Degree of scaffold degradation influences collagen (re)orientation in engineered tissues

3D printing of interferon γ-preconditioned NSC-derived exosomes/collagen/chitosan biological scaffolds for neurological recovery after TBI

The reconstruction of neural function and recovery of chronic damage following traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain significant clinical challenges. Exosomes derived from neural stem cells (NSCs) offer various benefits in TBI treatment. Numerous studies confirmed that appropriate preconditioning methods enhanced the targeted efficacy of exosome therapy. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) possesses immunomodulatory capabilities and is widely involved in neurological disorders. In this study, IFN-γ was employed for preconditioning NSCs to enhance the efficacy of exosome (IFN-Exo, IE) for TBI. miRNA sequencing revealed the potential of IFN-Exo in promoting neural differentiation and modulating inflammatory responses. Through low-temperature 3D printing, IFN-Exo was combined with collagen/chitosan (3D-CC-IE) to preserve the biological activity of the exosome. The delivery of exosomes via biomaterial scaffolds benefited the retention and therapeutic potential of exosomes, ensuring that they could exert long-term effects at the injury site. The 3D-CC-IE scaffold exhibited excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Subsequently, 3D-CC-IE scaffold significantly improved impaired motor and cognitive functions after TBI in rat. Histological results showed that 3D-CC-IE scaffold markedly facilitated the reconstruction of damaged neural tissue and promoted endogenous neurogenesis. Further mechanistic validation suggested that IFN-Exo alleviated neuroinflammation by modulating the MAPK/mTOR signaling pathway. In summary, the results of this study indicated that 3D-CC-IE scaffold engaged in long-term pathophysiological processes, fostering neural function recovery after TBI, offering a promising regenerative therapy avenue.

Preparation and In Vitro Evaluation of Chitosan-g-Oligolactide Based Films and Macroporous Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

In the current study, novel matrices based on chitosan-g-oligo (L,L-/L,D-lactide) copolymers were fabricated. In particular, 2D films were prepared by solvent casting, while 3D macroporous hydrogels were obtained by lyophilization of copolymer solutions. Copolymers of chitosan (Chit) with semi-crystalline oligo (L,L-lactide) (Chit-LL) or amorphous oligo (L,D-lactide) (Chit-LD) were obtained by solid-state mechanochemical synthesis. The structure of the hydrogels was found to be a system of interconnected macropores with an average size of 150 μm. In vitro degradation of these copolymer-based matrices was shown to increase in the case of the Chit-LL-based hydrogel by 34% and decrease for the Chit-LD-based hydrogel by 23% compared to the parameter of the Chit sample. Localization and distribution of mouse fibroblast L929 cells and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) within the hydrogels was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Moreover, cellular response, namely cell adhesion, spreading, growth, proliferation, as well as cell differentiation in vitro were also evaluated in the hydrogels for 10-14 days. Both the Chit-LL and Chit-LD matrices were shown to support cell growth and proliferation, while they had improved swelling compared to the Chit matrix. Osteogenic MSCs differentiation on the copolymer-based films was studied by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Maximal expression levels of osteogenesis markers (alkaline phosphatase (ALPL), bone transcription factor (Runx2), and osteopontin (SPP1) were revealed for the Chit-LD films. Thus, osteodifferentiation was demonstrated to depend on the film composition. Both Chit-LL and Chit-LD copolymer-based matrices are promising for tissue engineering.

