Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 32 in total

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  1. Novel Self-Directing Single-Polymer Jet Developing Layered-Like 3D Buckled Microfibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications
    Navaneethan B, Vijayakumar GP, Ashang Luwang L, Karuppiah S, Jayarama Reddy V, Ramakrishna S, et al.
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2021 Mar 03;13(8):9691-9701.
    PMID: 33605136 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c22028
    Electrospinning is a promising technique for the fabrication of bioscaffolds in tissue engineering applications. Pertaining issues of multiple polymer jets and bending instabilities result in random paths which lend poor controllability over scaffolds morphology for affecting the porosity and mechanical stability. The present study alleviates these challenges by demonstrating a novel self-directing single jet taking a specifically patterned path to deposit fibers into circular and uniform scaffolds without tuning any externally controlled parameters. High-speed camera observation revealed that the charge retention and dissipation on the collected fibers caused rapid autojet switching between the two jetting modes, namely, a microcantilever-like armed jet motion and a whipping motion, which sequentially expand the area and thickness of the scaffolds, respectively, in a layered-like fashion. The physical properties showed that the self-switching dual-jet modes generated multilayered microfibrous scaffolds (MFSs) with dual morphologies and varied fiber packing density, thereby establishing the gradient porosity and mechanical strength (through buckled fibers) in the scaffolds. In vitro studies showed that as-spun scaffolds are cell-permeable hierarchical 3D microporous structures enabling lateral cell seeding into multiple layers. The cell proliferation on days 6 and 9 increased 21% and 38% correspondingly on MFSs than on nanofibrous scaffolds (NFSs) done by conventional multijets electrospinning. Remarkably, this novel and single-step process is highly reproducible and tunable for developing fibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.
  2. Liver Extracellular Matrix-Based Nanofiber Scaffolds for the Culture of Primary Hepatocytes and Drug Screening
    Vasudevan A, Majumder N, Sharma I, Kaur I, Sundarrajan S, Venugopal JR, et al.
    ACS Biomater Sci Eng, 2023 Nov 13;9(11):6357-6368.
    PMID: 37847169 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01216
    Immortalized liver cell lines and primary hepatocytes are currently used as in vitro models for hepatotoxic drug screening. However, a decline in the viability and functionality of hepatocytes with time is an important limitation of these culture models. Advancements in tissue engineering techniques have allowed us to overcome this challenge by designing suitable scaffolds for maintaining viable and functional primary hepatocytes for a longer period of time in culture. In the current study, we fabricated liver-specific nanofiber scaffolds with polylactic acid (PLA) along with a decellularized liver extracellular matrix (LEM) by the electrospinning technique. The fabricated hybrid PLA-LEM scaffolds were more hydrophilic and had better swelling properties than the PLA scaffolds. The hybrid scaffolds had a pore size of 38 ± 8 μm and supported primary rat hepatocyte cultures for 10 days. Increased viability (2-fold increase in the number of live cells) and functionality (5-fold increase in albumin secretion) were observed in primary hepatocytes cultured on the PLA-LEM scaffolds as compared to those on conventional collagen-coated plates on day 10 of culture. A significant increase in CYP1A2 enzyme activity was observed in hepatocytes cultured on PLA-LEM hybrid scaffolds in comparison to those on collagen upon induction with phenobarbital. Drugs like acetaminophen and rifampicin showed the highest toxicity in hepatocytes cultured on hybrid scaffolds. Also, the lethal dose of these drugs in rodents was accurately predicted as 1.6 g/kg and 594 mg/kg, respectively, from the corresponding IC50 values obtained from drug-treated hepatocytes on hybrid scaffolds. Thus, the fabricated liver-specific electrospun scaffolds maintained primary hepatocyte viability and functionality for an extended period in culture and served as an effective ex vivo drug screening platform to predict an accurate in vivo drug-induced hepatotoxicity.
  3. Fulltext A Systematic Analysis of Additive Manufacturing Techniques in the Bioengineering of In Vitro Cardiovascular Models
    Mohanadas HP, Nair V, Doctor AA, Faudzi AAM, Tucker N, Ismail AF, et al.
    Ann Biomed Eng, 2023 Nov;51(11):2365-2383.
    PMID: 37466879 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-023-03322-x
    Additive Manufacturing is noted for ease of product customization and short production run cost-effectiveness. As our global population approaches 8 billion, additive manufacturing has a future in maintaining and improving average human life expectancy for the same reasons that it has advantaged general manufacturing. In recent years, additive manufacturing has been applied to tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery. Additive Manufacturing combined with tissue engineering and biocompatibility studies offers future opportunities for various complex cardiovascular implants and surgeries. This paper is a comprehensive overview of current technological advancements in additive manufacturing with potential for cardiovascular application. The current limitations and prospects of the technology for cardiovascular applications are explored and evaluated.
