Photoencapsulation of osteoblasts in injectable RGD-modified PEG hydrogels for bone tissue engineering

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels were investigated as encapsulation matrices for osteoblasts to assess their applicability in promoting bone tissue engineering. Non-adhesive hydrogels were modified with adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide sequences to facilitate the adhesion, spreading, and, consequently, cytoskeletal organization of rat calvarial osteoblasts. When attached to hydrogel surfaces, the density and area of osteoblasts attached were dramatically different between modified and unmodified hydrogels. A concentration dependence of RGD groups was observed, with increased osteoblast attachment and spreading with higher RGD concentrations, and cytoskeleton organization was seen with only the highest peptide density. A majority of the osteoblasts survived the photoencapsulation process when gels were formed with 10% macromer, but a decrease in osteoblast viability of approximately 25% and 38% was seen after 1 day of in vitro culture when the macromer concentration was increased to 20 and 30wt%, respectively. There was no statistical difference in cell viability when peptides were added to the network. Finally, mineral deposits were seen in all hydrogels after 4 weeks of in vitro culture, but a significant increase in mineralization was observed upon introduction of adhesive peptides throughout the network.     

Degradable and injectable poly(aldehyde guluronate) hydrogels for bone tissue engineering

Degradable and injectable hydrogels may be ideal for bone-tissue engineering, especially in the craniofacial region because of the ease of access for injection. Alginate hydrogels potentially could be used as injectable cell delivery vehicles, but they exhibit a limited range of mechanical properties and uncontrollable disintegration time. Therefore we synthesized new hydrogels, composed of poly(aldehyde guluronate) (PAG) and adipic acid dihydrazide, that have a wide range of mechanical stiffness and controllable degradation rate. MC3T3-E1 cells adhered and multiplied on PAG hydrogels in vitro. When primary rat calvarial osteoblasts were mixed with PAG hydrogels and subcutaneously injected into the backs of mice, mineralized bone tissues were formed 9 weeks following implantation. These hydrogels may find wide utility as an injectable delivery system for bone precursor cells as well as for other applications in tissue engineering.     

Injectable chitosan-based hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

Water-soluble chitosan derivatives, chitosan-graft-glycolic acid (GA) and phloretic acid (PA) (CH-GA/PA), were designed to obtain biodegradable injectable chitosan hydrogels through enzymatic crosslinking with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and H₂O₂. CH-GA/PA polymers were synthesized by first conjugating glycolic acid (GA) to native chitosan to render the polymer soluble at pH 7.4, and subsequent modification with phloretic acid (PA). The CH-GA43/PA10 with a degree of substitution (DS, defined as the number of substituted NH₂ groups per 100 glucopyranose rings of chitosan) of GA of 43 and DS of PA of 10 showed a good solubility at pH values up to 10. Short gelation times (e.g. 10 s at a polymer concentration of 3 wt%), as recorded by the vial tilting method, were observed for the CH-GA43/PA10 hydrogels using HRP and H₂O₂. It was shown that these hydrogels can be readily degraded by lysozyme. In vitro culturing of chondrocytes in CH-GA43/PA10 hydrogels revealed that after 2 weeks the cells were viable and retained their round shape. These features indicate that CH-GA/PA hydrogels are promising as an artificial extracellular matrix for cartilage tissue engineering.     

Delivery of TGF-beta1 and chondrocytes via injectable, biodegradable hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering applications

In this work, novel hydrogel composites, based on the biodegradable polymer, oligo(poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate) (OPF) and gelatin microparticles (MPs) were utilized as injectable cell and growth factor carriers for cartilage tissue engineering applications. Specifically, bovine chondrocytes were embedded in composite hydrogels co-encapsulating gelatin MPs loaded with transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). Hydrogels with embedded cells co-encapsulating unloaded MPs and those with no MPs served as controls in order to assess the effects of MPs and TGF-beta1 on chondrocyte function. Samples were cultured up to 28 days in vitro. By 14 days, cell attachment to embedded gelatin MPs within the constructs was observed via light microscopy. Bioassay results showed that, over the 21 day period, there was a statistically significant increase in cellular proliferation for samples containing gelatin MPs, but no increase was exhibited in samples without MPs over the culture period. The release of TGF-beta1 further increased cell construct cellularity. Over the same time period, glycosaminoglycan content per cell remained constant for all formulations, suggesting that the dramatic increase in cell number for samples with TGF-beta1-loaded MPs was accompanied by maintenance of the cell phenotype. Overall, these data indicate the potential of OPF hydrogel composites containing embedded chondrocytes and TGF-beta1-loaded gelatin MPs as a novel strategy for cartilage tissue engineering.     

