were analysed using analysis of variance and piecewise linear regression. Chondrocyte densities increased according to a linear pattern for all microcarriers, indicating an ongoing, though limited, cell proliferation. A strong chondrocyte donor effect was seen during the initial expansion phase. The final cell yield differed significantly between the microcarriers and our results indicate that manufacturing differences affected chondrocyte densities at this point. Remaining ce...

Although desirable for biomedical applications, soft degradable elastomers having balanced amphiphilic behaviour are rarely described in the literature. Indeed, mainly highly hydrophobic elastomers or very hydrophilic elastomers with hydrogel behaviours are found. In this work, we developed thermoset degradable elastomers based on the photo-cross-linking of poly(lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide) (PLA-PEG-PLA) triblock prepolymers. The originality of the proposed elastomers comes from the careful choice of the prepolymer amphiphilicity and from the possible modulation of their mechanical properties and degradation rates provided by cross-linkers of different nature. This is illustrated with the hydrophobic and rigid 2,4,6-triallyloxy-1,3,5-triazine compared to the hydrophilic and soft pentaerythritol triallyl ether. Thermal properties, mechanical properties, swelling behaviours, degradation rates and cytocompatibility have been evaluated. Results show that it is possibl...

Gelatin-based nanofibrous scaffolds with a mean fiber diameter of 300 nm were prepared with and without micrometer-sized polyethylene glycol (PEG) fibers that served as sacrificial templates. Upon fabrication of the scaffolds via electrospinning, the gelatin fibers were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and the PEG templates were removed using tert-butanol to yield nanofibrous scaffolds with pore diameters ranging from 10 to 100 µm, as estimated with mercury intrusion porosimetry. Non-templated gelatin-based nanofibrous matrices had an average pore size of 1 µm. Fibroblasts were seeded onto both types of the gelatin-based nanofibrous surfaces and cultured for 14 days. For comparative purposes, chitosan-based and polyurethane-based macroporous scaffolds with pore sizes of 100 and 170 µm, respectively, were also included. The number of cells as a function of the depth into the scaffold was judged and quantitatively assessed using nuclei staining. Cell penetration up to a dept...

The objectives of this study were to fabricate cross-linked biodegradable polycarbonate nanofibers and to investigate their biodegradability by different enzymes. Poly(2,3-dihydroxycarbonate) was synthesized from naturally occurring l-tartaric acid. The hydroxyl groups on the functional polycarbonate were converted to methacrylate groups to enable the polymer to cross-link under UV irradiation. Smooth cross-linked methacrylated polycarbonate nanofibers (300–1800 nm) were fabricated by a reactive electrospinning process with in situ UV radiation from a mixed solution of linear methacrylated polycarbonate (MPC) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) (MPC:PEO = 9:1) in methanol/chloroform (50/50). These cross-linked nanofibers have shown excellent solvent resistance and their solubility decreases with increasing degree of cross-linking. The thermal properties of linear and cross-linked polycarbonate nanofibers were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetr...

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a frequently utilized polymer for the fabrication of synthetic vascular grafts, was surface-modified by means of a wet-chemical process. The inherently non-cell-adhesive polymer does not support cellular attachment, a prerequisite for the endothelialization of luminal surface grafts in small diameter applications. To impart the material with cell-adhesive properties a treatment with sodium-naphthalene provided a basis for the subsequent immobilization of the adhesion promoting RGD-peptide using a hydroxy- and amine-reactive crosslinker. Successful conjugation was shown with cell culture experiments which demonstrated excellent endothelial cell growth on the modified surfaces.

The success of intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prostheses (ITAP) relies on achieving a tight seal between the soft tissues and the implant in order to avoid infection. Fibronectin (Fn) may be silanized onto titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) in order to promote soft-tissue attachment. The silanization process includes passivation with sulphuric acid, which alters surface characteristics. This study aimed to improve in vitro fibroblast adhesion to silanized fibronectin (SiFn) titanium alloy by omitting the passivation stage. Additionally, the study assessed the effects of SiFn on in vivo dermal attachment, comparing the results with adsorbed Fn, hydroxyapatite (HA), Fn adsorbed onto HA (HAFn) and uncoated controls. Surface topography was assessed using scanning electron microscopy, profilometry and contact angle measurement. Anti-vinculin antibodies were used to immunolocalize fibroblast adhesion sites. A histological assessment of soft-tissue attachment and cell alig...

Engineering dermal substitutes with electrospun nanofibres have lately been of prime importance for skin tissue regeneration. Simple electrospinning technology served to produce nanofibrous scaffolds morphologically and structurally similar to the extracellular matrix of native tissues. The nanofibrous scaffolds of poly(l-lactic acid)-co-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PLACL) and PLACL/gelatin complexes were fabricated by the electrospinning process. These nanofibres were characterized for fibre morphology, membrane porosity, wettability and chemical properties by FTIR analysis to culture human foreskin fibroblasts for skin tissue engineering. The nanofibre diameter was obtained between 282 and 761 nm for PLACL and PLACL/gelatin scaffolds; expressions of amino and carboxyl groups and porosity up to 87% were obtained for these fibres, while they also exhibited improved hydrophilic properties after plasma treatment. The results showed that fibroblasts proliferation, morphology, CMFDA dye exp...

Tissue-engineered periosteum (TEP) and 'intramembranous ossification' may be an alternative approach to bone tissue engineering. In the previous study we attained successful bone defect reparation with homemade TEP in an allogenic rabbit model. But its allogenic immunocompatibility remained unknown. In this study TEP was constructed by seeding osteogenically induced mesenchymal stem cells of rabbit onto porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS). A mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) was applied to evaluate the in vitro immunogenicity. The ratio of CD4 ⁺/CD8 ⁺ T-lymphocytes was tested kinetically to evaluate the systematic reaction of the TEP allograft, and a histological examination was performed to investigate local inflammation and ectopic osteogenesis. MLR indicated that TEP had a higher in vitro immunostimulation than SIS ( p < 0.05). The ratios of CD4 ⁺/CD8 ⁺ lymphocytes increased in both TEP and SIS implanted groups ...