Osteochondral scaffolds based on electrospinning method: General review on new and emerging approaches

The complexity and gradient structure of osteochondral (OC) tissue have become a challenging topic in interfacial tissue engineering (ITE) researches. Various reports have been published about the replaced OC scaffolds prepared by altered techniques; however, electrospinning as an effective method has not been sufficiently reported yet. This general review of the literature is focused on the preclinical studies published about the OC scaffolds prepared by electrospinning method and describing an outline on future directions and challenges. This overview revealed the necessity of additional preclinical studies to develop optimal scaffolds that can effectively replace and treat defected OC tissue.     

Technology of electrostatic spinning for the production of polyurethane tissue engineering scaffolds

Electrostatic spinning was investigated as an alternative to electrospinning to establish the potential of the technique for the production of a range of microfibrous polyurethane scaffolds with a variety of structures and properties related to the fabrication conditions. Tecoflex^® SG‐80A polyurethane was spun, systematically altering the spinning parameters, and the resulting scaffolds were characterised using scanning electron microscopy. Inter‐fibre separation was significantly affected by flow rate, spray distance and grid and mandrel voltages; fibre diameter by flow rate and mandrel voltage; void fraction by flow rate; fibre orientation by traverse speed and mandrel speed; and thickness by flow rate. Thus, scaffold (three‐dimensional) architecture may be controlled through manipulation of the electric fields and the fibre deposition (spinning parameters of flow rate and grid and mandrel voltages); and by spray movement and direction (spinning parameters of relative spray height, spray distance, traverse speed and mandrel speed). There were significant differences between the internal and external scaffold surfaces, due in part to the manner in which the surface of the mandrels was prepared. We conclude that the process may be used to produce a range of polyurethane scaffolds for use in many tissue engineering applications. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

同轴静电纺丝素蛋白纤维支架的制备及结构性能表征

以再生丝素蛋白水溶液为皮层纺丝液,去离子水为芯层纺丝液,探讨了同轴静电纺制备丝素蛋白组织工程支架材料的最佳工艺参数。结果表明,随着皮层纺丝液质量分数的提高,支架材料的表观形貌逐渐变好;当皮层纺丝液的质量分数为39%(w)、流速为1.2 m L/h,芯层纺丝液流速为0.3 m L/h时,可制备出表观形貌好、纤维粗细均匀且具有稳定皮芯结构的支架材料。文章探索得到的同轴静电纺丝工艺可用于载药组织工程支架材料的制备,并在组织工程修复领域具有良好的应用前景。     

Preparation and characterization of novel chitosan/nanodiopside/nanohydroxyapatite composite scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

Chitosan/nanodiopside/nanohydroxyapatite (CS/nDP/nHAp) composite scaffolds were prepared from the mixture of chitosan, nDP, and nHAp in different inorganic/organic weight ratios by using the freeze-drying method. The prepared nHAp and composite scaffolds were investigated using BET, TG, FT-IR, SEM, EDS, and XRD techniques. The composite scaffolds had 50–85% porosities with interlinked porous networks. Moreover, investigation of the cell proliferation, adhesion, and viability using MTT test, and mouse preosteoblast cell proved the cytocompatibile nature of the composite scaffolds with improved cell attachment and proliferation. All these results essentially illustrated that this composite could be a potential for bone tissue engineering applications.     

PU/有机蒙脱土纳米复合材料的制备和性能研究

采用原位插层聚合法制备PU/有机蒙脱土(OMMT)纳米复合材料。通过X射线衍射和透射电镜分析发现,当OMMT质量分数为0 01和0 03时,OMMT完全剥离并较均匀地分散于PU基体中;当OMMT质量分数为0 05时,OMMT在PU基体中发生部分剥离。热重分析表明,加入OMMT可提高复合材料的耐热性。动态力学分析表明,OMMT对PU模量的影响不大。PU/OMMT复合材料的硬度、弹性模量、拉伸强度和拉断伸长率均比纯PU有所提高。     