Strontium- and zinc-alginate hydrogels for bone tissue engineering

The development of bone replacement materials is an important healthcare objective due to the drawbacks of treating defects with bone autografts. In this work we propose a bone tissue engineering approach in which arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-modified alginate hydrogels are crosslinked with bioactive strontium and zinc ions as well as calcium. Strontium was chosen for its ability to stimulate bone formation, and zinc is essential for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Calcium and strontium gels had similar stiffnesses but different stabilities over time. Strontium gels made with alginate with a high percentage of guluronic acid residues (high G) were slow to degrade, whereas those made with alginate rich in mannuronic acid (high M) degraded more quickly, and supported proliferation of Saos-2 osteoblast-like cells. After an initial burst, strontium release from alginate gels was steady and sustained, and the magnitude of release from high M gels was biologically relevant. Saos-2 cultured within alginate gels upregulated the osteoblast phenotypic marker genes RUNX2, collagen I (COL1A1) and bone sialoprotein (BSP), and ALP protein activity was highest in alginate gels cast with strontium ions. This strategy has the potential to be combined with other alginate-based systems for bone tissue engineering, or adapted to other tissue engineering applications.     

Bioresponsive phosphoester hydrogels for bone tissue engineering

Bioresponsive and intelligent biomaterials are a vehicle for manipulating cell function to promote tissue development and/or tissue engineering. A photopolymerized hydrogel based on a phosphoester- poly(ethylene glycol) polymer (PhosPEG) was synthesized for application to marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) encapsulation and tissue engineering of bone. The phosphor-containing hydrogels were hydrolytically degradable and the rate of degradation increased in the presence of a bone-derived enzyme, alkaline phosphatase. Gene expression and protein analysis of encapsulated MSCs demonstrated that PhosPEG-PEG cogels containing an intermediate concentration of phosphorus promoted the gene expression of bone-specific markers including type I collagen, alkaline phosphatase, and osteonectin, without the addition of growth factors or other biological agents, compared with pure poly(ethylene glycol)-based gels. Secretion of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and osteonectin protein was also increased in the PhosPEG cogels. Mineralization of gels increased in the presence of phosphorus in both cellular and acellular constructs compared with PEG gels. In summary, phosphate-PEG-derived hydrogels increase gene expression of bone-specific markers, secretion of bone-related matrix, and mineralization and may have a potential impact on bone-engineering therapies.     

Injectable chitosan hyaluronic acid hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

Injectable cartilaginous constructs that can form gels in tissue defects have many advantages in tissue engineering applications. In this study we created an injectable hydrogel consisting of methacrylated glycol chitosan (MeGC) and hyaluronic acid (HA) by photocrosslinking with a riboflavin photoinitiator under visible light. A minimum irradiation time of 40 s was required to produce stable gels for cell encapsulation with 87–90% encapsulated chondrocyte viability. Although increasing the irradiation time from 40 to 600 s significantly enhanced the compressive modulus of the hydrogels up to 11 or 17 kPa for MeGC or MeGC/HA, respectively, these conditions reduced the encapsulated cell viability to 60–65%. The majority of chondrocytes encapsulated in MeGC hydrogels after 300 s irradiation maintained a rounded shape with a high cell viability of ～80–87% over a 21 day culture period. The incorporation of HA in MeGC hydrogels increased the proliferation and deposition of cartilaginous extracellular matrix by encapsulated chondrocytes. These findings demonstrate that MeGC/HA composite hydrogels have the potential for cartilage repair.     

Synthesis of two-component injectable polyurethanes for bone tissue engineering

The advent of injectable polymer technologies has increased the prospect of developing novel, minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques to treat a wide variety of ailments. In this study, we have synthesised and evaluated a novel polyurethane-based injectable, in situ curable, polymer platform to determine its potential uses as a tissue engineered implant. Films of the polymers were prepared by reacting two pentaerythritol-based prepolymers, and characterised for mechanical and surface properties, and cytocompatibility. This polymer platform displayed mechanical strength and elasticity superior to many injectable bone cements and grafts. Cytotoxicity tests using primary human osteoblasts, revealed positive cell viability and increased proliferation over a period of 7 days in culture. This favourable cell environment was attributed to the hydrophilic nature of the films, as assessed by dynamic contact angle (DCA) analysis of the sample surfaces. The incorporation of beta-TCP was shown to improve mechanical properties, surface wettability, and cell viability and proliferation, compared to the other sample types. SEM/EDX analysis of these surfaces also revealed physicochemical surface heterogeneity in the presence of beta-TCP. Based on preliminary mechanical analysis and cytotoxicity results, these injectable polymers may have a number or potential orthopaedic applications; ranging from bone glues to scaffolds for bone regeneration.     

