Engineered regeneration最新文献

Inflammatory cytokine storms can trigger disease exacerbation and even death and have reached a consensus in the clinical treatment of acute organ failure. However, the existing strategies remain a great challenge to efficiently suppress inflammatory cytokine storms for promoting organ repair and regeneration. Herein, fully human umbilical cord (UC)-derived adhesive materials (UCAM) that integrate decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) nanofiber hydrogel and homologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are demonstrated to greatly suppress inflammatory cytokine storms, demonstrating high efficacy in treating acute liver failure (ALF) in rats with 90% hepatectomy. The UC-derived adhesive materials have the capacity to secrete a significant quantity of cytokines by MSCs to recruit activated immune cells to migrate into their ECM nanofiber networks, segregating them away from the infection area and thereby greatly suppressing the inflammatory cytokine storms. As expected, the UC-derived adhesive materials can significantly promote hepatocyte proliferation to achieve functional recovery and regeneration of the liver, significantly improving the survival rate in rats. Our fully human UC-derived adhesive materials provide a new avenue in suppressing inflammatory cytokine storms for promoting organ regeneration that would be really utility in clinical organ transplantation-related treatment.

Osteoarthritis (OA) represents an enduring and widespread global burden, causing significant morbidity and disability, whose pathology is characterized by persistent inflammation, progressive cartilage degeneration, abnormal bone homeostasis, and excessive synovial hyperplasia, resulting from its complex microenvironment. Unfortunately, current therapeutic approaches for OA remain suboptimal, prompting increased interest in advanced nanotechnology as a means to enhance therapeutic effects. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the development of versatile nanoplatforms designed to the specific microenvironment of OA, resulting in promising results and introducing the concept of “OA nanomedicine”. Compared to the conventional therapies like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), OA nanomedicine offers precise targeted, controllable and personalized ways for OA therapy, contributing to better outcomes. However, a comprehensive review consolidating the “OA nanomedicine” is currently absent from literature. Therefore, in this review, we aim to unravel the key pathological and microenvironmental characteristics of OA while summarizing the properties and advantages of nanosystems possessing microenvironment-reprogramming capabilities for OA therapy. First, we make a retrospection of the features of OA pathology and OA microenvironment. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the advances in OA nanomedicine. Eventually, we discuss the present challenges associated with OA nanomedicine and provide insights into its future prospects from a clinical-translational lens. By doing so, this review can foster and propel the successful development of OA nanomedicine, addressing the unmet needs in OA therapy.

Silk-based biomaterials have gained significant importance making them a promising choice for the future of medical technology due to their versatility and biocompatibility. They can be fabricated and tailored through various processing methods such as electrospinning, freeze-drying, and 3D printing, to achieve specific properties and structures namely sponges, hydrogels, films, and scaffolds that can be utilized for different biomedical applications. Biocompatibility, a unique property of silk-based biomaterials, has been demonstrated through both in vivo and in vitro studies and to date many studies have reported the successful use of these silk-based biomaterials in different fields of medicine. In this review, we have elaborately discussed different types of silk, their structural composition, and biophysical properties. Also, the current review focuses on highlighting various biomedical applications of engineered and fabricated silk-based biomaterials which aid in the treatment of certain infections and diseases related to skin, eyes, teeth, bone, heart, nerves, and liver. Furthermore, we have consolidated the advancements of silk-based biomaterials in the different fields of biotechnology such as sensors, food coating and packaging, textiles, drug delivery, and cosmetics. However, the research in this field continues to expand and more significant observations must be generated with feasible results for their reliable use in different biomedical applications.

Polyethylene terephthalate glycol, PETG, is a miscible, transparent thermoplastic known to have strong tensile properties, high ductility, as well as resistance to heat and chemical insults. PETG may be manufactured in several ways, most notably 3D printing modalities. As such, PETG has emerged as a viable biomaterial for a variety of medical applications such as tissue engineering, dentistry, optometry, vascular health, cardiology, orthopedics, neurology, gynecology, and surgery. PETG also serves a valuable role in biomedical research and engineering by offering improvements in cell studies, drug carriers, and anti-bacterial measures. Further medical research and innovation utilizing PETG will better characterize its value as an inexpensive and versatile biomaterial.

Tanycytes are stem/progenitor cells that reside in the hypothalamus of the adult vertebrate brain. Tanycytes can be cultured as free-floating neurospheres in vitro but tend to spontaneously differentiate over time. Here we asked whether morphological cues provided by engineered polymer scaffolds can modify spontaneous differentiation. Tanycyte-derived neurospheres were cultured on electrospun scaffolds, prepared with either random or aligned fiber morphologies. Cells dispersed widely on the scaffolds, and - on aligned scaffolds - were highly organized, orientated parallel to the fibers. Immunocytochemical analysis showed that cells cultured on aligned scaffolds showed significantly greater expression of the neural stem/progenitor cell marker, NrCAM and reduced expression of differentiated cell markers in comparison to those cultured on random scaffolds. Together this shows that tanycytes respond to local engineered cues, and that a morphologically constrained environment can better maintain tanycytes as stem cells. The aligned scaffold culture system provides a powerful tool to better investigate this novel stem/progenitor cell population.

