Preparation, Mechanical Properties, and Biocompatibility of Graphene Oxide-Reinforced Chitin Monofilament Absorbable Surgical Sutures

Drug eluting protein and polysaccharides-based biofunctionalized fabric textiles- pioneering a new frontier in tissue engineering: An extensive review

In the ever-evolving landscape of tissue engineering, medicated biotextiles have emerged as a game-changer. These remarkable textiles have garnered significant attention for their ability to craft tissue scaffolds that closely mimic the properties of natural tissues. This comprehensive review delves into the realm of medicated protein and polysaccharide-based biotextiles, exploring a diverse array of fabric materials. We unravel the intricate web of fabrication methods, ranging from weft/warp knitting to plain/stain weaving and braiding, each lending its unique touch to the world of biotextiles creation. Fibre production techniques, such as melt spinning, wet/gel spinning, and multicomponent spinning, are demystified to shed light on the magic behind these ground-breaking textiles. The biotextiles thus crafted exhibit exceptional physical and chemical properties that hold immense promise in the field of tissue engineering (TE). Our review underscores the myriad applications of drug-eluting protein and polysaccharide-based textiles, including TE, tissue repair, regeneration, and wound healing. Additionally, we delve into commercially available products that harness the potential of medicated biotextiles, paving the way for a brighter future in healthcare and regenerative medicine. Step into the world of innovation with medicated biotextiles-where science meets the art of healing.

Advances, challenges, and prospects for surgical suture materials

As one of the long-established and necessary medical devices, surgical sutures play an essentially important role in the closing and healing of damaged tissues and organs postoperatively. The recent advances in multiple disciplines, like materials science, engineering technology, and biomedicine, have facilitated the generation of various innovative surgical sutures with humanization and multi-functionalization. For instance, the application of numerous absorbable materials is assuredly a marvelous progression in terms of surgical sutures. Moreover, some fantastic results from recent laboratory research cannot be ignored either, ranging from the fiber generation to the suture structure, as well as the suture modification, functionalization, and even intellectualization. In this review, the suture materials, including natural or synthetic polymers, absorbable or non-absorbable polymers, and metal materials, were first introduced, and then their advantages and disadvantages were summarized. Then we introduced and discussed various fiber fabrication strategies for the production of surgical sutures. Noticeably, advanced nanofiber generation strategies were highlighted. This review further summarized a wide and diverse variety of suture structures and further discussed their different features. After that, we covered the advanced design and development of surgical sutures with multiple functionalizations, which mainly included surface coating technologies and direct drug-loading technologies. Meanwhile, the review highlighted some smart and intelligent sutures that can monitor the wound status in a real-time manner and provide on-demand therapies accordingly. Furthermore, some representative commercial sutures were also introduced and summarized. At the end of this review, we discussed the challenges and future prospects in the field of surgical sutures in depth. This review aims to provide a meaningful reference and guidance for the future design and fabrication of innovative surgical sutures. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This review article introduces the recent advances of surgical sutures, including material selection, fiber morphology, suture structure and construction, as well as suture modification, functionalization, and even intellectualization. Importantly, some innovative strategies for the construction of multifunctional sutures with predetermined biological properties are highlighted. Moreover, some important commercial suture products are systematically summarized and compared. This review also discusses the challenges and future prospects of advanced sutures in a deep manner. In all, this review is expected to arouse great interest from a broad group of readers in the fields of multifunctional biomaterials and regenerative medicine.

Enriched Graphene Oxide-Polypropylene Suture Threads Buttons Modulate the Inflammatory Pathway Induced by Escherichia coli Lipopolysaccharide

Graphene oxide (GO), derived from graphene, has remarkable chemical–physical properties such as stability, strength, and thermal or electric conductivity and additionally shows antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of polypropylene suture threads buttons (PPSTBs), enriched with two different concentrations of GO, in the modulation of the inflammatory pathway TLR4/MyD 88/NFκB p65/NLRP3 induced by the Escherichia coli (E. coli) lipopolysaccharide (LPS-E). The gene and the protein expression of inflammatory markers were evaluated in an in vitro model of primary human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence analysis. Both GO concentrations used in the polypropylene suture threads buttons-GO constructs (PPSTBs-GO) decreased the expression of inflammatory markers in hGFs treated with LPS-E. The hGFs morphology and adhesion on the PPSTBs-GO constructs were also visualized by inverted light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and real-time PCR. Together, these results suggest that enriched PPSTBs-GO modulates the inflammatory process through TLR4/MyD 88/NFκB p65/NLRP3 pathway.