  4. Fulltext Transformation of Biowaste for Medical Applications: Incorporation of Biologically Derived Silver Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial Coating
    Vigneswari S, Amelia TSM, Hazwan MH, Mouriya GK, Bhubalan K, Amirul AA, et al.
    Antibiotics (Basel), 2021 Feb 24;10(3).
    PMID: 33668352 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10030229
    Nanobiotechnology has undoubtedly influenced major breakthroughs in medical sciences. Application of nanosized materials has made it possible for researchers to investigate a broad spectrum of treatments for diseases with minimally invasive procedures. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been a subject of investigation for numerous applications in agriculture, water treatment, biosensors, textiles, and the food industry as well as in the medical field, mainly due to their antimicrobial properties and nanoparticle nature. In general, AgNPs are known for their superior physical, chemical, and biological properties. The properties of AgNPs differ based on their methods of synthesis and to date, the biological method has been preferred because it is rapid, nontoxic, and can produce well-defined size and morphology under optimized conditions. Nevertheless, the common issue concerning biological or biobased production is its sustainability. Researchers have employed various strategies in addressing this shortcoming, such as recently testing agricultural biowastes such as fruit peels for the synthesis of AgNPs. The use of biowastes is definitely cost-effective and eco-friendly; moreover, it has been reported that the reduction process is simple and rapid with reasonably high yield. This review aims to address the developments in using fruit- and vegetable-based biowastes for biologically producing AgNPs to be applied as antimicrobial coatings in biomedical applications.
  5. Fulltext Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties of Herbal Materials
    Parham S, Kharazi AZ, Bakhsheshi-Rad HR, Nur H, Ismail AF, Sharif S, et al.
    Antioxidants (Basel), 2020 Dec 21;9(12).
    PMID: 33371338 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9121309
    Recently, increasing public concern about hygiene has been driving many studies to investigate antimicrobial and antiviral agents. However, the use of any antimicrobial agents must be limited due to their possible toxic or harmful effects. In recent years, due to previous antibiotics' lesser side effects, the use of herbal materials instead of synthetic or chemical drugs is increasing. Herbal materials are found in medicines. Herbs can be used in the form of plant extracts or as their active components. Furthermore, most of the world's populations used herbal materials due to their strong antimicrobial properties and primary healthcare benefits. For example, herbs are an excellent material to replace nanosilver as an antibiotic and antiviral agent. The use of nanosilver involves an ROS-mediated mechanism that might lead to oxidative stress-related cancer, cytotoxicity, and heart diseases. Oxidative stress further leads to increased ROS production and also delays the cellular processes involved in wound healing. Therefore, existing antibiotic drugs can be replaced with biomaterials such as herbal medicine with high antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant activity. This review paper highlights the antibacterial, antiviral, and radical scavenger (antioxidant) properties of herbal materials. Antimicrobial activity, radical scavenger ability, the potential for antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer agents, and efficacy in eliminating bacteria and viruses and scavenging free radicals in herbal materials are discussed in this review. The presented herbal antimicrobial agents in this review include clove, portulaca, tribulus, eryngium, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, thyme, pennyroyal, mint, fennel, chamomile, burdock, eucalyptus, primrose, lemon balm, mallow, and garlic, which are all summarized.
  6. GPTMS-Modified Bredigite/PHBV Nanofibrous Bone Scaffolds with Enhanced Mechanical and Biological Properties
    Kouhi M, Jayarama Reddy V, Ramakrishna S
    Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2019 Jun;188(2):357-368.
    PMID: 30456599 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-018-2922-0
    Bioceramic nanoparticles with high specific surface area often tend to agglomerate in the polymer matrix, which results in undesirable mechanical properties of the composites and poor cell spreading and attachment. In the present work, bredigite (BR) nanoparticles were modified with an organosilane coupling agent, 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), to enhance its dispersibility in the polymer matrix. The polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvaletare (PHBV) nanofibrous scaffolds containing either bredigite or GPTMS-modified bredigite (G-BR) nanoparticles were fabricated using electrospinning technique and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and tensile strength. Results demonstrated that modification of bredigite was effective in enhancing nanoparticle dispersion in the PHBV matrix. PHBV/G-BR scaffold showed improved mechanical properties compared to PHBV and PHBV/BR, especially at the higher concentration of nanoparticles. In vitro bioactivity assay performed in the simulated body fluid (SBF) indicated that composite PHBV scaffolds were able to induce the formation of apatite deposits after incubation in SBF. From the results of in vitro biological assay, it is concluded that the synergetic effect of BR and GPTMS provided an enhanced hFob cells attachment and proliferation. The developed PHBV/G-BR nanofibrous scaffolds may be considered for application in bone tissue engineering.
  7. Fulltext A state-of-the-art review of the fabrication and characteristics of titanium and its alloys for biomedical applications
    Sarraf M, Rezvani Ghomi E, Alipour S, Ramakrishna S, Liana Sukiman N
    Biodes Manuf, 2021 Oct 26.
