Proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cell on collagen sponge reinforced with polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate blend fibers

Although tissue-engineered scaffolds made from collagen sponge are suitable for cell infiltrating, easily supplying oxygen and nutrients to cells, and removing the waste products, their mechanical properties are not satisfactory to be used as scaffold materials for tissue engineering applications. To improve mechanical properties of collagen, a novel porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering was prepared with collagen sponge reinforced by polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate (PP/PET) fibers. Collagen solution (6.33 mg/mL) with PP/PET fibers (collagen/fiber ratio [w/w]: 1.27, 0.63, 0.42, 0.25) was freeze-dried, followed by cross-linking of combined dehydrothermal and glutaraldehyde. A scanning electron microscopy-based analysis of surface of the sponges demonstrated that the sponge with collagen/fiber <0.25 exhibited homogenous and interconnected pore structure with an average pore size of 200 μm. Incorporation of PP/PET fibers significantly enhanced the compressive strength of the collagen sponge. Proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cell in collagen sponges reinforced with PP/PET fibers incorporation were significantly enhanced compared with collagen sponge without PP/PET incorporation. We conclude that incorporation of PP/PET fibers not only improves the mechanical properties of collagen sponge, but also enables mesenchymal stem cells to positively improve their proliferation and differentiation.

Size effect of calcium phosphate coated with poly-DL-lactide- co-glycolide on healing processes in bone reconstruction

In this article, synthesis and application of calcium phosphate/poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide (CP/PLGA) composite biomaterial in particulate form, in which each CP granule/particle is coated with PLGA, are described. Two types of the particulate material having different particle sizes were synthesized: one with an average particle diameter between 150 and 250 mum (micron-sized particles, MPs) and the other with an average particle diameter smaller than 50 nm (nanoparticles, NPs). A comparative in vivo analysis was done by reconstructing defects in osteoporotic alveolar bones using both composites. The material, CP granules/particles covered with polymer, was characterized using X-ray structural analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Changes in reparatory functions of tissues affected by osteoporosis were examined in mice in vivo, using these two kinds of composite materials, with and without autologous plasma. Having defined the target segment, histomorphometric parameters-bone area fraction, area, and mean density-were determined. The best results in the regeneration and recuperation of alveolar bone damaged by osteoporosis were achieved with the implantation of a mixture of nanoparticulate CP/PLGA composite and autologous plasma. After the implantation of microparticulate CP/PLGA, in the form of granules, mixed with autologous plasma, into an artificial defect in alveolar bone, new bone formation was also observed, although its formation rate was slower.

Micro and nano-scale in vitro 3D culture system for cardiac stem cells

Despite the success to prevent or limit cardiovascular diseases, the restoration of the function of a damaged heart remains a formidable challenge. Cardiac stem cells (CSCs), with the capacity to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, hold great potential as a source of cells for regenerative medicine. A major challenge facing the clinical application of differentiated CSCs, however, is theability to generate sufficient numbers of cells with the desired phenotype. We previously established cell lines of CSCs using a c-kit antibody from adult rat hearts for use in regenerative medicine. C-kit -positive cardiac cells are well recognized as CSCs and have the potential to differentiate into cardiomyocytes. Here, before implant these cells in vivo, we first developed three-dimensional culture system (3D) using micro- and nano-scaled material. Sheets of poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) were fabricated by electrospinning. Composites of collagen-PGA were prepared that contained 0, 1.5, 3 or 6 mg of electrospun PGA nanofibers. The nanofibers were added as a sheet that formed a layer within the collagen sponge. The sponges were freeze-dried and then dehydrothermally crosslinked. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-based analysis of the surface of the sponges demonstrated a uniform collagenous structure regardless of the amount of PGA nanofibres included. The PGA nanofibers significantly enhanced the compressive strength of the collagen sponge. More CSCs attached to the collagen sponge incorporating 6 mg of PGA nanofibers than the sponge without PGA nanofibers. The attachment and proliferation of CSCs in the 3D culture was enhanced by incubation in a bioreactor perfusion system compared with 3D static and two-dimensional (2D; i.e. tissue culture plates) culture systems. The use of micro- and nano-scale materials in the fabrication of composites together with a 3D culture system is a very promising way to promote the culture of stem cells. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2010.

Gelatinized copper-capillary alginate gel functions as an injectable tissue scaffolding system for stem cell transplants

In severe hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, cellular components such as neurons and astrocytes are injured or destroyed along with the supporting extracellular matrix. This presents a challenge to the field of regenerative medicine since the lack of extracellular matrix and supporting structures makes the transplant milieu inhospitable to the transplanted cells. A potential solution to this problem is the use of a biomaterial to provide the extracellular components needed to keep cells localized in cystic brain regions, allowing the cells to form connections and repair lost brain tissue. Ideally, this biomaterial would be combined with stem cells, which have been proven to have therapeutic potentials, and could be delivered via an injection. To study this approach, we derived a hydrogel biomaterial tissue scaffold from oligomeric gelatin and copper-capillary alginate gel (GCCAG). We then demonstrated that our multipotent astrocytic stem cells (MASCs) could be maintained in GCCAG scaffolds for up to 2 weeks in vitro and that the cells retained their multipotency. We next performed a pilot transplant study in which GCCAG was mixed with MASCs and injected into the brain of a neonatal rat pup. After a week in vivo, our results showed that: the GCCAG biomaterial did not cause a significant reactive gliosis; viable cells were retained within the injected scaffolds; and some delivered cells migrated into the surrounding brain tissue. Therefore, GCCAG tissue scaffolds are a promising, novel injectable system for transplantation of stem cells to the brain.

Collagen/silk fibroin bi-template induced biomimetic bone-like substitutes

A novel bi-template induced co-assembly method was employed to fabricate biomimetic bone substitute materials, collagen (COL)-fibroin/hydroxyapatite (COL-SF/HA) composite by using a combination of Type I COL and silk fibroin (SF) molecular templates. As a control, COL/HA and SF/HA composites were also synthesized via single-template assembly technology. The structure and morphology of the resulting assembly composites were investigated by X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectra, transmission electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis. Their sizes and size distributions were measured by DLS. The results indicated that the mineral phases in COL-SF/HA, COL-HA, and SF-HA composites were needle-like nano-HA crystals. In comparison to those in COL-HA and SF-HA, the mineral phase in COL-SF/HA displayed smaller size and more narrow distribution. Of all above biomimetic composites, the HA was well assembled with molecular template(s), and the organic content of the composite was about 12%-20%, which was quite similar to the natural bone in composition. CD and SDS-PAGE were used to examine the secondary structure and subunit composition of template proteins. The results revealed that the spatial structure of co-assembly template proteins played a pivotal role in controlling and regulating HA crystal nucleation and growth. Based on the experimental results above, a possible co-assembly mechanism for the HA growing on fibrous bi-template proteins was suggested.

Tailoring the properties of guanosine-based supramolecular hydrogels

We demonstrate that very stable hydrogels can be formed in aqueous potassium chloride solution by mixing a well-known gelator (guanosine, G) with a nongelator of similar structure (2',3',5'-tri-O-acetylguanosine, TAcG), and through a variety of characterization methods including rheology, small-angle neutron scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, and atomic force microscopy, we report substantial progress toward elucidating the factors that control the structure and stability of this fibrous gel system. The results suggest that the tailorability, long lifetime stability, and thermomechanical behavior of these gels derives from a reduction in the driving force toward crystallization with increased hydrophobic (TAcG) content, accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in fiber length and an increase in fiber width.