ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering最新文献

External factors often lead to predictable damage, such as chemical injuries, burns, incisions, and wounds. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics at wound sites underscores the importance of developing hydrogel composite systems with inorganic nanoparticles possessing antibacterial properties to treat infected wounds and expedite the skin regeneration process. In this study, a promising TiO₂-HAp@PF-127@CBM inorganic and organic integrated hydrogel system was designed to address challenges associated with bacterial resistance and wound healing. The synthesized TiO₂-hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocomposites were coated with an FDA-approved PluronicF-127 polymer and combined with a carbomer hydrogel (CBM) to accomplish the final product. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit enhanced biocompatibility against L929 and HUVECs and cell proliferation effects. To mitigate oxidative stress caused by TiO₂-induced reactive oxygen species in dark environments for effective antibacterial effects, HAp promotes cell proliferation, expediting wound skin layer formation. CBM binds to inorganic nanoparticles, facilitating their gradual release and promoting wound healing. The reduced inflammation and enhanced tissue regeneration observed in the TiO₂-HAp@PF-127@CBM group suggest a favorable environment for wound repair. These results align with prior findings highlighting the biocompatibility and wound-healing properties of titanium-HAp-based materials. The ability of the TiO₂-HAp@PF-127@CBM hydrogel dressing to promote granulation tissue formation and facilitate epidermal regeneration underscores its potential for promoting antibacterial effects and wound healing applications.

Biomaterials, essential for supporting, enhancing, and repairing damaged tissues, play a critical role in various medical applications. This Review focuses on the interaction of biomaterials and cardiomyocytes, emphasizing the unique significance of transcriptomic approaches in understanding their interactions, which are pivotal in cardiac bioengineering and regenerative medicine. Transcriptomic approaches serve as powerful tools to investigate how cardiomyocytes respond to biomaterials, shedding light on the gene expression patterns, regulatory pathways, and cellular processes involved in these interactions. Emerging technologies such as bulk RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, single-nucleus RNA-seq, and spatial transcriptomics offer promising avenues for more precise and in-depth investigations. Longitudinal studies, pathway analyses, and machine learning techniques further improve the ability to explore the complex regulatory mechanisms involved. This review also discusses the challenges and opportunities of utilizing transcriptomic techniques in cardiomyocyte-biomaterial research. Although there are ongoing challenges such as costs, cell size limitation, sample differences, and complex analytical process, there exist exciting prospects in comprehensive gene expression analyses, biomaterial design, cardiac disease treatment, and drug testing. These multimodal methodologies have the capacity to deepen our understanding of the intricate interaction network between cardiomyocytes and biomaterials, potentially revolutionizing cardiac research with the aim of promoting heart health, and they are also promising for studying interactions between biomaterials and other cell types.

Bone defects typically result in bone nonunion, delayed or nonhealing, and localized dysfunction, and commonly used clinical treatments (i.e., autologous and allogeneic grafts) have limited results. The multifunctional bone tissue engineering scaffold provides a new treatment for the repair of bone defects. Herein, a three-dimensional porous composite scaffold with stable mechanical support, effective antibacterial and hemostasis properties, and the ability to promote the rapid repair of bone defects was synthesized using methacrylated carboxymethyl chitosan and icariin-loaded poly-l-lactide/gelatin short fibers (M-CMCS-SFs). Icariin-loaded SFs in the M-CMCS scaffold resulted in the sustained release of osteogenic agents, which was beneficial for mechanical reinforcement. Both the porous structure and the use of chitosan facilitate the effective absorption of blood and fluid exudates. Moreover, its superior antibacterial properties could prevent the occurrence of inflammation and infection. When cultured with bone mesenchymal stem cells, the composite scaffold showed a promotion in osteogenic differentiation. Taken together, such a multifunctional composite scaffold showed comprehensive performance in antibacterial, hemostasis, and bone regeneration, thus holding promising potential in the repair of bone defects and related medical treatments.

