Electrospun nanofibers: Work for medicine?

A focused review on hyaluronic acid contained nanofiber formulations for diabetic wound healing

The significant clinical challenge presented by diabetic wounds is due to their impaired healing process and increased risk of complications. It is estimated that a foot ulcer will develop at some point in the lives of 15-25 % of diabetic patients. Serious complications, including infection and amputation, are often led to by these wounds. In the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, nanofiber-based wound dressings have emerged in recent years as promising therapeutic strategies for diabetic wound healing. Hyaluronic acid (HA), among various nanofiber materials, has gained considerable attention due to its unique properties, including biocompatibility, biodegradability, and excellent moisture retention capacity. By promoting skin hydration and controlling inflammation, a crucial role in wound healing is played by HA. Wounds are also helped to heal faster by HA through the regulation of inflammation levels and signaling the body to build more blood vessels in the damaged area. Great potential in various applications, including wound healing, has been shown by the development and use of nanofiber formulations in medicine. However, challenges and limitations associated with nanofibers in medicine exist, such as reproducibility, proper characterization, and biological evaluation. By providing a biomimetic environment that enhances re-epithelialization and facilitates the delivery of active substances, nanofibers promote wound healing. In accelerating wound healing, promising results have been shown by HA-contained nanofiber formulations in diabetic wounds. Key strategies employed by these formulations include revascularization, modulation of the inflammation microenvironment, delivery of active substances, photothermal nanofibers, and nanoparticle-loaded fabrics. Particularly crucial is revascularization as it restores blood flow to the wound area, promoting healing. Wound healing can also be enhanced by modulating the inflammation microenvironment through controlling inflammation levels. Future perspectives in this field involve addressing the current challenges and limitations of nanofiber technology and further optimizing HA-contained nanofiber formulations for improved efficacy in diabetic wound healing. This includes exploring new fabrication techniques, enhancing the biocompatibility and biodegradability of nanofibers, and developing multifunctional nanofibers for targeted drug delivery. Not only does writing a review in the field of nanofiber-based wound dressings, particularly those containing hyaluronic acid, allow us to consolidate our current knowledge and understanding but also broadens our horizons. An opportunity is provided to delve deeper into the intricacies of this innovative therapeutic strategy, explore its potential and limitations, and envision future directions. By doing so, a contribution can be made to the ongoing advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, ultimately improving the quality of life for patients with diabetic wounds.

Preparation and characterization of carbon nanofibrous/hydroxyapatite sheets for bone tissue engineering

Critical size bone defects are orthopedic defects that will not heal without intervention or that will not completely heal over the natural life time of the animal. Although bone generally has the ability to regenerate completely however, critical defects require some sort of scaffold to do so. In the current study we proposed a method to obtain a carbon nanofibrous/Hydroxyapatite (HA) bioactive scaffold. The carbon nanofibrous (CNF) nonwoven fabrics were obtained by the use of the electrospinning process of the polymeric solution of poly acrylonitrile "PAN" and subsequent stabilization and carbonization processes. The CNFs sheets were functionalized by both hydroxyapatite (HA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The HA was added to the electrospun solution, but in case of (BSA), it was adsorbed after the carbonization process. The changes in the properties taking place in the precursor sheets were investigated using the characterization methods (SEM, FT-IR, TGA and EDX). The prepared materials were tested for biocompatibility via subcutaneous implantation in New Zealand white rabbits. We successfully prepared biocompatible functionalized sheets, which have been modified with HA or HA and BSA. The sheets that were functionalized by both HA and BSA are more biocompatible with fewer inflammatory cells of (neutrophils and lymphocytes) than ones with only HA over the period of 3weeks.

A Review of Injectable and Implantable Biomaterials for Treatment and Repair of Soft Tissues in Wound Healing

The two major topics concerning the development of nanomedicine are drug delivery and tissue engineering. With the advance in nanotechnology, scientists and engineers now have the ability to fabricate functional drug carriers and/or biomaterials that deliver and release drugs locally as well as promote tissue regeneration. In this short review, we address the use of nanotechnology in the fabrication of biomaterials (i.e., nanoparticles and nanofibers) and their therapeutic function in wound healing as dressing materials. Furthermore, we discuss the use of surface nanofeatures to regulate cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation, which is a crucial step in wound healing associated with tissue regeneration. Given that nanotechnology-based biomaterials exhibit superior pharmaceutical performance as compared to the traditional medicine, this short review provides current status and future directions of how nanotechnology is and will be used in biomedical field, especially in wound healing.