Tissue-engineered collagenous fibrous cap models to systematically elucidate atherosclerotic plaque rupture

A significant amount of vascular thrombotic events are associated with rupture of the fibrous cap that overlie atherosclerotic plaques. Cap rupture is however difficult to predict due to the heterogenous composition of the plaque, unknown material properties, and the stochastic nature of the event. Here, we aim to create tissue engineered human fibrous cap models with a variable but controllable collagen composition, suitable for mechanical testing, to scrutinize the reciprocal relationships between composition and mechanical properties. Myofibroblasts were cultured in 1 × 1.5 cm-sized fibrin-based constrained gels for 21 days according to established (dynamic) culture protocols (i.e. static, intermittent or continuous loading) to vary collagen composition (e.g. amount, type and organization). At day 7, a soft 2 mm ∅ fibrin inclusion was introduced in the centre of each tissue to mimic the soft lipid core, simulating the heterogeneity of a plaque. Results demonstrate reproducible collagenous tissues, that mimic the bulk mechanical properties of human caps and vary in collagen composition due to the presence of a successfully integrated soft inclusion and the culture protocol applied. The models can be deployed to assess tissue mechanics, evolution and failure of fibrous caps or complex heterogeneous tissues in general.

Scaffold Geometry-Imposed Anisotropic Mechanical Loading Guides the Evolution of the Mechanical State of Engineered Cardiovascular Tissues in vitro

Cardiovascular tissue engineering is a promising approach to develop grafts that, in contrast to current replacement grafts, have the capacity to grow and remodel like native tissues. This approach largely depends on cell-driven tissue growth and remodeling, which are highly complex processes that are difficult to control inside the scaffolds used for tissue engineering. For several tissue engineering approaches, adverse tissue growth and remodeling outcomes were reported, such as aneurysm formation in vascular grafts, and leaflet retraction in heart valve grafts. It is increasingly recognized that the outcome of tissue growth and remodeling, either physiological or pathological, depends at least partly on the establishment of a homeostatic mechanical state, where one or more mechanical quantities in a tissue are maintained in equilibrium. To design long-term functioning tissue engineering strategies, understanding how scaffold parameters such as geometry affect the mechanical state of a construct, and how this state guides tissue growth and remodeling, is therefore crucial. Here, we studied how anisotropic versus isotropic mechanical loading—as imposed by initial scaffold geometry—influences tissue growth, remodeling, and the evolution of the mechanical state and geometry of tissue-engineered cardiovascular constructs in vitro. Using a custom-built bioreactor platform and nondestructive mechanical testing, we monitored the mechanical and geometric changes of elliptical and circular, vascular cell-seeded, polycaprolactone-bisurea scaffolds during 14 days of dynamic loading. The elliptical and circular scaffold geometries were designed using finite element analysis, to induce anisotropic and isotropic dynamic loading, respectively, with similar maximum stretch when cultured in the bioreactor platform. We found that the initial scaffold geometry-induced (an)isotropic loading of the engineered constructs differentially dictated the evolution of their mechanical state and geometry over time, as well as their final structural organization. These findings demonstrate that controlling the initial mechanical state of tissue-engineered constructs via scaffold geometry can be used to influence tissue growth and remodeling and determine tissue outcomes.

Immuno-regenerative biomaterials for in situ cardiovascular tissue engineering - Do patient characteristics warrant precision engineering?

In situ tissue engineering using bioresorbable material implants - or scaffolds - that harness the patient's immune response while guiding neotissue formation at the site of implantation is emerging as a novel therapy to regenerate human tissues. For the cardiovascular system, the use of such implants, like blood vessels and heart valves, is gradually entering the stage of clinical translation. This opens up the question if and to what extent patient characteristics influence tissue outcomes, necessitating the precision engineering of scaffolds to guide patient-specific neo-tissue formation. Because of the current scarcity of human in vivo data, herein we review and evaluate in vitro and preclinical investigations to predict the potential role of patient-specific parameters like sex, age, ethnicity, hemodynamics, and a multifactorial disease profile, with special emphasis on their contribution to the inflammation-driven processes of in situ tissue engineering. We conclude that patient-specific conditions have a strong impact on key aspects of in situ cardiovascular tissue engineering, including inflammation, hemodynamic conditions, scaffold resorption, and tissue remodeling capacity, suggesting that a tailored approach may be required to engineer immuno-regenerative biomaterials for safe and predictive clinical applicability.