Silkworms have provided valuable byproducts (spanning from high-quality textiles to health supplements) to humans for millennia. Despite their importance in sericultural economy and biotechnology, manifold possibilities inherent in the myriad natural or artificially generated silk varieties have been underestimated. In this paper, we report that the Yeonnokjam silk strain, which shows light-green color, contains quercetin fluorochrome (QueF) in sericin, and QueF can be used as a fluorescence dye with a large Stokes shift and high sensitivity to environmental temperature and pH, thus functioning as an environmental sensing material. A Stokes shift exceeding 180 nm, a quantum efficiency of 1.28%, and a rapid fluorescence decay of 0.67 ns are obtained, which are influenced by solvent polarities. Moreover, QueF can be used as a UV blocker as well, and its low cytotoxicity and biocompatibility further suggest promising prospects for diverse application in cosmetics and medical materials in the future.

This study investigates the remarkable attributes of sulfur-doped carbon nanodots (CDs) synthesized in high yield and a narrow size distribution (4.8 nm). These CDs exhibit notable features, including potential bioelimination through renal clearance and efficient photothermal conversion in the near-infrared region with multicolor photoluminescence across the visible spectrum. Our research demonstrates high biocompatibility and effective near-infrared (NIR)-triggered photothermal toxicity when targeting mammospheres and patient-derived tumor organoids. Moreover, the study delves into the intricate cellular responses induced by CD-mediated hyperthermia. This involves efficient tumor mass death, activation of the p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, and upregulation of genes associated with apoptosis, hypoxia, and autophagy. The interaction of CDs with mammospheres reveals their ability to penetrate the complex microenvironment, impeded at 4 °C, indicating an energy-dependent endocytosis mechanism. This observation underscores the CDs' potential for targeted drug delivery, particularly in anticancer therapeutics. This investigation contributes to understanding the multifunctional properties of sulfur-doped CDs and highlights their promising applications in cancer therapeutics. Utilizing 3-D tumor-in-a-dish patients' organoids enhances translational potential, providing a clinically relevant platform for assessing therapeutic efficacy in a context mirroring the physiological conditions of cancerous tissues.

Tympanic membrane perforation (TMP) is prevalent in clinical settings. Patients with TMPs often suffer from infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, leading to middle ear and external ear canal infections, which hinder eardrum healing. The objective of this study is to fabricate an enzyme-responsive antibacterial electrospun scaffold using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and hyaluronic acid for the treatment of infected TMPs. The properties of the scaffold were characterized, including morphology, wettability, mechanical properties, degradation properties, antimicrobial properties, and biocompatibility. The results indicated that the fabricated scaffold had a core-shell structure and exhibited excellent mechanical properties, hydrophobicity, degradability, and cytocompatibility. Furthermore, in vitro bacterial tests and ex vivo investigations on eardrum infections suggested that this scaffold possesses hyaluronidase-responsive antibacterial properties. It may rapidly release antibiotics when exposed to the enzyme released by S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. These findings suggest that the scaffold has great potential for repairing TMPs with infections.

Objectives: This study aims to assess the risk of peri-implantitis (PI) onset among different implant systems and evaluate the severity of the disease from a population of patients treated in a university clinic. Furthermore, this study intends to thoroughly examine the surface properties of the implant systems that have been identified and investigated.

Material and methods: Data from a total of six hundred and 14 patients were extracted from the Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Dental Faculty, University of Oslo. Subject- and implant-based variables were collected, including the type of implant, date of implant installation, medical records, recall appointments up to 2022, periodontal measurements, information on diabetes, smoking status, sex, and age. The outcome of interest was the diagnosis of PI, defined as the occurrence of bleeding on probing (BoP), peri-implant probing depth (PD) ≥ 5 mm, and bone loss (BL). Data were analyzed using multivariate linear and logistic regression. Scanning electron microscopy, light laser profilometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were utilized for surface and chemical analyses.

Results: Among the patients evaluated, 6.8% were diagnosed with PI. A comparison was made between two different implant systems: Dentsply Sirona, OsseospeedTM and Straumann SLActive, with mean follow-up times of 3.84 years (SE: 0.15) and 3.34 years (SE: 0.15), respectively. The surfaces have different topographies and surface chemistry. However, no significant association was found between PI and implant surface/system, including no difference in the onset or severity of the disease. Nonetheless, plaque control was associated with an increased risk of developing PI, along with the gender of the patient. Furthermore, patients suffering from PI exhibited increased BL in the anterior region.