In situ functionalization of self-assembled dendrimer nanofibers with cadmium sulfide quantum dots through simple ionic-substitution

Cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS-QDs) can be generated along poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimer-based self-assembled nanofibers through a simple approach based on ionic substitution.

Design of Bioactive Electrospun Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Background

This study aimed to produce polycaprolactone (PCL) and PCL/gelatin fibrous scaffolds by electrospinning to engineer functional bone by the careful reproduction of the native microenviroment of the natural tissue.

Methods

Polymer solutions were processed by electrospinning technique to fabricate 2D and 3D platforms in the form of random flat membranes and bilayered conduits, through the use of collectors – i.e., grounded metal plates and a rotating mandrel, via a 2-step electrospinning process, to produce a bilayered structure.

Results

The results showed that solvent properties and the integration of gelatin could strongly influence the scaffold features in terms of fiber size scale and homogeneity, thus potentially affecting the final biological response. Moreover, 3D bilayered devices ensured the mechanical stability required to guide the forming bone during the regeneration process.

Conclusions

Overall, bioactive 2D or 3D electrospun platforms with microstructured and nanostructured properties can be used successfully as extracellular matrix analogues in bone regeneration.

Multifaceted applications of nanomaterials in cell engineering and therapy

Nanomaterials with superior physiochemical properties have been rapidly developed and integrated in every aspect of cell engineering and therapy for translating their great promise to clinical success. Here we demonstrate the multifaceted roles played by innovatively-designed nanomaterials in addressing key challenges in cell engineering and therapy such as cell isolation from heterogeneous cell population, cell instruction in vitro to enable desired functionalities, and targeted cell delivery to therapeutic sites for prompting tissue repair. The emerging trends in this interdisciplinary and dynamic field are also highlighted, where the nanomaterial-engineered cells constitute the basis for establishing in vitro disease model; and nanomaterial-based in situ cell engineering are accomplished directly within the native tissue in vivo. We will witness the increasing importance of nanomaterials in revolutionizing the concept and toolset of cell engineering and therapy which will enrich our scientific understanding of diseases and ultimately fulfill the therapeutic demand in clinical medicine.

hMSC interaction with PCL and PCL/gelatin platforms: A comparative study on films and electrospun membranes

Polycaprolactone (PCL) and PCL/gelatin membranes and films were fabricated by electrospinning and solvent casting. A systematic analysis of the morphology evolution, as degradation occurred, was made to separate the contribution of fiber nanotexture and gelatin biochemical signal on cell adhesion and proliferation. Field emission scanning electron microscope was used to assess the contribution of platform architecture on the gelatin degradation by the morphological changes that occurred at different times. The evaluation of human mesenchymal stem cells’ biocompatibility confirmed the role of architecture and chemical composition on cell response. The nanostructured surfaces positively affected the cell recognition by increasing the surface area. The gelatin embedded in the PCL matrix of the nanofibers improved the cell/material interaction and provided support to the proliferation. The PCL/gelatin electrospun membranes showed an increase in mineralization when conditioned in osteogenic medium; this system has promise for long-term in vitro investigations of bone regeneration.

Electrospun scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Tissue engineering aims to regenerate native tissues and will represent the alternative choice of standard surgery for different kind of tissue damages. The fundamental basis of tissue engineering is the appropriate selection of scaffolds and their morphological, mechanical, chemical, and biomimetic properties, closely related to cell lines that will be seeded therein. The aim of this review is to summarize and report the innovative scientific contributions published in the field of orthopedic tissue engineering, in particular about bone tissue engineering. We have focused our attention on the electrospinning technique, as a scaffold fabrication method. Electrospun materials are being evaluated as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, and the results of all these studies clearly indicate that they represent suitable potential substrates for cell-based technologies.

The Applications of Electrospun Nanofibers in the Medical Materials

Electrospinning is a novel processing technique for the production of nanofiber non-woven materials and nanofiber non-woven materials have extremely high surface-to-mass (or volume) ratio and a porous structure .for the advantages of electrospun nanofiber non-woven materials, it can be used many filed. This review introduction the progress of electrospun nanofibers and summarize the application of electro spun nanofibers in the medical materials filed.