Bone fractures are common occurrence in clinical settings, creating a high demand for effective repair material. Unfortunately, limited graft availability, donor site morbidities, unpredictable clinical outcomes, immunologic reactions, infection risks, and geometrical mismatching concerns hampered tissue graft use and underscored the need for scaffolds for more effective bone reconstructions due to their tunable properties. Significant progress has been carried out in past decade in the fields of nanoceramics synthesis, bioconjugate chemistry, and composite material processing. This review outlines hierarchical structures and biology of bone tissue, materialistic components of scaffolds (bioceramics, polymers, bioactive drugs), featured scaffolding strategies (nanofibers, hydrogels, aerogels, bioprinting, and fiber-reinforced composite), and emphasis that hierarchical and physiochemical characteristics of bone should be used as an inspiration for scaffold design. This review discussed how differences in materiobiological aspects of scaffolds, such as polymer/bioceramic nanocomposite, mineralized nanocomposite, matrix-rich nanocomposite, 3D microenvironmental cues, pore space cues, mechanical cues, usage of physical stimulation (magnetic, electroactive, and photoactivated cues), surface cues (wettability, roughness, textured, and surface charge), and biointerface cues (cell–biomaterial interactions, cell-selective homing, and cell regulatory strategies) modulate cellular and biological response for bone tissue engineering. This study further outlines the challenges and benefits of integrating materiobiological cues of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Mechanically strong magnesium-doped Ca-silicate bioceramic scaffolds have many advantages in repairing large segmental bone defects. Herein we combine β-TCP with 6 mol% magnesium-doped calcium silicate (Mg6) at three different ratios (TCP, TCP+15 %Mg6, TCP+85 %Mg6) to find an appropriate ratio which can exert considerable influence on bone regeneration. In this study, the bioceramic scaffolds were assessed for mechanical strength, bioactive ion release, biocompatibility, and osteogenic capacity through in vitro testing. Additionally, the potential for promoting bone regeneration was investigated through in vivo implantation of porous tube-like scaffolds. The results showed that the compressive strength increased with the augmentation of Mg6 component. Especially the compressive strength of the TCP+85 %Mg6 group reached 38.1 ± 3.8 MPa, three times that of the other two groups. Furthermore, extensive in vivo investigations revealed that the TCP+85 %Mg6 bioceramic scaffolds were particularly beneficial for the osteogenic capacity of critical-sized femoral defects (20 mm in length). Altogether, magnesium doping in bioceramic implants is a promising strategy to provide stronger mechanical support and enhance osteogenesis to accelerate the repair of large defects.

Skin damage resulting from burns, injuries, or diseases can lead to significant functional and esthetic deficits. However, traditional treatments, such as skin grafting, have limitations including limited donor skin availability, poor aesthetics, and functional impairment. Skin tissue engineering provides a promising alternative, with engineered artificial skins offering a highly viable avenue. Engineered artificial skin is designed to mimic or replace the functions of natural human skin and find applications in various medical treatments, particularly for severe burns, chronic wounds, and other skin injuries or defects. These artificial skins aim to promote wound healing, provide temporary coverage, permanent skin replacement, and restore the skin's barrier function. Artificial skins have diverse applications in medicine and wound care, addressing burns, chronic wounds, and traumatic injuries. They also serve as valuable tools for research in tissue engineering, offering experimental models for studying wound healing mechanisms, testing new biomaterials, and exploring innovative approaches to skin regeneration. This review provides an overview of current construction strategies for engineered artificial skin, including cell sources, biomaterials, and construction techniques. It further explores the primary application areas and future prospects of artificial skin, highlighting their potential to revolutionize skin reconstruction and advance the field of regenerative medicine.

Cell alignment plays a vital role in tissue regeneration, especially for neural cells like neurons. Recent progress in biomaterial technologies has enabled the creation of various approaches for engineering neural cell alignment, which has demonstrated significant effectiveness in several biomedical applications. This review primarily concentrates on the latest advancements for in vitro engineering of neural cell alignment. We also summarized their applications in biomedical research, particularly their potential in addressing nervous system injuries. Finally, we analyze the current challenges associated with engineering neural cell alignment and provide insights into future perspectives in this field.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale substances produced by most cells, which were not fully understood in the early years. However, with the development of advanced techniques, researchers have discovered that EVs play an essential role in information exchange and signal transduction between cells. Nowadays, EVs are being used, modified, and developed as a natural drug carrier in various medical fields because of their high biocompatibility and natural affinity with the source body. Many studies have shown that multiple sources of EVs have been modified and utilized in cancer therapy to improve patients' treatment windows and effectively prolong patient survival. In this paper, we review the advances in the treatment of cancer based on EVs. We summarize the types of EVs loading therapy, the modes of drug loading and the latest therapeutic applications of multiple modes combined with EVs in cancer treatment. We conclude with a discussion of the current status, challenges, and prospects of EVs as a tool for tumor therapy.