分子筛基纳米复合防晒剂的制备和表征及应用研究

利用离子交换法制备了一种新型的分子筛基主客体纳米复合FeO3-Y防晒剂。通过XRD、ICP、TEM和UV-vis等分析表征手段证实：由于客体团簇在分子筛的孔道中有序排列,即使在较低的含量下,这种主客体复合体系依然表现出很高的紫外吸收作用。与商品级纳米二氧化钛相比,这种防晒剂由于不具有光催化氧化性和透皮的安全隐患,所以具有更高的安全性。在粉底化妆品中的初步应用研究结果表明：这种复合防晒剂在配方中表现出了明显的抗紫外性质,与纳米二氧化钛复配后其抗紫外性质有很大提高。     

Fabrication and evaluation of nanofibrous polyhydroxybutyrate valerate scaffolds containing hydroxyapatite particles for bone tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is a new approach for regeneration of damaged tissues. The current clinical methods such as autograft and allograft transplantation are not effective for repairing bone damages, mainly due to the limited available sources and the donor-site side effects. In this research, the nanocomposite poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/nano hydroxyapatite (nHA) scaffolds with different nHA ratios for bone regeneration were utilized. The diameter and porosity of scaffolds were approximately 200?nm and 74%, respectively. The degradability test of the scaffolds suggests a low degradation rate with total degradation of 30% after 3 months. Cytotoxicity result showed that cultured osteoblast cells (MC3T3) on nanocomposite scaffolds had superiority in terms of higher proliferation and attachment in comparison with PHBV scaffold. The protein expression of alkaline phosphatase illustrated that nanofibrous scaffold containing hydroxyapatite had the highest alkaline phosphatase activities as a result of better proliferation. These results recommend that PHBV/nHA scaffolds are suitable candidates for bone tissue engineering.     

Preparation of chitosan-sodium alginate/bioactive glass composite cartilage scaffolds with high cell activity and bioactivity

Chitosan-sodium alginate/bioactive glass (CSB) composite cartilage scaffold with outstanding in vitro mineralization property and cytocompatibility is synthesized by freeze drying method. The effect of bioactive glass (BG) addition on the microstructure, porosity, swelling/degradation ratio, in vitro mineralization property and cytocompatibility of CSB scaffold is investigated by the characterization techniques of SEM, XRD, FTIR and BET. Results showed that CSB composite cartilage scaffold had a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure, and both porosity and average pore size met the requirements of cartilage tissue repair. Among, the typical CSB-1.0 had the largest overall pore size and lowest compressive modulus (1.083 ± 0.002 MPa). As the amount of BG increased, pore volume and porosity of CSB scaffolds gradually decreased, and the swelling and degradation ratios gradually reduced. After immersing in SBF for 3 d, cauliflower like hydroxyapatite (HA) was formed on CSB surface, indicating that the scaffold had good in vitro mineralization property. Moreover, the introduction of BG into the composite scaffold can improve the relative cell viability of MC3T3-E1 cells, and CSB-1.0 has the strongest ability to promote the proliferation of cells. Therefore, the as-obtained CSB scaffold can be used as a strong candidate for cartilage tissue engineering scaffold to meet clinical needs.     

Synthesis and characterization of injectable chitosan cryogel microsphere scaffolds

Treatment of tissue defects involves invasive processes such as implanting the tissue engineered scaffold to the defected area. Injectable scaffolds are increasingly being developed to achieve tissue regeneration in a less invasive manner. In this study, injectable chitosan cryogels in the form of microspheres were synthesized combining the water in oil emulsification method with the crosslinking of microspheres during cryogelation. The effects of polymer ratio, crosslinker concentration, cryogelation temperature, and stirring speed on the resulting cryogels’ chemistry, pore morphology, microsphere size, swelling ratio, degree of crosslinking, and degradation rate were examined for a possible noninvasive tissue engineering application. Microspheres with optimized properties were developed with an average pore and particle size of 5.50?±?0.63 and 220.11?±?25.58?µm at a chitosan ratio of 1%, glutaraldehyde concentration of 3%, reaction temperature of ?16°C, and stirring rate of 1,000?rpm.     

氯乙烯-丙烯腈共聚物/二氧化硅纳米复合材料的制备

将改性后的纳米二氧化硅加入乳化剂溶液.充分乳化后,加入氯乙烯和丙烯腈乳液进行共聚反应,制得氯乙烯-丙烯腈共聚物/二氧化硅纳米复合材料,经过测试,加入纳米二氧化硅的氯乙烯一丙烯腈共聚物的热稳定性能和阻燃性能均有所提高.     