Intrinsically radiopaque and antimicrobial cellulose based surgical sutures from mechanically powerful Agave sisalana plant leaf fibers

The judicious configuration of a flexible radiopaque suture would be exemplary to facilitate effortless tracking and precise diagnosis of the sutured surgical site by various X-ray assisted imaging modalities and simultaneously serve as a complementary tool for monitoring the fate of the suture material during the post-operative course. A unique radiopaque cellulose based surgical suture (RF) with good mechanical properties was developed by strategically controlled mercerization and bleaching of mechanically strong natural cellulosic fibers extracted from Agave sisalana plant leaves followed by the facile dip-coating of SrO integrated polylactic acid (PLA). RF exhibited admirable straight-pull tensile strength (184 MPa) and commendable contrast enhancement (277.4%) under digital X-ray radiographic imaging which was further validated by micro-CT analysis. Further, RF has a controlled hydrolytic degradation profile favorable for surgical suturing (mass loss ∼22% in 28 days). The microporous surface architecture of RF (pore size < 10 μm) as a result of SrO-PLA coating enabled the loading of antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) deep inside the pores with a cumulative release of 24% at 28 days under physiological conditions substantiating its feasibility to be used as an efficient antimicrobial suture (CRF) that prevents possible bacterial infections at the surgical site. This has been demonstrated by antibacterial disc diffusion assay performed against two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacterial strains. Significantly, both RF and CRF are highly biocompatible as confirmed by MTT assay and F-actin staining. Hence, CRF would be a good biocompatible suture candidate holding good tensile properties, exceptional antimicrobial property and intrinsic radiopacity retention for a period >28 days.

Crown Ether Grafted Graphene Oxide/Chitosan/Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofiber Membrane for Highly Selective Adsorption and Separation of Lithium Ion

Nanofiber membranes were successfully prepared with crown ether (CE) functionalized graphene oxide (GO), chitosan (CS), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by low-temperature thermally induced liquid-liquid phase separation. The physical and chemical properties and adsorption performance of nanofiber membrane were studied through SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and static adsorption experiments. The results show that the specific surface area of the nanofiber membrane is as high as 101.5 m2∙g-1. The results of static adsorption experiments show that the maximum adsorption capacity of the nanofiber membrane can reach 168.50 mg∙g-1 when the pH is 7.0. In the selective adsorption experiment, the nanofiber membrane showed high selectivity for Li+ in salt lake brine. After five cycles, the material still retains 88.31% of the adsorption capacity. Therefore, it is proved that the material has good regeneration ability.

Advances in carbohydrate-based polymers for the design of suture materials: A review

Suture materials constitute one of the largest biomedical material groups with a huge global market of $ 1.3 billion annually and employment in over 12 million procedures per year. Suture materials have radically evolved over the years, from basic strips of linen to more advanced synthetic polymer sutures. Yet, the journey to the ideal suture material is far from over and we now stand on the brink of a new era of improved suture materials with greater safety and efficacy. This next step in the evolutionary timeline of suture materials, involves the use of natural, carbohydrate polymers that have, until recent years, never before been considered for suture material applications. This review exposes the latest and most important advancements in suture material development while digging deep into how natural, carbohydrate polymers can serve to advance this field.

Multifunctional Sutures with Temperature Sensing and Infection Control

The next-generation sutures should provide in situ monitoring of wound condition such as temperature while reducing surgical site infection during wound closure. In this study, functionalized nanodiamond (FND) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) into biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) are incorporated to develop a new multifunctional suture with such capabilities. Incorporation of FND and rGO into PCL enhances its tensile strength by about 43% and toughness by 35%. The sutures show temperature sensing capability in the range of 25-40 °C based on the shift in zero-splitting frequency of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV^- ) centers in FND via optically detected magnetic resonance, paving the way for potential detection of infection or excessive inflammation in healing wounds. The suture surface readily coats with antibiotics to reduce bacterial infection risk to the wounds. The new suture thus is promising in monitoring and supporting wound closure.

Potential of carbohydrate-conjugated graphene assemblies in biomedical applications

Graphene displays various properties like optical, electrical, mechanical, etc. resulting in a large range of applications in biosensing, bio-imaging, medical and electronic devices. The graphene-based nanomaterials show disadvantages like hydrophobic surface, degradation of biomolecules (proteins and amino acids) and toxicity to the human and microbes by permeating into the cells and thus, limiting the use in the biomedical field. Conjugation of carbohydrates like chitin, cyclodextrins and cellulose with graphene results in thermal stability, oxygen repulsive ability, fire-retardant and gelling properties with better biodegradability, biocompatibility and safety leading to the formation of environment-friendly biopolymers. This article delivers an overview of the molecular interaction of different carbohydrates-derived from natural sources like marine, plants and microbes with graphene nanosheets to extend the applications in tissue engineering, surgical materials, biosensing and novel drug delivery for prolonged action in the treatment of breast and hepatic cancers.