Smart Materials in Medicine最新文献

The nervous system is a crucial part of the human body that is damaged by traumatic injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies also have shown that neurodegenerative diseases are associated with a subsequently increased risk of COVID-19-related death. Presently used pharmacological and therapeutic strategies are only the symptomatic treatments that involve the disruption of axonal tracts and are unable to repair and regenerate damaged CNS tissue thereby leading to significant unmet clinical needs involved in neural degeneration. The use of stem cell based regenerative medicine approaches is also limited due to heavy cost, ethical concerns and graft rejection. To address all these limitations, the neural tissue engineering philosophy has been developed that focuses on exploring and developing smart biomaterials for neural tissue repair and regeneration. A scaffold based upon natural and synthetic polymers has meant a very potential role to mimic the extracellular matrix of cells and permit the growth of different types of cells thereby improving the biological behavior in vitro and in vivo effects. They treat neurological disorders without the classic drug delivery limitations. Among these biopolymers, the collagen-based hydrogel is successfully applied conduits for clinical trials that ultimately replicate the native physiological environment of the neural tissues and control cell behavior and favor the regeneration of the damaged nerve tissue. The main objective of this review is to investigate the recent approaches and applications of next-generation polymeric biomaterials useful in the management of neurodegenerative diseases. We also discuss the outlook of the polymeric scaffolds that could pave the way for successful clinical practices.

Silk sericin (SS) is a byproduct of the silk production process that consists of 18 ​amino acids and numerous polar groups. SS has a range of unique physical, chemical, and biological properties, such as mechanical strength, antioxidant activity, pH responsiveness, low immunogenicity, biocompatibility, and the ability to promote cell proliferation. These properties make SS useful in various fields, including food and biomedicine. It can also be easily modified into biomaterials through cross-linking, copolymerization, and combination with other polymers. This review summarizes the potential applications of SS-based biomaterials in the food and biomedicine industries, including as food additives, food packaging, in vitro/vivo monitoring, drug delivery systems, and wound healing. In addition, the future development possibilities of SS or SS-based biomaterials are also discussed.

The rapid healing of wounds requires strategies that relieve oxidative stress resulting from overloaded free radicals and which promote angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and re-epithelialization of the wound. Nickel ions have been reported to be correlated with angiogenesis. However, several applications of metal salts or oxides to wounds lead to increased toxicity. The nickel metal-organic framework (Ni MOF) nanorods described herein can slowly release nickel ions, resulting in reduced toxicity and improved wound healing rates. More importantly, the Ni₃(2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaiminotriphenylene)₂ (Ni₃(HITP)₂) nanorods with well-defined structures, superior conductivity and many catalytic sites showed superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like enzyme activity and scavenged various free radicals. In addition, the Ni₃(HITP)₂ nanomaterials contributed to promotion of the migration of fibroblasts, angiogenesis and macrophage polarization from M1 to M2. The aqueous solution of Pluronic F127, a temperature-sensitive, nontoxic and phase-changing hydrogel material, was shown to be an effective choice for injectable and sprayable medical dressings. The Ni₃(HITP)₂ MOF nanomaterials can be effectively encapsulated with the F127 hydrogel to achieve continuous long-term therapeutic effects. The toxicity test results suggested that the Ni₃(HITP)₂ MOF nanomaterials exhibited excellent biosafety and no observable toxicity or side effects in mice. Therefore, the Ni₃(HITP)₂ MOF nanorods hold promising potential in the biomedical field, and this work provides an effective solution to wound therapy.

Sepsis and sepsis-related organ dysfunction have been identified as significant global life-threatening health threats, with a high mortality rate despite ongoing research in the area. Timely diagnosis is essential such that treatment could be initiated as early as possible to ensure the best outcome, since delayed intervention is associated with a higher mortality. Patient stratification and disease monitoring, present significant challenges in sepsis treatment and management strategies, largely due to the heterogenicity of sepsis signs and symptoms. Hence a focus on potential biomarkers to overcome these challenges is needed. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs), mainly the exosome subtype, have been investigated regarding their potential role in sepsis diagnostics, therapeutics and as drug delivery vehicles. Herein, we present an up-to-date review covering the role of circulating exosomes in the diagnosis and monitoring of the progression of sepsis and in therapeutics and drug delivery for sepsis. To provide context, sepsis pathophysiology and the role of circulating exosomes in sepsis have been highlighted. Future prospects, current challenges and recommendations regarding the role of exosomes in sepsis are also identified.