Fibrous heart valve leaflet substrate with native-mimicked morphology

Tissue-engineered heart valves are a promising alternative solution to prosthetic valves. However, long-term functionalities of tissue-engineered heart valves depend on the ability to mimic the trilayered, oriented structure of native heart valve leaflets. In this study, using electrospinning, we developed trilayered microfibrous leaflet substrates with morphological characteristics similar to native leaflets. The substrates were implanted subcutaneously in rats to study the effect of their trilayered oriented structure on in vivo tissue engineering. The tissue constructs showed a well-defined structure, with a circumferentially oriented layer, a randomly oriented layer and a radially oriented layer. The extracellular matrix, produced during in vivo tissue engineering, consisted of collagen, glycosaminoglycans, and elastin, all major components of native leaflets. Moreover, the anisotropic tensile properties of the constructs were sufficient to bear the valvular physiological load. Finally, the expression of vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin, at the gene and protein level, was detected in the residing cells, revealing their growing state and their transdifferentiation to myofibroblasts. Our data support a critical role for the trilayered structure and anisotropic properties in functional leaflet tissue constructs, and indicate that the leaflet substrates have the potential for the development of valve scaffolds for heart valve replacements.

In Situ Remodeling Overrules Bioinspired Scaffold Architecture of Supramolecular Elastomeric Tissue-Engineered Heart Valves

In situ tissue engineering that uses resorbable synthetic heart valve scaffolds is an affordable and practical approach for heart valve replacement; therefore, it is attractive for clinical use. This study showed no consistent collagen organization in the predefined direction of electrospun scaffolds made from a resorbable supramolecular elastomer with random or circumferentially aligned fibers, after 12 months of implantation in sheep. These unexpected findings and the observed intervalvular variability highlight the need for a mechanistic understanding of the long-term in situ remodeling processes in large animal models to improve predictability of outcome toward robust and safe clinical application.

Oxidative stress in pancreatic alpha and beta cells as a selection criterion for biocompatible biomaterials

The clinical success rate of islet transplantation, namely independence from insulin injections, is limited by factors that lead to graft failure, including inflammation, acute ischemia, acute phase response, and insufficient vascularization. The ischemia and insufficient vascularization both lead to high levels of oxidative stress, which are further aggravated by islet encapsulation, inflammation, and undesirable cell-biomaterial interactions. To identify biomaterials that would not further increase damaging oxidative stress levels and that are also suitable for manufacturing a beta cell encapsulation device, we studied five clinically approved polymers for their effect on oxidative stress and islet (alpha and beta cell) function. We found that 300 poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate) 55/poly(butylene terephthalate) 45 (PEOT/PBT300) was more resistant to breakage and more elastic than other biomaterials, which is important for its immunoprotective function. In addition, it did not induce oxidative stress or reduce viability in the MIN6 beta cell line, and even promoted protective endogenous antioxidant expression over 7 days. Importantly, PEOT/PBT300 is one of the biomaterials we studied that did not interfere with insulin secretion in human islets.

Human In Vitro Model Mimicking Material-Driven Vascular Regeneration Reveals How Cyclic Stretch and Shear Stress Differentially Modulate Inflammation and Matrix Deposition

Resorbable synthetic scaffolds designed to regenerate living tissues and organs inside the body have emerged as a clinically attractive technology to replace diseased blood vessels. However, mismatches between scaffold design and in vivo hemodynamic loading (i.e., cyclic stretch and shear stress) can result in aberrant inflammation and adverse tissue remodeling, leading to premature graft failure. Yet, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, a human in vitro model is presented that mimics the transient local inflammatory and biomechanical environments that drive scaffold-guided tissue regeneration. The model is based on the coculture of human (myo)fibroblasts and macrophages in a bioreactor platform that decouples cyclic stretch and shear stress. Using a resorbable supramolecular elastomer as the scaffold material, it is revealed that cyclic stretch initially reduces proinflammatory cytokine secretion and, especially when combined with shear stress, stimulates IL-10 secretion. Moreover, cyclic stretch stimulates downstream (myo)fibroblast proliferation and matrix deposition. In turn, shear stress attenuates cyclic-stretch-induced matrix growth by enhancing MMP-1/TIMP-1-mediated collagen remodeling, and synergistically alters (myo)fibroblast phenotype when combined with cyclic stretch. The findings suggest that shear stress acts as a stabilizing factor in cyclic stretch-induced tissue formation and highlight the distinct roles of hemodynamic loads in the design of resorbable vascular grafts.