Conclusion: No differences were observed among the evaluated implant systems, although the surfaces have different topography and chemistry. Factors that affected the risk of developing PI were plaque index and male gender. The severity of BL in patients with PI was more pronounced in the anterior region. Consequently, our findings show that success in implantology is less contingent on selecting implant systems and more on a better understanding of patient-specific risk factors, as well as on implementing biomaterials that can more effectively debride dental implants.

Diabetic bone defects, exacerbated by hyperglycemia-induced inflammation and oxidative stress, present significant therapeutic challenges. This study introduces a novel injectable scaffold, MgH₂@PLGA/F-GM, consisting of foamed gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) and magnesium hydride (MgH₂) microspheres encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). This scaffold is uniquely suited for diabetic bone defects, conforming to complex shapes and fostering an environment conducive to tissue regeneration. As it degrades, Mg(OH)₂ is released and dissolved by PLGA's acidic byproducts, releasing therapeutic Mg²⁺ ions. These ions are instrumental in macrophage phenotype modulation, inflammation reduction, and angiogenesis promotion, all vital for diabetic bone healing. Additionally, hydrogen (H₂) released during degradation mitigates oxidative stress by diminishing reactive oxygen species (ROS). This multifaceted approach not only reduces ROS and inflammation but also enhances M₂ macrophage polarization and cell migration, culminating in improved angiogenesis and bone repair. This scaffold presents an innovative strategy for addressing the complexities of diabetic bone defect treatment.

Microorganisms often live in habitats characterized by fluid flow, and their adhesion to surfaces in industrial systems or clinical settings may lead to pipe clogging, microbially influenced corrosion, material deterioration, food spoilage, infections, and human illness. Here, a novel microfluidic platform was developed to investigate biofilm formation under precisely controlled (i) cell concentration, (ii) temperature, and (iii) flow conditions. The developed platform central unit is a single-channel microfluidic flow cell designed to ensure ultrahomogeneous flow and condition in its central area, where features, e.g., with trapping properties, can be incorporated. In comparison to static and macroflow chamber assays for biofilm studies, microfluidic chips allow in situ monitoring of biofilm formation under various flow regimes and have better environment control and smaller sample requirements. Flow simulations and experiments with fluorescent particles were used to simulate bacteria flow in the platform cell for calculating flow velocity and direction at the microscale level. The combination of flow analysis and fluorescent strain injection in the cell showed that microtraps placed at the center of the channel were efficient in capturing bacteria at determined positions and to study how flow conditions, especially microvortices, can affect biofilm formation. The microfluidic platform exhibited improved performances in terms of homogeneity and robustness for in vitro biofilm formation. We anticipate the presented platform to be suitable for broad, versatile, and high-throughput biofilm studies at the microscale level.

Premature neonates with underdeveloped lungs experience respiratory issues and need respiratory support, such as mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The "artificial placenta" (AP) is a noninvasive approach that supports their lungs and reduces respiratory distress, using a pumpless oxygenator connected to the systemic circulation, and can address some of the morbidity issues associated with ECMO. Over the past decade, microfluidic blood oxygenators have garnered significant interest for their ability to mimic physiological conditions and incorporate innovative biomimetic designs. Achieving sufficient gas transfer at a low enough pressure drop for a pumpless operation without requiring a large volume of blood to prime such an oxygenator has been the main challenge with microfluidic lung assist devices (LAD). In this study, we improved the gas exchange capacity of our microfluidic-based artificial placenta-type LAD while reducing its priming volume by using a modified fabrication process that can accommodate large-area thin film microfluidic blood oxygenator (MBO) fabrication with a very high gas exchange surface. Additionally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of a LAD assembled by using these scaled-up MBOs. The LAD based on our artificial placenta concept effectively increases oxygen saturation levels by 30% at a flow rate of 40 mL/min and a pressure drop of 23 mmHg in room air, which is sufficient to support partial oxygenation for 1 kg preterm neonates in respiratory distress. When the gas ambient environment was changed to pure oxygen at atmospheric pressure, the LAD would be able to support premature neonates weighing up to 2 kg. Furthermore, our experiments reveal that the LAD can handle high blood flow rates of up to 150 mL/min and increase oxygen saturation levels by ∼20%, which is equal to an oxygen transfer of 7.48 mL/min in an enriched oxygen environment and among the highest for microfluidic AP type devices. Such performance makes this LAD suitable for providing essential support to 1-2 kg neonates in respiratory distress.