Edible Materials in Tissue Regeneration

Cost-effective and natural-inspired lotus root/GelMA scaffolds enhanced wound healing via ROS scavenging, angiogenesis and reepithelialization

Skin wounds, prevalent and fraught with complications, significantly impact individuals and society. Wound healing encounters numerous obstacles, such as excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and impaired angiogenesis, thus promoting the development of chronic wound. Traditional clinical interventions like hemostasis, debridement, and surgery face considerable challenges, including the risk of secondary infections. While therapies designed to scavenge excess ROS and enhance proangiogenic properties have shown effectiveness in wound healing, their clinical adoption is hindered by high costs, complex manufacturing processes, and the potential for allergic reactions. Lotus root, distinguished by its natural micro and macro porous architecture, exhibits significant promise as a tissue engineering scaffold. This study introduced a novel scaffold based on hybridization of lotus root-inspired and Gelatin Methacryloyl (GelMA), verified with satisfactory physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, antioxidative capabilities and proangiogenic abilities. In vivo tests employing a full-thickness wound model revealed that these scaffolds notably enhanced micro vessel formation and collagen remodeling within the wound bed, thus accelerating the healing process. Given the straightforward accessibility of lotus roots and the cost-effective production of the scaffolds, the novel scaffolds with ROS scavenging, pro-angiogenesis and re-epithelialization abilities are anticipated to have clinical applicability for various chronic wounds.

Scaffolding fundamentals and recent advances in sustainable scaffolding techniques for cultured meat development

In cultured meat (CM) production, Scaffolding plays an important role by aiding cell adhesion, growth, differentiation, and alignment. The existence of fibrous microstructure in connective and muscle tissues has attracted considerable interest in the realm of tissue engineering and triggered the interest of researchers to implement scaffolding techniques. A wide array of research efforts is ongoing in scaffolding technologies for achieving the real meat structure on the principality of biomedical research and to replace serum free CM production. Scaffolds made of animal-derived biomaterials are found efficient in replicating the extracellular matrix (ECM), thus focus should be paid to utilize animal byproducts for this purpose. Proper identification and utilization of plant-derived scaffolding biomaterial could be helpful to add diversified options in addition to animal derived sources and reduce in cost of CM production through scaffolds. Furthermore, techniques like electrospinning, modified electrospinning and 3D bioprinting should be focused on to create 3D porous scaffolds to mimic the ECM of the muscle tissue and form real meat-like structures. This review discusses recent advances in cutting edge scaffolding techniques and edible biomaterials related to structured CM production.

Synthesis of γ-Cyclodextrin-Reduced Fe(III) Nanoparticles with Peroxidase-like Catalytic Activity for Bacteriostasis of Food

Foodborne pathogens are a primary cause of human foodborne illness, making it imperative to explore novel antibacterial strategies for their control. In this study, Fe-γ-CD was successfully synthesized as a food antibacterial agent for use in milk and orange juice. The Fe-γ-CD consists of 6/11 Fe(II) and 5/11 Fe(III), which catalyze a Fenton-like catalytic reaction with H2O2 to generate •OH. Consequently, Fe-γ-CD exhibits exceptional peroxidase-like activity and broad-spectrum antibacterial efficacy. Fe-γ-CD not only disrupts the wall structure of ESBL-E. coli but also induces protein leakage and genetic destruction, ultimately leading to its death. Furthermore, Fe-γ-CD inhibits biofilm formation by MRSA and eradicates mature biofilms, resulting in MRSA's demise. Importantly, Fe-γ-CD demonstrates negligible cytotoxicity toward normal mammalian cells, making it an ideal candidate for application as an antibacterial agent in foodstuffs. These findings highlight that Fe-γ-CD is an effective tool for combating the spread of foodborne pathogens and food safety.

Phytochemical Compounds Involved in the Bone Regeneration Process and Their Innovative Administration: A Systematic Review

Bone metabolism is a complex process which is influenced by the activity of bone cells (e.g., osteocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts); the effect of some specific biomarkers (e.g., parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteopontin, osteoprotegerin, osterix, RANKL, Runx2); and the characteristic signaling pathways (e.g., RANKL/RANK, Wnt/β, Notch, BMP, SMAD). Some phytochemical compounds-such as flavonoids, tannins, polyphenols, anthocyanins, terpenoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids and others-presented a beneficial and stimulating effect in the bone regeneration process due to the pro-estrogenic activity, the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory effect and modulation of bone signaling pathways. Lately, nanomedicine has emerged as an innovative concept for new treatments in bone-related pathologies envisaged through the incorporation of medicinal substances in nanometric systems for oral or local administration, as well as in nanostructured scaffolds with huge potential in bone tissue engineering.