Straining 3D Hydrogels with Uniform Z-Axis Strains While Enabling Live Microscopy Imaging

External forces play an important role in the development and regulation of many tissues. Such effects are often studied using specialized stretchers-standardized commercial and novel laboratory-designed. While designs for 2D stretchers are abundant, the range of available 3D stretcher designs is more limited, especially when live imaging is required. This work presents a novel method and a stretching device that allow straining of 3D hydrogels from their circumference, using a punctured elastic silicone strip as the sample carrier. The system was primarily constructed from 3D-printed parts and low-cost electronics, rendering it simple and cost-efficient to reproduce in other labs. To demonstrate the system functionality, > 100 μm thick soft fibrin gels (< 1 KPa) were stretched, while performing live confocal imaging. The subsequent strains and fiber alignment were analyzed and found to be relatively homogenous throughout the gel's thickness (Z axis). The uniform Z-response enabled by our approach was found to be in contrast to a previously reported approach that utilizes an underlying elastic substrate to convey strain to a 3D thick sample. This work advances the ability to study the role of external forces on biological processes under more physiological 3D conditions, and can contribute to the field of tissue engineering.

Vascular Mechanobiology: Towards Control of In Situ Regeneration

The paradigm of regenerative medicine has recently shifted from in vitro to in situ tissue engineering: implanting a cell-free, biodegradable, off-the-shelf available scaffold and inducing the development of functional tissue by utilizing the regenerative potential of the body itself. This approach offers a prospect of not only alleviating the clinical demand for autologous vessels but also circumventing the current challenges with synthetic grafts. In order to move towards a hypothesis-driven engineering approach, we review three crucial aspects that need to be taken into account when regenerating vessels: (1) the structure-function relation for attaining mechanical homeostasis of vascular tissues, (2) the environmental cues governing cell function, and (3) the available experimental platforms to test instructive scaffolds for in situ tissue engineering. The understanding of cellular responses to environmental cues leads to the development of computational models to predict tissue formation and maturation, which are validated using experimental platforms recapitulating the (patho)physiological micro-environment. With the current advances, a progressive shift is anticipated towards a rational and effective approach of building instructive scaffolds for in situ vascular tissue regeneration.

Biomaterial-driven in situ cardiovascular tissue engineering-a multi-disciplinary perspective

There is a persistent and growing clinical need for readily-available substitutes for heart valves and small-diameter blood vessels. In situ tissue engineering is emerging as a disruptive new technology, providing ready-to-use biodegradable, cell-free constructs which are designed to induce regeneration upon implantation, directly in the functional site. The induced regenerative process hinges around the host response to the implanted biomaterial and the interplay between immune cells, stem/progenitor cell and tissue cells in the microenvironment provided by the scaffold in the hemodynamic environment. Recapitulating the complex tissue microstructure and function of cardiovascular tissues is a highly challenging target. Therein the scaffold plays an instructive role, providing the microenvironment that attracts and harbors host cells, modulating the inflammatory response, and acting as a temporal roadmap for new tissue to be formed. Moreover, the biomechanical loads imposed by the hemodynamic environment play a pivotal role. Here, we provide a multidisciplinary view on in situ cardiovascular tissue engineering using synthetic scaffolds; starting from the state-of-the art, the principles of the biomaterial-driven host response and wound healing and the cellular players involved, toward the impact of the biomechanical, physical, and biochemical microenvironmental cues that are given by the scaffold design. To conclude, we pinpoint and further address the main current challenges for in situ cardiovascular regeneration, namely the achievement of tissue homeostasis, the development of predictive models for long-term performances of the implanted grafts, and the necessity for stratification for successful clinical translation.