Fabrication of porous scaffolds with a controllable microstructure and mechanical properties by porogen fusion technique

Macroporous scaffolds with controllable pore structure and mechanical properties were fabricated by a porogen fusion technique. Biodegradable material poly (d, l-lactide) (PDLLA) was used as the scaffold matrix. The effects of porogen size, PDLLA concentration and hydroxyapatite (HA) content on the scaffold morphology, porosity and mechanical properties were investigated. High porosity (90% and above) and highly interconnected structures were easily obtained and the pore size could be adjusted by varying the porogen size. With the increasing porogen size and PDLLA concentration, the porosity of scaffolds decreases, while its mechanical properties increase. The introduction of HA greatly increases the impact on pore structure, mechanical properties and water absorption ability of scaffolds, while it has comparatively little influence on its porosity under low HA contents. These results show that by adjusting processing parameters, scaffolds could afford a controllable pore size, exhibit suitable pore structure and high porosity, as well as good mechanical properties, and may serve as an excellent substrate for bone tissue engineering.     

Combined effects of 3D bone marrow stem cell-seeded wet-electrospun poly lactic acid scaffolds on full-thickness skin wound healing

Tissue engineering has emerged as an alternative treatment to traditional grafts for skin wound healing. Three-dimensional nanofibers have been used extensively for this purpose due to their excellent biomedical-related properties. In this study, high porous 3D poly lactic acid nanofibrous scaffolds (PLA-S) were prepared by wet-electrospinning technique and seeded with rat bone-marrow stem cells (BMSCs) to characterize the biocompatibility and therapeutic efficacy of these fibers on the treating full-thickness dermal wounds. The results of in vitro andin vivo studies indicate that the 3D fibrous PLA-S can be a potential wound dressing for wound repair, particularly when seeded with BMSCs.     

Preparation and characterization of novel chitosan/zeolite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications

In this study, chitosan-based novel scaffolds containing zeolite A were fabricated by freeze-drying technique. The nanocomposite scaffolds were prepared from chitosan and zeolite A nanocrystals with different amounts (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0%) in aqueous media. The zeolite A nanocrystals and nanocomposite scaffolds were characterized by using FTIR, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis. The scaffolds were seeded with bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cell line (UE7T-13), and cell attachment, viability, and cytotoxicity assays were performed. In vitro cytotoxicity of scaffolds toward human mesenchymal stem cell line was evaluated through the evaluation of cell viability and cell attachment assays.     

EPDM/有机蒙脱土纳米复合材料的制备和性能研究

以EPDM接枝马来酸酐作相容剂，用一段密闭熔融混炼、二段开炼机混炼的方法制备了EPDM／有机蒙脱土(OMMT)纳米复合材料，并对其性能进行了研究。结果表明，熔融混炼使EPDM分子链开始插入OMMT片层间，致使OMMT片层间距有所增大；开炼机混炼使OMMT片层间距进一步增大；硫化后，OMMT片层剥离，以纳米级尺寸均匀分布于EPDM基体中。与EPDM胶料相比，EPDM／OMMT纳米复合材料的损耗因子小，玻璃化温度高，储能模量大，物理性能显著提高。     

Evaluation of structural,mechanical, and cellular behavior of electrospun poly-3-hydroxybutyrate scaffolds loaded with glucosamine sulfate to develop cartilage tissue engineering

Considering the role of glucosamine sulfate (GS) in the biosynthetic pathways of chondrocytes, an attempt was made to design an electrospun poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) scaffold loaded with GS to develop cartilage tissue engineering. The study was initiated using the optimal electrospun scaffold conditions for the synthesis of PHB/GS. The resulting scaffolds have shown excellent pore architectures and mechanical behavior compared to pure PHB. UV spectrophotometric analysis, for the evaluation of the GS release behavior, showed zero-order kinetics release. In vitro results indicated excellent cell viability, cell adhesion, and cell penetration of PHB/GS scaffolds compared to pure PHB.     

