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Polak M, Ura DP, Berniak K, Szewczyk PK, Marzec MM, Stachewicz U. Interfacial blending in co-axially electrospun polymer core-shell fibers and their interaction with cells via focal adhesion point analysis. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2024; 237:113864. [PMID: 38522283 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Electrospun polymer scaffolds have gained prominence in biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound dressings, due to their customizable properties. As the interplay between cells and materials assumes fundamental significance in biomaterials research, understanding the relationship between fiber properties and cell behaviour is imperative. Nevertheless, altering fiber properties introduces complexity by intertwining mechanical and surface chemistry effects, challenging the differentiation of their individual impacts on cell behaviour. Core-shell fibers present an appealing solution, enabling the control of mechanical properties of scaffolds, flexibility in material and drug selection, efficient encapsulation, strong protection of bioactive drugs against harsh environments, and controlled, prolonged drug release. This study addresses a key challenge in core-shell fiber design related to the blending effect between core and shell polymers. Two types of fibers, PMMA and core-shell PC-PMMA, were electrospun, and thorough analyses confirmed the desired core-shell structure in PC-PMMA fibers. Surface chemistry analysis revealed PC diffusion to the PMMA shell of the core-shell fiber during electrospinning, subsequently prompting an investigation of the fiber's surface potential. Conducting cellular studies on osteoblasts by super-resolution confocal microscopy provided insights into the direct influence of interfacial polymer blending and, consequently, altered fiber surface and mechanical properties on cell focal adhesion points, bridging the gap between material attributes and cell responses in core-shell fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna Polak
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, Kraków 30-059, Poland
| | - Daniel P Ura
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, Kraków 30-059, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Berniak
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, Kraków 30-059, Poland
| | - Piotr K Szewczyk
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, Kraków 30-059, Poland
| | - Mateusz M Marzec
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, Kraków 30-059, Poland
| | - Urszula Stachewicz
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, Kraków 30-059, Poland.
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Yuan T, Shen L, Dini D. Porosity-permeability tensor relationship of closely and randomly packed fibrous biomaterials and biological tissues: Application to the brain white matter. Acta Biomater 2024; 173:123-134. [PMID: 37979635 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
The constitutive model for the porosity-permeability relationship is a powerful tool to estimate and design the transport properties of porous materials, which has attracted significant attention for the advancement of novel materials. However, in comparison with other materials, biomaterials, especially natural and artificial tissues, have more complex microstructures e.g. high anisotropy, high randomness of cell/fibre dimensions/position and very low porosity. Consequently, a reliable microstructure-permeability relationship of fibrous biomaterials has proven elusive. To fill this gap, we start a mathematical derivation from the fundamental brain white matter (WM) formed by nerve fibres. This is augmented by a numerical characterisation and experimental validations to obtain an anisotropic permeability tensor of the brain WM as a function of the tissue porosity. A versatile microstructure generation software (MicroFiM) for fibrous biomaterial with complex microstructure and low porosity was built accordingly and made freely accessible here. Moreover, we propose an anisotropic poro-hyperelastic model enhanced by the newly defined porosity-permeability tensor relationship which precisely captures the tissues macro-scale permeability changes due to the microstructural deformation in an infusion scenario. The constitutive model, theories and protocols established in this study will both provide improved design strategies to tailor the transport properties of fibrous biomaterials and enable the non-invasive characterisation of the transport properties of biological tissues. This will lead to the provision of better patient-specific medical treatments, such as drug delivery. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Due to the microstructural complexity, a reliable microstructure-permeability relationship of fibrous biomaterials has proven elusive, which hinders our way of tuning the fluid transport property of the biomaterials by directly programming their microstructure. The same problem hinders non-invasive characterisations of fluid transport properties in biological tissues, which can significantly improve the efficiency of treatments e.g. drug delivery, directly from the tissues accessible microstructural information, e.g. porosity. Here, we developed a validated mathematical formulation to link the random microstructure to a fibrous material's macroscale permeability tensor. This will advance our capability to design complex biomaterials and make it possible to non-invasively characterise the permeability of living tissues for precise treatment planning. The newly established theory and protocol can be easily adapted to various types of fibrous biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Yuan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Li Shen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Daniele Dini
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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He T, Wang Y, Wang R, Yang H, Hu X, Pu Y, Yang B, Zhang J, Li J, Huang C, Jin R, Nie Y, Zhang X. Fibrous topology promoted pBMP2-activated matrix on titanium implants boost osseointegration. Regen Biomater 2023; 11:rbad111. [PMID: 38173764 PMCID: PMC10761207 DOI: 10.1093/rb/rbad111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Titanium (Ti) implants have been extensively used after surgical operations. Its surface bioactivity is of importance to facilitate integration with surrounding bone tissue, and ultimately ensure stability and long-term functionality of the implant. The plasmid DNA-activated matrix (DAM) coating on the surface could benefit osseointegration but is still trapped by poor transfection for further application, especially on the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vivo practical conditions. Herein, we constructed a DAM on the surface of fibrous-grained titanium (FG Ti) composed of phase-transition lysozyme (P) as adhesive, cationic arginine-rich lipid (RLS) as the transfection agent and plasmid DNA (pDNA) for bone morphology protein 2 (BMP2) expression. The cationic lipid RLS improved up to 30-fold higher transfection than that of commercial reagents (Lipofectamine 2000 and polyethyleneimine) on MSC. And importantly, Ti surface topology not only promotes the DAM to achieve high transfection efficiency (∼75.7% positive cells) on MSC due to the favorable combination but also reserves its contact induction effect for osteoblasts. Upon further exploration, the fibrous topology on FG Ti could boost pDNA uptake for gene transfection, and cell migration in MSC through cytoskeleton remodeling and induce contact guidance for enhanced osteointegration. At the same time, the cationic RLS together with adhesive P were both antibacterial, showing up to 90% inhibition rate against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with reduced adherent microorganisms and disrupted bacteria. Finally, the FG Ti-P/pBMP2 implant achieved accelerated bone healing capacities through highly efficient gene delivery, aligned surface topological structure and increased antimicrobial properties in a rat femoral condylar defect model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting He