Scaffolds in tissue engineering bone and cartilage

Musculoskeletal tissue, bone and cartilage are under extensive investigation in tissue engineering research. A number of biodegradable and bioresorbable materials, as well as scaffold designs, have been experimentally and/or clinically studied. Ideally, a scaffold should have the following characteristics: (i) three-dimensional and highly porous with an interconnected pore network for cell growth and flow transport of nutrients and metabolic waste; (ii) biocompatible and bioresorbable with a controllable degradation and resorption rate to match cell/tissue growth in vitro and/or in vivo; (iii) suitable surface chemistry for cell attachment, proliferation, and differentation and (iv) mechanical properties to match those of the tissues at the site of implantation. This paper reviews research on the tissue engineering of bone and cartilage from the polymeric scaffold point of view.     

纳米复合水凝胶在骨组织工程中的应用

文题释义：纳米颗粒：是指纳米量级的微观颗粒,指至少在一个维度上小于100 nm的颗粒。纳米颗粒具有较大的比表面积,可以与水凝胶结构链形成紧密的界面,改善水凝胶的机械性能。纳米复合水凝胶：水凝胶与纳米颗粒化学或物理交联的有机-无机或有机-有机网络结构。由于水凝胶网络与纳米颗粒的相互作用,纳米复合水凝胶具有增强的化学、物理或生物特性。 背景：纳米复合水凝胶是具有良好生物相容性和骨传导性能的仿生材料,在骨组织工程中广泛应用。 目的：总结纳米颗粒的分类及纳米复合水凝胶在骨组织工程中的应用。 方法：应用计算机对CNKI数据库、PubMed数据库、Web of Science数据库2000至2019年发表的文献进行检索,中文检索关键词为“纳米复合材料,骨组织工程,纳米颗粒,水凝胶”,英文检索关键词为“Nanocomposites;Bone Tissue Engineering;Nanoparticle;Hydrogels”。根据纳入和排除标准最终纳入69篇文献进行结果分析。结果与结论：①目前常作为纳米填料的纳米颗粒主要有碳基纳米颗粒、金属和金属氧化物纳米颗粒、聚合物纳米颗粒、磷酸钙基纳米颗粒;②纳米颗粒与水凝胶的复合能改善水凝胶的机械性能;③纳米复合水凝胶能促进种子细胞的黏附和成骨分化,从而应用于骨组织工程;④目前,纳米复合水凝胶在骨组织工程中的应用还存在纳米颗粒分散性差、骨组织工程中的血管化能力弱及材料降解速率难以调控等问题。 ORCID: 0000-0002-1900-9641(林开利) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：生物材料;骨生物材料; 口腔生物材料; 纳米材料; 缓释材料; 材料相容性;组织工程     

Semi-interpenetrating networks of hyaluronic acid in degradable PEG hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

Hydrolytically biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels offer a promising platform for chondrocyte encapsulation and tuning degradation for cartilage tissue engineering, but offer no bioactive cues to encapsulated cells. This study tests the hypothesis that a semi-interpenetrating network of entrapped hyaluronic acid (HA), a bioactive molecule that binds cell surface receptors on chondrocytes, and crosslinked degradable PEG improves matrix synthesis by encapsulated chondrocytes. Degradation was achieved by incorporating oligo (lactic acid) segments into the crosslinks. The effects of HA molecular weight (MW) (2.9 × 10⁴ and 2 × 10⁶ Da) and concentration (0.5 and 5 mg g⁻¹) were investigated. Bovine chondrocytes were encapsulated in semi-interpenetrating networks and cultured for 4 weeks. A steady release of HA was observed over the course of the study with 90% released by 4 weeks. Incorporation of HA led to significantly higher cell numbers throughout the culture period. After 8 days, HA increased collagen content per cell, increased aggrecan-positive cells, while decreasing the deposition of hypertrophic collagen X, but these effects were not sustained long term. Measuring total sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) and collagen content within the constructs and released to the culture medium after 4 weeks revealed that total matrix synthesis was elevated by high concentrations of HA, indicating that HA stimulated matrix production although this matrix was not retained within the hydrogels. Matrix-degrading enzymes were elevated in the low-, but not the high-MW HA. Overall, incorporating high-MW HA into degrading hydrogels increased chondrocyte number and sGAG and collagen production, warranting further investigations to improve retention of newly synthesized matrix molecules.     