Tuning the Mechanical Properties of Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Microgel-Based Scaffolds to Increase 3D Schwann Cell Proliferation

2D in vitro studies have demonstrated that Schwann cells prefer scaffolds with mechanical modulus approximately 10× higher than the modulus preferred by nerves, limiting the ability of many scaffolds to promote both neuron extension and Schwann cell proliferation. Therefore, the goals of this work are to develop and characterize microgel-based scaffolds that are tuned over the stiffness range relevant to neural tissue engineering and investigate Schwann cell morphology, viability, and proliferation within 3D scaffolds. Using thiol-ene reaction, microgels with surface thiols are produced and crosslinked into hydrogels using a multiarm vinylsulfone (VS). By varying the concentration of VS, scaffold stiffness ranges from 0.13 to 0.76 kPa. Cell morphology in all groups demonstrates that cells are able to spread and interact with the scaffold through day 5. Although the viability in all groups is high, proliferation of Schwann cells within the scaffold of G* = 0.53 kPa is significantly higher than other groups. This result is ≈ 5× lower than previously reported optimal stiffnesses on 2D surfaces, demonstrating the need for correlation of 3D cell response to mechanical modulus. As proliferation is the first step in Schwann cell integration into peripheral nerve conduits, these scaffolds demonstrate that the stiffness is a critical parameter to optimizing the regenerative process.

A computational analysis of cell-mediated compaction and collagen remodeling in tissue-engineered heart valves

One of the most critical problems in heart valve tissue engineering is the progressive development of valvular insufficiency due to leaflet retraction. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of this process is crucial for developing tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs) that maintain their functionality in the long term. In the present study, we adopted a computational approach to predict the remodeling process in TEHVs subjected to dynamic pulmonary and aortic pressure conditions, and to assess the risk of valvular insufficiency. In addition, we investigated the importance of the intrinsic cell contractility on the final outcome of the remodeling process. For valves implanted in the aortic position, the model predictions suggest that valvular insufficiency is not likely to occur as the blood pressure is high enough to prevent the development of leaflet retraction. In addition, the collagen network was always predicted to remodel towards a circumferentially aligned network, which is corresponding to the native situation. In contrast, for valves implanted in the pulmonary position, our model predicted that there is a high risk for the development of valvular insufficiency, unless the cell contractility is very low. Conversely, the development of a circumferential collagen network was only predicted at these pressure conditions when cell contractility was high. Overall, these results, therefore, suggest that tissue remodeling at aortic pressure conditions is much more stable and favorable compared to tissue remodeling at pulmonary pressure conditions.

Skeletal muscle tissue engineering: strategies for volumetric constructs

Skeletal muscle tissue is characterized by high metabolic requirements, defined structure and high regenerative potential. As such, it constitutes an appealing platform for tissue engineering to address volumetric defects, as proven by recent works in this field. Several issues common to all engineered constructs constrain the variety of tissues that can be realized in vitro, principal among them the lack of a vascular system and the absence of reliable cell sources; as it is, the only successful tissue engineering constructs are not characterized by active function, present limited cellular survival at implantation and possess low metabolic requirements. Recently, functionally competent constructs have been engineered, with vascular structures supporting their metabolic requirements. In addition to the use of biochemical cues, physical means, mechanical stimulation and the application of electric tension have proven effective in stimulating the differentiation of cells and the maturation of the constructs; while the use of co-cultures provided fine control of cellular developments through paracrine activity. This review will provide a brief analysis of some of the most promising improvements in the field, with particular attention to the techniques that could prove easily transferable to other branches of tissue engineering.