Numerous studies have conducted in-depth research on the biological and chemical properties of tissue-engineered neural graft (TENG) on peripheral nerve regeneration, while the physical properties of the graft also display a significant impact on the regeneration of the injured nerve. Among them, the elasticity properties of TENG show a significant impact on the adhesion, proliferation, migration and bio-functionality of nerve cells in peripheral nerve regeneration. This review summarizes the latest research progress on elastic biomaterials for peripheral nervous system (PNS), including categories of elastic biomaterials, preparation methods and the effect of elasticity on the growth behavior of nerve cells, etc. In addition, the effect of the elastic substrate on the elasticity of the cell itself is also briefly described. Finally, we analyze and discuss the underlying mechanism by which elastic substrate affects nerve cell behavior.

The global morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases are increasing yearly, among which vascular diseases are the main cause of death. Traditional drugs have multiple limitations in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and there is a lack of effective means to treat cardiovascular diseases. Exosomes, as transmitters of important intercellular information, are involved in normal physiological and pathological processes of blood vessels and are closely associated with intimal hyperplasia, vascular sclerosis and thrombosis. Engineered exosomes are obtained by modification of natural membrane vesicles, and they have the advantages of targeting, extended duration of action and detectability, which can be an excellent alternative for cardiovascular disease treatment. There is an absence of reviews on how exosomes secreted by various cells affect disease regression when vascular homeostasis is disrupted and how engineered exosomes are regulated to maintain vascular homeostasis. Therefore, this paper reviews the regulatory mechanisms of exosomes in diseases related to vascular homeostasis, briefly describes the application of engineered exosomes in vessels, and explores the potential of engineered exosomes in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, providing a new idea for the precise regulation of exosomes in the treatment of vascular diseases.

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases that contribute significantly to global mortality. Effective glucose-sensing platforms might allow for an improved monitoring of disease progression, leading to a better health management. Optical sensors based on smart materials, particularly those that respond to external stimuli, have recently paved the way for diabetes management. Such sensors surpass traditional ones due to their unique label-free, quantitative, continuous measurement capabilities and reusability, and can be paired with equipment-free text or picture display. In the current review, we have thoroughly explored the efficient interaction of the target analyte (glucose) with these smart sensing materials by varying a variety of optical parameters such as wavelength, diffracted and diffused light pattern, signal strength, and refractive index. We also highlight the obstacles and opportunities of using smart materials in biosensing research.

Post-surgical defect repair combined with the elimination of residual cancer cells remains a major clinical challenge for the therapy of malignant bone tumors. As a natural product extracted from green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has a wide range of biological activities. In this study, we investigated the anti-osteosarcoma and osteogenic potential of the natural compound EGCG in combination with hydroxyapatite (HA) for the post-operative treatment of osteosarcoma. We have synthesized well-dispersed surface amino-functionalized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles by the template method combined with surface modification techniques. Then, we conjugated EGCG with HA nanoparticles via amido linkage to prevent burst release of the biomolecules and improve their stability. The results showed that the as-prepared HA-EGCG nanoparticles had the same antioxidant activity as pure EGCG. The HA-EGCG nanoparticles demonstrated efficient EGCG release upon enzyme interactions in an acidic tumor environment, facilitating the accumulation of EGCG in tumor tissues and improving its bioavailability. Compared with pure EGCG and HA, HA-EGCG exhibited enhanced anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, HA-EGCG could effectively promote osteogenic differentiation. This covalent strategy provides a simple method to fabricate a pH and enzyme-mediated delivery platform to refine the stability and bioavailability of EGCG. This research provides a strategy into designing biomaterials combined with EGCG for the potential application in bone diseases.

A multitude of autogenous/allogeneic and semi-synthetic bone graft materials have been developed to reconstruct the defective bone tissue but with high bio-cost and potential environmental pollution. With high calcium content and several trace elements, chicken eggshells are no longer considered as wastes but attractive sources of high-value-added biomaterials. This study used chicken eggshells and synthetic hydroxyapatite (HAp) to synthesize amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) bone graft materials, namely Control and Eggshell. The physiochemical characteristics, biosafety, and immunocompatibility of synthetic ACP particles were inspected. Their osteogenic activity was further investigated in a novel osteoblastic spheroids model. Eggshell ACP particles exhibited ideal cytocompatibility compared to the control ACP and were more resistant to re-crystallization. In osteoblastic spheroids, Eggshell ACP mediated typical osteogenic mRNA profiles of MC-3T3-E1 cells, accompanied by the increased formation of mineralized nodules and boosted synthesis of ECM proteins represented by OPN and collagen I. This study establishes a promising technique to synthesize stable, safe, and osteoinductive ACP graft particles from eggshell waste. Furthermore, the osteoblastic spheroids constructed in the present study provide a more practical model for biomaterial research, which reflect the three-dimensional interaction between host bone tissue and graft materials more realistically.