In Vitro Assessment of Lyophilized Advanced Platelet-Rich Fibrin from Dogs in Promotion of Growth Factor Release and Wound Healing

Advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) induces more proliferation and migration of fibroblasts compared with standard PRF, but it being freshly prepared prior to it being applied is necessary. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of lyophilized A-PRF on growth factor release and cell biological activity. Blood samples were collected from six dogs and processed for fresh and lyophilized A-PRF. The growth factors released included transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA), and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), and the fibroblast proliferation as well as wound closure enhancement of both products were compared. The results showed that TGF-β1, PDGF-BB, and VEGFA were continually released from lyophilized A-PRF for over 72 h. Lyophilized A-PRF released significantly more accumulated VEGEA and a tendency to release more TGF-β1 at 72 h as well as VEGFA at 24 h and 72 h than fresh A-PRF. Moreover, lyophilized A-PRF increased fibroblast proliferation and induced a significantly faster wound closure than the control, while no significant difference between fresh and lyophilized A-PRF was found. In conclusion, the lyophilization of canine A-PRF can preserve the release of growth factors and has similar biological activities to a fresh preparation. This encourages the substitution of lyophilized A-PRF instead of fresh A-PRF in regenerative treatments in which the stability of the product is concerned.

Natural Soybean Milk-Derived Bioactive Coatings for Enhanced Wound Healing

Foodborne biomaterials, derived from diets, comprise selfassembled collections of many micro- or nanoscale units with abundant nutrients and active substances. In this study, soybean milk (SBM) was selected as a tissue engineering product for simple and feasible wound repair. SBM is a common drink prepared from soybeans and is rich in soy protein, soy isoflavones, and other bioactive components. Thus, SBM has substantial potential for antioxidation and tissue remodeling. Here, the multifunctional effect of SBM as a bioactive coating for promoting wound healing was studied. The results showed that SBM has good biocompatibility and biological activity. It efficiently scavenges intracellular reactive oxygen species, significantly enhances epithelial cell migration, and improves angiogenesis, thereby accelerating tissue remodeling. The results of animal experiments further confirmed that the SBM-bioinspired coating has promising applications for cutaneous wound regeneration.

Strategies to improve meat-like properties of meat analogs meeting consumers' expectations

Due to environmental and ethical concerns, meat analogs represent an emerging trend to replace traditional animal meat. However, meat analogs lacking specific sensory properties (flavor, texture, color) would directly affect consumers' acceptance and purchasing behavior. In this review, we discussed the typical sensory characteristics of animal meat products from texture, flavor, color aspects, and sensory perception during oral processing. The related strategies were detailed to improve meat-like sensory properties for meat analogs. However, the upscaling productions of meat analogs still face many challenges (e.g.: sensory stability of plant-based meat, 3D scaffolds in cultured meat, etc.). Producing safe, low cost and sustainable meat analogs would be a hot topic in food science in the next decades. To realize these promising outcomes, reliable robust devices with automatic processing should also be considered. This review aims at providing the latest progress to improve the sensory properties of meat analogs and meet consumers' requirements.

Glycosaminoglycan-Based Hydrogel Delivery System Regulates the Wound Microenvironment to Rescue Chronic Wound Healing

Chronic wounds cannot proceed through the normal, orderly, and timely sequence of repair. The adverse cycle between excess reactive oxide species (ROS) and a persistent inflammatory response is an important mechanism of impaired wound healing. Herein, by combining the intrinsic bioactivities of natural polysaccharides and natural drugs, a glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogel delivery system is proposed to regulate the wound microenvironment. Dynamic supramolecular cross-linking enables the hydrogel to easily encapsulate the drug and fully fill the wound area. As the backbone of the hydrogel, heparin captures inflammatory chemokines at the wound site, while hyaluronic acid mimics the function of ECM. The hydrophobic drug curcumin has been ingeniously encapsulated in the hydrogel through micellization, thereby exerting good ROS scavenging ability and anti-inflammatory activity. Evaluations in diabetic mice showed that this antioxidant and anti-inflammatory hydrogel was effective in reducing the influx of immune cells at the wound site and in down-regulating the inflammatory response. Accelerated wound healing was also observed, as evidenced by faster re-epithelialization and better ECM remodeling. The proposed hydrogel can regulate the microenvironment of wounds from multiple aspects and thereby achieve regression of wound repair, which may provide a new therapeutic strategy for chronic wounds.

3D Printing of PLLA/Biomineral Composite Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

Tissue engineering is one of the most effective ways to treat bone defects in recent years. However, current highly active bone tissue engineering (BTE) scaffolds are mainly based on the addition of active biological components (such as growth factors) to promote bone repair. High cost, easy inactivation and complex regulatory requirements greatly limit their practical applications. In addition, conventional fabrication methods make it difficult to meet the needs of personalized customization for the macroscopic and internal structure of tissue engineering scaffolds. Herein, this paper proposes to select five natural biominerals (eggshell, pearl, turtle shell, degelatinated deer antler and cuttlebone) with widely available sources, low price and potential osteo-inductive activity as functional particles. Subsequently compounding them into L-polylactic acid (PLLA) biomaterial ink to further explore 3D printing processes of the composite scaffold, and reveal their potential as biomimetic 3D scaffolds for bone tissue repair. The research results of this project provide a new idea for the construction of a 3D scaffold with growth-factor-free biomimetic structure, personalized customization ability and osteo-inductive activity.