可注射型组织工程骨支架材料的研究进展

可注射型组织工程骨支架材料是一种具有一定形态和机械强度的支架材料,可与种子细胞复合,以流体的形式注射到骨组织缺损部位,最终形成新骨,达到结构恢复和功能重建的目的.此材料具有创伤小、可塑性好的特点,可以修复形态不规则的骨缺损,能够很好地复合生长因子,是目前较为理想的骨组织缺损的修复方式.在众多可注射骨组织工程材料中,生物陶瓷材料、高分子材料等被证明有高度的生物相容性和良好的机械性能,已成为骨组织工程材料方面的研究重点.旨在对生物陶瓷材料、高分子材料、生物陶瓷与高分子复合材料的发展与应用作一综述.     

An overview of cartilage tissue engineering

Articular cartilage regeneration refers to the formation of new tissue that is indistinguishable from the native articular cartilage with respect to zonal organization, biochemical composition, and mechanical properties. Due to a limited capacity to repair cartilage, scar tissue frequently has a poorly organized structure and lacks the functional characteristics of normal cartilage. The degree of success to date achieved using a purely cell- or biological-based approach has been modest. Potentially the development of a hybrid strategy, whereby, chondrocytes or chondrogenic stem cells are combined with a matrix, making cartilage in vitro, which is then subsequently transplanted, offers a route towards a new successful treatment modality. The success of this approach depends upon the material being biocompatible, processable into a suitable three-dimensional structure and eventually biodegradable without harmful effects. In addition, the material should have a sufficient porosity to facilitate high cell loading and tissue ingrowth, and it should be able to support cell proliferation, differentiation, and function. The cell-polymer-bioreactor system provides a basis for studying the structural and functional properties of the cartilaginous matrix during its development, because tissue concentrations of glycosaminoglycan and collagen can be modulated by altering the conditions of tissue cultivation.     

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres as an injectable scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering

Injectable scaffold has raised great interest for tissue regeneration in vivo, because it allows easy filling of irregularly shaped defects and the implantation of cells through minimally invasive surgical procedures. In this study, we evaluated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microsphere as an injectable scaffold for in vivo cartilage tissue engineering. PLGA microspheres (30-80 microm in diameter) were injectable through various gauges of needles, as the microspheres did not obstruct the needles and microsphere size exclusion was not observed at injection. The culture of chondrocytes on PLGA microspheres in vitro showed that the microspheres were permissive for chondrocyte adhesion to the microsphere surface. Rabbit chondrocytes were mixed with PLGA microspheres and injected immediately into athymic mouse subcutaneous sites. Chondrocyte transplantation without PLGA microspheres and PLGA microsphere implantation without chondrocytes served as controls. Four and 9 weeks after implantation, chondrocytes implanted with PLGA microspheres formed solid, white cartilaginous tissues, whereas no gross evidence of cartilage tissue formation was noted in the control groups. Histological analysis of the implants by hematoxylin and eosin staining showed mature and well-formed cartilage. Alcian blue/safranin O staining and Masson's trichrome staining indicated the presence of highly sulfated glycosaminoglycans and collagen, respectively, both of which are the major extracellular matrices of cartilage. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the collagen was mainly type II, the major collagen type in cartilage. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using PLGA microspheres as an injectable scaffold for in vivo cartilage tissue engineering. This scaffold may be useful to regenerate cartilaginous tissues through minimally invasive surgical procedures in orthopedic, maxillofacial, and urologic applications.     

