1,721,501 research outputs found
Bioactive hydrogels for tissue engineering
Full text linkModern tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds are expected to actively promote tissue repair as well as meeting the traditional requirements of non-toxicity, degradability and structural integrity. This thesis presents two novel bioactive hydrogel systems for bone and cartilage TE. A series of alginate hydrogels were developed in which all or a fraction of the calcium normally used for crosslinking alginate was replaced by bioactive strontium and/or zinc ions. Strontium was chosen for its ability to stimulate bone formation, while zinc is essential for alkaline phosphatase activity. Due to an interaction between the crosslinking ion and alginate type, the hydrogel properties could be tailored independently of the crosslinking ion used – meaning that varying biological and materials requirements can be accommodated. Strontium release from alginate gels was of a physiologically relevant magnitude, and alkaline phosphatase protein activity in Saos-2 cells was highest in strontium gels. Secondly, a biomimetic strategy for transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) presentation and release was evaluated. TGF-β in vivo is secreted as part of an inactive latent complex, which is sequestered in a stable form within extracellular matrix until released by cells. TGF-β was therefore incorporated into poly(ethylene glycol)-hyaluronic acid hydrogels in its latent form. When compared to free TGF-β, advantages were demonstrated in terms of lower protein adsorption to tissue culture plastic and relative biological inactivity. The latter implies that high doses may be loaded into TE scaffolds without exposing cells to excessive quantities of active growth factor, with TGF-β bioavailability then being controlled by gradual activation by cells. Increased metabolic activity and ECM deposition by bovine chondrocytes were seen after almost five weeks in culture with a single initial loading of LTGF-β. These innovations correspond to current TE trends, which seek to use biomimetic principles to evoke regenerative responses from transplanted or host cells, but to do so using technically and commercially feasible means
Microneedle-mediated nanomedicine to enhance therapeutic and diagnostic efficacy
Full text linkNanomedicine has been extensively explored for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in recent years, owing to its numerous advantages such as controlled release, targeted delivery, and efficient protection of encapsulated agents. Integration of microneedle technologies with nanomedicine has the potential to address current limitations in nanomedicine for drug delivery including relatively low therapeutic efficacy and poor patient compliance and enable theragnostic uses. In this Review, we first summarize representative types of nanomedicine and describe their broad applications. We then outline the current challenges faced by nanomedicine, with a focus on issues related to physical barriers, biological barriers, and patient compliance. Next, we provide an overview of microneedle systems, including their definition, manufacturing strategies, drug release mechanisms, and current advantages and challenges. We also discuss the use of microneedle-mediated nanomedicine systems for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Finally, we provide a perspective on the current status and future prospects for microneedle-mediated nanomedicine for biomedical applications.</p
Hypoxia-mimicking bioactive materials for skeletal tissue engineering
Full text linkThe next generation of regenerative medicine solutions will depend on smart materials that can activate “self-healing” mechanisms. Cells respond to changes in pO2 through a hypoxia-sensing pathway, the HIF-1 pathway, which activates numerous processes necessary for bone and cartilage development and for normal tissue repair. Control of these processes is critical in tissue engineering (TE), therefore this thesis aimed to develop novel hypoxia-mimicking materials for skeletal TE.
Resorbable bioactive glasses (BG) were chosen as the delivery system for a hypoxia-stimulating ion, Co2+. Two series of melt-derived BGs containing increasing amounts of Co2+ were synthesised. Co2+ was equally distributed through both the silicate and orthophosphate phases of the BG, and acted as both an intermediate oxide and network modifier in the silicate network. Co2+ significantly decreased the ion-release rate and HCA-forming ability of BG, and a controlled release of Co2+ was achieved.
