Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel coatings with tunable surface exposure of hydroxyapatite

Thermosensitive hybrid hydrogels for the controlled release of bioactive vancomycin in the treatment of orthopaedic implant infections

The purpose of this work was the development of antibacterial delivery systems for vancomycin, with potential application in the prevention or treatment of orthopedic implant infections. Previous studies have shown tandem thermal gelling and Michael addition cross-linking of hydrogels based on methacrylate, acrylate or vinylsulfone triblock copolymers of PEG-p(HPMAm-lac_1-2) and thiolated hyaluronic acid. In this work we exploited these α-β unsaturated derivatives of PEG-p(HPMAm-lac_1-2) triblock copolymers and used them in combination with thiolated hyaluronic acid as controlled delivery systems for vancomycin. It was found that the antibiotic was sustainably released from the hydrogel networks for at least 5 days with release kinetics depending on diffusion and dissociation of the positively charged vancomycin from the negatively charged hyaluronic acid. The release of vancomycin could be tailored mainly by HA-SH solid content and degree of thiolation. The developed hydrogels were demonstrate efficacious in preserving the structural and functional integrity of the encapsulated drug by physical immobilization within the gel network and ionic interaction with hyaluronic acid, thereby preventing vancomycin deamidation processes. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of vancomycin loaded hydrogels was assessed, demonstrating retention of inhibitory activity towards Staphylococcus aureus during formulation and release, with slightly increased activity of vancomycin encapsulated in hydrogels of higher HA-SH content as compared to controls.

Integrating biologically inspired nanomaterials and table-top stereolithography for 3D printed biomimetic osteochondral scaffolds

The osteochondral interface of an arthritic joint is notoriously difficult to regenerate due to its extremely poor regenerative capacity and complex stratified architecture. Native osteochondral tissue extracellular matrix is composed of numerous nanoscale organic and inorganic constituents. Although various tissue engineering strategies exist in addressing osteochondral defects, limitations persist with regards to tissue scaffolding which exhibit biomimetic cues at the nano to micro scale. In an effort to address this, the current work focused on 3D printing biomimetic nanocomposite scaffolds for improved osteochondral tissue regeneration. For this purpose, two biologically-inspired nanomaterials have been synthesized consisting of (1) osteoconductive nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (nHA) (primary inorganic component of bone) and (2) core-shell poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanospheres encapsulated with chondrogenic transforming growth-factor β1 (TGF-β1) for sustained delivery. Then, a novel table-top stereolithography 3D printer and the nano-ink (i.e., nHA + nanosphere + hydrogel) were employed to fabricate a porous and highly interconnected osteochondral scaffold with hierarchical nano-to-micro structure and spatiotemporal bioactive factor gradients. Our results showed that human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteochondral differentiation were greatly improved in the biomimetic graded 3D printed osteochondral construct in vitro. The current work served to illustrate the efficacy of the nano-ink and current 3D printing technology for efficient fabrication of a novel nanocomposite hydrogel scaffold. In addition, tissue-specific growth factors illustrated a synergistic effect leading to increased cell adhesion and directed stem cell differentiation.

Design of a Novel 3D Printed Bioactive Nanocomposite Scaffold for Improved Osteochondral Regeneration

Chronic and acute osteochondral defects as a result of osteoarthritis and trauma present a common and serious clinical problem due to the tissue's inherent complexity and poor regenerative capacity. In addition, cells within the osteochondral tissue are in intimate contact with a 3D nanostructured extracellular matrix composed of numerous bioactive organic and inorganic components. As an emerging manufacturing technique, 3D printing offers great precision and control over the microarchitecture, shape and composition of tissue scaffolds. Therefore, the objective of this study is to develop a biomimetic 3D printed nanocomposite scaffold with integrated differentiation cues for improved osteochondral tissue regeneration. Through the combination of novel nano-inks composed of organic and inorganic bioactive factors and advanced 3D printing, we have successfully fabricated a series of novel constructs which closely mimic the native 3D extracellular environment with hierarchical nanoroughness, microstructure and spatiotemporal bioactive cues. Our results illustrate several key characteristics of the 3D printed nanocomposite scaffold to include improved mechanical properties as well as excellent cytocompatibility for enhanced human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteochondral differentiation in vitro. The present work further illustrates the effectiveness of the scaffolds developed here as a promising and highly tunable platform for osteochondral tissue regeneration.