Controlling the spatial distribution of ECM components in degradable PEG hydrogels for tissue engineering cartilage

In developing a scaffold to support new tissue growth, the degradation rate and mass loss profiles of the scaffold are important design parameters. In this study, hydrogels were prepared by copolymerizing a degradable macromer, poly(lactic acid)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactic acid) endcapped with acrylate groups (PEG-LA-DA) with a nondegradable macromer, poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDM). The resulting hydrogels exhibited a range of degradation behavior and mass loss profiles. Chondrocytes were photoencapsulated in gels formulated with 50:50, 25:75, and 15:85 (mol % PEGDM: mol % PEG-LA-DA) and cultured for 6 weeks in vitro. The neocartilaginous tissue formed was examined biochemically and histologically. After 6 weeks, the DNA content in gels with 75 and 85% degradable crosslinks was nearly twice that of the DNA content in the 50% gels. The total collagen content was significantly higher in the 85% gel [2.4 +/- 0.8% wet weight (ww)] compared to the 50% gel (0.22 +/- 0.29% ww). In examining the neocartilaginous tissue with immunohistochemistry, type II collagen was localized in the pericellular region in the 50% gel; however, when increased degradation was incorporated into the gel, type II collagen was found throughout the neotissue. In summary, the important role of hydrogel degradation in controlling and influencing the deposition and distribution of extracellular matrix molecules was demonstrated and quantified.     

玉米壳纤维增强壳聚糖基水凝胶应用于软骨组织工程支架的潜力

文题释义：纤维素纤维：在天然单子叶植物叶脉中存在的一种叶子纤维,是由纤维素与各种营养物质结合生成的丝状或絮状物,对于植物具有支撑、连接、包裹、充填等作用。纤维素纤维具有极大的抗拉强度和耐腐蚀性,从天然植物中提取纤维素纤维,将其嵌入基质材料中作为增强纤维并形成一种绿色生物复合材料,能显著增强基质材料的力学性能。 糖胺聚糖：是重复二糖单位构成的线性无分支长链多糖,其中二糖重复单元由糖苷键连接的氨基已糖和糖醛酸组成。糖胺聚糖是软骨细胞外基质糖类成分的总称,常见的糖胺聚糖包括透明质酸、硫酸皮肤素、硫酸角质素、硫酸软骨素等。糖胺聚糖上的羧酸和硫酸酯基团会使细胞外基质形成固定的负电荷密度,因此与滑液相互作用时产生渗透压。这种液体的滞留和溶胀作用,以及整齐排列的胶原纤维对糖胺聚糖施加的结构限制(即限制其位移并使其紧密堆积)是软骨组织具有极高力学强度的原因。背景：如何增强水凝胶的力学性能是软骨组织工程领域的一个研究热点。课题组前期采用柠檬酸对壳聚糖水凝胶进行改性,显著提升了改性后的水凝胶在湿态下的拉伸和压缩力学性能。 目的：观察用天然玉米壳来源的纤维素纤维增强柠檬酸改性壳聚糖水凝胶的力学提升效果,以及其作为软骨组织工程支架的潜力。 方法：采用冷冻-解冻法分别制作柠檬酸改性壳聚糖水凝胶与纤维素纤维/柠檬酸改性壳聚糖复合水凝胶(其中纤维素纤维与柠檬酸改性壳聚糖的质量比分别为1∶1和2∶1),表征这些水凝胶的结构与力学性能。将兔软骨细胞接种于3种水凝胶表面,通过活死细胞染色、CCK-8检测、扫描电镜等方法分析水凝胶的细胞相容性,通过胶原免疫荧光染色与糖胺聚糖定量检测分析水凝胶促软骨细胞功能表达的能力。结果与结论：①随着纤维素纤维加入比例的增加,柠檬酸改性壳聚糖水凝胶的孔隙率、平衡溶胀率、降解速率逐渐降低,干态或湿态下的抗压强度、杨氏模量逐渐升高;②活死细胞染色显示,接种7 d后软骨细胞在3种水凝胶表面增殖良好;③CCK-8检测显示,随着纤维素纤维加入比例的增加,柠檬酸改性壳聚糖水凝胶中的细胞增殖逐渐降低;④扫描电镜观察显示,柠檬酸改性壳聚糖水凝胶上的软骨细胞保持椭圆形,呈单个、稀疏地分布在水凝胶片层表面;在纤维素纤维/柠檬酸改性壳聚糖复合水凝胶上的软骨细胞多数呈完全铺展的形貌;⑤接种28 d后,随着纤维素纤维加入比例的增加,柠檬酸改性壳聚糖水凝胶上软骨细胞的Ⅰ型胶原表达逐渐降低,Ⅱ型胶原表达逐渐升高,而糖胺聚糖含量无明显变化;⑥结果表明,纤维素纤维/柠檬酸改性壳聚糖复合水凝胶具有较好的机械强度,有作为软骨组织工程支架的应用潜力。ORCID: 0000-0001-5813-4819(方妤露) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：生物材料;骨生物材料; 口腔生物材料; 纳米材料; 缓释材料; 材料相容性;组织工程     