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Yichun Wang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Ruohan Wang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Huan Yang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Xueyi Hu
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Yiyao Pu
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Binbin Yang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
- Department of the Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Jingyuan Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Juan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China School of Stomatology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Chongxiang Huang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Rongrong Jin
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Yu Nie
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
| | - Xingdong Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Biomaterials/College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
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Howard CJ, Paul A, Duruanyanwu J, Sackho K, Campagnolo P, Stolojan V. The Manufacturing Conditions for the Direct and Reproducible Formation of Electrospun PCL/Gelatine 3D Structures for Tissue Regeneration. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:3107. [PMID: 38133004 PMCID: PMC10745430 DOI: 10.3390/nano13243107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Electrospinning is a versatile technique for fabricating nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. However, the direct formation of 3D sponges through electrospinning has previously not been reproducible. We used a Taguchi experimental design approach to optimise the electrospinning parameters for forming PCL and PCL/gelatine 3D sponges. The following parameters were investigated to improve sponge formation: solution concentration, humidity, and solution conductivity. Pure PCL sponges were achievable. However, a much fluffier sponge formed by increasing the solution conductivity with gelatine. The optimal conditions for sponge formation 24 w/v% 80:20 PCL:gelatine on aluminium foil at ≥70% humidity, 15 cm, 22 kV and 1500 µL/h. The resulting sponge had a highly porous structure with a fibre diameter of ~1 µm. They also supported significantly higher cell viability than 2D electrospun mats, dropcast films of the same material and even the TCP positive control. Our study demonstrates that the direct formation of PCL/gelatine 3D sponges through electrospinning is feasible and promising for tissue engineering applications. The sponges have a highly porous structure and support cell viability, which are essential properties for tissue engineering scaffolds. Further studies are needed to optimise the manufacturing process and evaluate the sponges' long-term performance in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Jayne Howard
- Advanced Technology Institute, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (C.J.H.); (A.P.)
| | - Aumrita Paul
- Advanced Technology Institute, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (C.J.H.); (A.P.)
| | - Justin Duruanyanwu
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (J.D.); (K.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Kenza Sackho
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (J.D.); (K.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Paola Campagnolo
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (J.D.); (K.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Vlad Stolojan
- Advanced Technology Institute, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; (C.J.H.); (A.P.)
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Kyriakou S, Acosta S, El Maachi I, Rütten S, Jockenhoevel S. A Dexamethasone-Loaded Polymeric Electrospun Construct as a Tubular Cardiovascular Implant. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:4332. [PMID: 37960012 PMCID: PMC10649717 DOI: 10.3390/polym15214332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular tissue engineering is providing many solutions to cardiovascular diseases. The complex disease demands necessitating tissue-engineered constructs with enhanced functionality. In this study, we are presenting the production of a dexamethasone (DEX)-loaded electrospun tubular polymeric poly(l-lactide) (PLA) or poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) construct which contains iPSC-CMs (induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocytes), HUVSMCs (human umbilical vein smooth muscle cells), and HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) embedded in fibrin gel. The electrospun tube diameter was calculated, as well as the DEX release for 50 days for 2 different DEX concentrations. Furthermore, we investigated the influence of the polymer composition and concentration on the function of the fibrin gels by imaging and quantification of CD31, alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA), collagen I (col I), sarcomeric alpha actinin (SAA), and Connexin 43 (Cx43). We evaluated the cytotoxicity and cell proliferation of HUVECs and HUVSMCs cultivated in PLA and PLGA polymeric sheets. The immunohistochemistry results showed efficient iPSC-CM marker expression, while the HUVEC toxicity was higher than the respective HUVSMC value. In total, our study emphasizes the combination of fibrin gel and electrospinning in a functionalized construct, which includes three cell types and provides useful insights of the DEX release and cytotoxicity in a tissue engineering perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stavroula Kyriakou
- Department of Biohybrid & Medical Textiles (BioTex), AME—Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (S.K.); (S.A.); (I.E.M.)
| | - Sergio Acosta
- Department of Biohybrid & Medical Textiles (BioTex), AME—Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (S.K.); (S.A.); (I.E.M.)
| | - Ikram El Maachi
- Department of Biohybrid & Medical Textiles (BioTex), AME—Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (S.K.); (S.A.); (I.E.M.)
| | - Stephan Rütten
- Electron Microscopy Facility, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany;
| | - Stefan Jockenhoevel
- Department of Biohybrid & Medical Textiles (BioTex), AME—Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (S.K.); (S.A.); (I.E.M.)
- AMIBM—Aachen-Maastricht-Institute for Biobased Materials, Maastricht University, 6167 RD Geleen, The Netherlands
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