Cistanche polysaccharide (CDPS)/polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds based coaxial electrospinning for vascular tissue engineering

High rate of platelet adhesion and limited biocompatibility were regarded as the chief weaknesses of vascular tissue engineering scaffolds. The objective of this research was to overcome these drawbacks by ultilizing coaxial electrospinning to combine CDPS with PLA. CDPS and PLA were located at the inner and external layer respectively so that a “core-sheath” structure was formed. The properties of scaffolds were tested by methods such as mechanical testing, MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay and subcutaneous transplantation. Compared to natural tissues, CDPS/PLA coaxial scaffolds showed excellent biomechanic properties and hemocompatibility so that CDPS owned good potentiality in vascular tissue engineering.     

Fabrication and characterization of electrospun fibrous nanocomposite scaffolds based on poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide)/poly(vinyl alcohol) blends

Tissue engineering involves the fabrication of three‐dimensional scaffolds to support cellular in‐growth and proliferation. Ideally, the scaffolds should be similar to the native extracellular matrix (ECM). Electrospun polymer nanofibrous scaffolds are appropriate candidates for ECM mimetic materials since they mimic the nanoscale properties of ECM. Electrospun polymer nanocomposites based on poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) were prepared by a solution intercalation technique followed by electrospinning. The morphology of fibrous scaffolds based on these nanocomposites was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The scaffolds showed highly porous structure within the nanofibres of diameters ranging from 400 to 700 nm. X‐ray diffractometry gave evidence of good dispersion of the OMMT in the blends with exfoliated morphology. Measurements of the water uptake and water contact angle of the fibrous scaffolds indicated significant improvement in the hydrophilicity of the scaffolds. Evaluations of the mechanical properties and unrestricted somatic stem cell culture of the electrospun fibrous nanocomposite scaffolds revealed that the PLGA90/PVA10/1.5% OMMT and PLGA90/PVA10/3% OMMT samples are the most useful from the tissue engineering application viewpoint. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

SBR/OMMT纳米复合材料的制备及性能研究

以聚苯乙烯(PS)低聚物为相容剂，用熔体插层法制备SBR／有机蒙脱土(OMMT)纳米复合材料，并对其结构及性能进行研究。结果表明，PS大分子能够插入OMMT层间形成复合物；采用熔体插层法使PS／OMMT纳米复合物在SBR基体中实现纳米级分散，可间接实现OMMT在SBR基体中的纳米级分散；当填充5份OMMT时，SBR／OMMT纳米复合材料具有较好的物理性能。     

抗菌PVC纳米复合材料的制备

利用钛酸酯偶联剂对ZnO/Ag纳米抗茵剂改性处理,将改性后的抗菌剂与聚氯乙烯(PVC)均匀混合后混炼压片,制得抗菌PVC纳米复合材料.研究了ZnO/Ag纳米抗菌剂的分散工艺,并对抗菌PVC复合材料的抗菌性能及力学性能进行了评价.结果表明:改性后的ZnO/Ag纳米抗菌剂沉降率由94.0%减小到0.4%,亲油性和稳定性提高:抗菌PVC复合材料对大肠杆菌的抗菌率达99%以上,其拉伸强度和断裂伸长率随抗菌剂添加量的增加均呈先增后降的趋势.     

Synthesis and characterization of conductive neural tissue engineering scaffolds based on urethane-polycaprolactone

Polymeric biomaterials play a key role in enhancement of lengthy nerve regeneration and various types of scaffolds were used to pave the way for nerve regeneration. Electrospun fibrous scaffolds have special potential applicability in controlling the cell behaviors such as adhesion, growth, proliferation and function. This study attempted to design a conductive and porous fibrous scaffold containing polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyaniline (PANI) with controllable degradation rate by adding urethane groups in scaffold structures. FTIR and NMR analysis was used to characterize the chemical bonds. Morphology, porosity, conductivity and degradation rate of scaffolds were also evaluated. To assess the cell–scaffold interaction, PC-12 cell line was cultured on the scaffolds. Results showed that the degradation rate of composite samples significantly increased in 50 time period. It seems that these results suggest that the composite fibrous scaffolds having proportions of UPCL/PCL/PANI45:20:35 exhibit the most balanced properties that meet all of the required specifications for neural cells and possess a potential application in neural tissue engineering.