胶原水凝胶在软骨与骨组织工程中的研究进展

胶原水凝胶因其具有优良的生物相容性、生物力学性能，在软骨与骨组织工程、生物填充材料、创伤修复、药物缓释和细胞培养等医学领域获得广泛的关注和应用。本文重点介绍了胶原水凝胶在软骨与骨组织工程方面的研究进展，详细阐述了胶原水凝胶的性能、交联方法和类型，并对胶原水凝胶在软骨与骨组织工程中的研究现状进行了讨论，对其应用前景进行了展望。     

微载体培养技术在骨与软骨组织工程研究中的应用☆

背景：骨与软骨组织工程学中增殖种子细胞和保持细胞特定表型是其难点,微载体生物反应器培养系统提供了很好的条件来解决这个问题。 目的：分析近年来国内外骨、软骨细胞微载体培养的研究进展,为骨与软骨细胞微载体培养技术和组织工程研究提供理论基础。 方法：由第一作者在2010-11进行检索。检索数据库：PubMed数据库(网址http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/PubMed);万方数据库(网址http://www.wanfangdata.com.cn),资料的检索时间范围为1967/2011。英文检索词为“microcarrier,cartilage,tissue engineering”,中文检索词为“微载体,软骨,组织工程学”。排除与本文无关及陈旧、重复的文章,共保存32篇文献做进一步分析。 结果与结论：在微载体培养系统中,可较好的调控骨与软骨细胞培养条件,能在短时间内大量的增殖,并能保持其细胞的表型,甚至出现表型增强现象,在骨、软骨组织工程学研究和临床应用中有着巨大潜力。     

Photo-patterning of porous hydrogels for tissue engineering

Since pore size and geometry strongly impact cell behavior and in vivo reaction, the ability to create scaffolds with a wide range of pore geometries that can be tailored to suit a particular cell type addresses a key need in tissue engineering. In this contribution, we describe a novel and simple technique to design porous, degradable poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogel scaffolds with well-defined architectures using a unique photolithography process and optimized polymer chemistry. A sphere-template was used to produce a highly uniform, monodisperse porous structure. To create a patterned and porous hydrogel scaffold, a photomask and initiating light were employed. Open, vertical channels ranging in size from 360+/-25 to 730+/-70 microm were patterned into approximately 700 microm thick hydrogels with pore diameters of 62+/-8 or 147+/-15 microm. Collagen type I was immobilized onto the scaffolds to facilitate cell adhesion. To assess the potential of these novel scaffolds for tissue engineering, a skeletal myoblast cell line (C2C12) was seeded onto scaffolds with 147 microm pores and 730 microm diameter channels, and analyzed by histology and digital volumetric imaging. Cell elongation, cell spreading and fibrillar formation were observed on these novel scaffolds. In summary, 3D architectures can be patterned into porous hydrogels in one step to create a wide range of tissue engineering scaffolds that may be tailored for specific applications.     

Plasma-induced polymerization as a tool for surface functionalization of polymer scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: An in vitro study

A commonly applied strategy in the field of tissue engineering (TE) is the use of temporary three-dimensional scaffolds for supporting and guiding tissue formation in various in vitro strategies and in vivo regeneration approaches. The interactions of these scaffolds with highly sensitive bioentities such as living cells and tissues primarily occur through the material surface. Hence, surface chemistry and topological features have principal roles in coordinating biological events at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels on timescales ranging from seconds to weeks. However, tailoring the surface properties of scaffolds with a complex shape and architecture remains a challenge in materials science. Commonly applied wet chemical treatments often involve the use of toxic solvents whose oddments in the construct could be fatal in the subsequent application. Aiming to shorten the culture time in vitro (i.e. prior the implantation of the construct), in this work we propose a modification of previously described bone TE scaffolds made from a blend of starch with polycaprolactone (SPCL). The modification method involves surface grafting of sulfonic or phosphonic groups via plasma-induced polymerization of vinyl sulfonic and vinyl phosphonic acid, respectively. We demonstrate herein that the presence of these anionic functional groups can modulate cell adhesion mediated through the adsorbed proteins (from the culture medium). Under the conditions studied, both vitronectin adsorption and osteoblast proliferation and viability increased in the order SPCL ? sulfonic-grafted SPCL < phosphonic-grafted SPCL. The results revealed that plasma-induced polymerization is an excellent alternative route, when compared to the commonly used wet chemical treatments, for the surface functionalization of biodevices with complex shape and porosity.