The biological activity of the hypoxia-mimicking BGs on human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) was assessed. In both cell types the Co2+-containing BGs activated the HIF-1 pathway. hMSCs exposed to the BG reduced their proliferation rate but enhanced glycolytic activity and collagen production, and VEGF expression was up-regulated in a concentration-dependent manner. Exposure of ECs to the hypoxia-mimicking BGs reduced cell viability. However, in a co-culture system with hMSCs, EC viability and angiogenic potential were rescued. These results suggest that the hypoxia-mimicking BGs can activate several processes involved in skeletal regeneration, including cell differentiation, ECM production and angiogenesis, either by a direct effect on hMSCs or by a paracrine effect of hMSCs.
Finally, the hypoxia-mimicking BGs were successfully incorporated into collagen freeze-dried scaffolds. hMSC viability was not affected by the presence of the Co2+-containing BG. Importantly, the BG was still able to activate the HIF-1 pathway when incorporated into collagen scaffolds. The results presented in this thesis strongly suggest the potential of the hypoxia-mimicking BGs for skeletal TE
Complexity in biomaterials for tissue engineering
No full textThe molecular and physical information coded within the extracellular milieu is informing the development of a new generation of biomaterials for tissue engineering. Several powerful extracellular influences have already found their way into cell-instructive scaffolds, while others remain largely unexplored. Yet for commercial success tissue engineering products must be not only efficacious but also cost-effective, introducing a potential dichotomy between the need for sophistication and ease of production. This is spurring interest in recreating extracellular influences in simplified forms, from the reduction of biopolymers into short functional domains, to the use of basic chemistries to manipulate cell fate. In the future these exciting developments are likely to help reconcile the clinical and commercial pressures on tissue engineering
Fillable magnetic microrobots for drug delivery to cardiac tissues in vitro
Full text linkMany cardiac diseases, such as arrhythmia or cardiogenic shock, cause irregular beating patterns that must be regulated to prevent disease progression toward heart failure. Treatments can include invasive surgery or high systemic drug dosages, which lack precision, localization, and control. Drug delivery systems (DDSs) that can deliver cargo to the cardiac injury site could address these unmet clinical challenges. Here, a microrobotic DDS that can be mobilized to specific sites via magnetic control is presented. This DDS incorporates an internal chamber that can protect drug cargo. Furthermore, the DDS contains a tunable thermosensitive sealing layer that gradually degrades upon exposure to body temperature, enabling prolonged drug release. Once loaded with the small molecule drug norepinephrine, this microrobotic DDS modulated beating frequency in induced pluripotent stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) in a dose-dependent manner, thus simulating drug delivery to cardiac cells in vitro. The DDS also navigates several maze-like structures seeded with cardiomyocytes to demonstrate precise locomotion under a rotating low-intensity magnetic field and on-site drug delivery. This work demonstrates the utility of a magnetically actuating DDS for precise, localized, and controlled drug delivery which is of interest for a myriad of future opportunities such as in treating cardiac diseases.</p
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Extracellular matrix-mediated osteogenic differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells
No full textEmbryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent and have the ability to differentiate into mineralising cells in vitro. The use of pluripotent cells in engineered bone substitutes will benefit from the development of bioactive scaffolds which encourage cell differentiation and tissue development. Extracellular matrix (ECM) may be a suitable candidate for use in such scaffolds since it plays an active role in cellular differentiation. Here, we test the hypothesis that tissue-specific ECM influences the differentiation of murine ESCs. We induced murine ESCs to differentiate by embryoid body formation, followed by dissociation and culture on ECM prepared by decellularisation of either osteogenic cell (MC3T3-E1) or non-osteogenic cell (A549) cultures, or on defined collagen type I matrix. We assessed osteogenic differentiation by formation of mineralised tissue and osteogenic gene expression, and found it to be significantly greater on MC3T3-E1 matrices than on any other matrix. The osteogenic effect of MC3T3-E1 matrix was reduced by heat treatment and abolished by trypsin, suggesting a bioactive proteinaceous component. These results demonstrate that decellularised bone-specific ECM promotes the osteogenic differentiation of ESCs. Our results are of fundamental interest and may help in tailoring scaffolds for tissue engineering applications which both incorporate tissue-specific ECM signals and stimulate stem-cell differentiation
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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