    PMID: 34721937 DOI: 10.1007/s42242-021-00170-3
    Abstract: Commercially pure titanium and titanium alloys have been among the most commonly used materials for biomedical applications since the 1950s. Due to the excellent mechanical tribological properties, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and antibacterial properties of titanium, it is getting much attention as a biomaterial for implants. Furthermore, titanium promotes osseointegration without any additional adhesives by physically bonding with the living bone at the implant site. These properties are crucial for producing high-strength metallic alloys for biomedical applications. Titanium alloys are manufactured into the three types of α, β, and α + β. The scientific and clinical understanding of titanium and its potential applications, especially in the biomedical field, are still in the early stages. This review aims to establish a credible platform for the current and future roles of titanium in biomedicine. We first explore the developmental history of titanium. Then, we review the recent advancement of the utility of titanium in diverse biomedical areas, its functional properties, mechanisms of biocompatibility, host tissue responses, and various relevant antimicrobial strategies. Future research will be directed toward advanced manufacturing technologies, such as powder-based additive manufacturing, electron beam melting and laser melting deposition, as well as analyzing the effects of alloying elements on the biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties of titanium. Moreover, the role of titania nanotubes in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine applications, such as localized drug delivery system, immunomodulatory agents, antibacterial agents, and hemocompatibility, is investigated, and the paper concludes with the future outlook of titanium alloys as biomaterials.

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  8. Recent advances in nanomaterials for water protection and monitoring
    Das R, Vecitis CD, Schulze A, Cao B, Ismail AF, Lu X, et al.
    Chem Soc Rev, 2017 Sep 29.
    PMID: 28959815 DOI: 10.1039/c6cs00921b
    The efficient handling of wastewater pollutants is a must, since they are continuously defiling limited fresh water resources, seriously affecting the terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial flora and fauna. Our vision is to undertake an exhaustive examination of current research trends with a focus on nanomaterials (NMs) to considerably improve the performance of classical wastewater treatment technologies, e.g. adsorption, catalysis, separation, and disinfection. Additionally, NM-based sensor technologies are considered, since they have been significantly used for monitoring water contaminants. We also suggest future directions to inform investigators of potentially disruptive NM technologies that have to be investigated in more detail. The fate and environmental transformations of NMs, which need to be addressed before large-scale implementation of NMs for water purification, are also highlighted.
  9. Fulltext Sustainability in Numbers by Data Analytics
    Ramakrishna S, Hu W, Jose R
    Circ Econ Sustain, 2022 Aug 06.
    PMID: 35966038 DOI: 10.1007/s43615-022-00201-w
    For a successful delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and to track the progress of UNSDGs as well as identify the gaps and the areas requiring more attention, periodic analyses on the "research on sustainability" by various countries and their contribution to the topic are inevitable. This paper tracks the trends in sustainability research including the geographical distribution on sustainability research, their level of multi-disciplinarity and the cross-border collaboration, their distribution of funding with respect to the UNSDGs, and the lifecycle analyses. Cumulative publications and patents on sustainability could be fitted to an exponential function, thereby highlighting the importance of the research on sustainability in the recent past. Besides, this analytics quantifies cross-border collaborations and knowledge integration to solve critical issues as well as traditional and emerging sources to undertake sustainability research. As an important aspect of resource sustainability and circular economy, trends in publication and funding on lifecycle assessment have also been investigated. The analytics present here identify that major sustainability research volume is from the social sciences as well as business and economics sectors, whereas contributions from the engineering disciplines to develop technologies for sustainability practices are relatively lower. Similarly, funding distribution is also not evenly distributed under various SDGs; the larger share of funding has been on energy security and climate change research. Thus, this study identifies many gaps to be filled for the UNSDGs to be successful.
  10. Transistor-Based Biomolecule Sensors: Recent Technological Advancements and Future Prospects
    Murugasenapathi NK, Ghosh R, Ramanathan S, Ghosh S, Chinnappan A, Mohamed SAJ, et al.
    Crit Rev Anal Chem, 2023;53(5):1044-1065.
    PMID: 34788167 DOI: 10.1080/10408347.2021.2002133
    Transistor-based sensors have been widely recognized to be highly sensitive and reliable for point-of-care/bed-side diagnosis. In this line, a range of cutting-edge technologies has been generated to elevate the role of transistors for biomolecule detection. Detection of a wide range of clinical biomarkers has been reported using various configurations of transistors. The inordinate sensitivity of transistors to the field-effect imparts high sensitivity toward wide range of biomolecules. This overview has gleaned the present achievements with the technological advancements using high performance transistor-based sensors. This review encloses transistors incorporated with a variety of functional nanomaterials and organic elements for their excellence in selectivity and sensitivity. In addition, the technological advancements in fabrication of these microdevices or nanodevices and functionalization of the sensing elements have also been discussed. The technological gap in the realization of sensors in transistor platforms and the resulted scope for research has been discussed. Finally, foreseen technological advancements and future research perspectives are described.
  11. Gold nanostars-diagnosis, bioimaging and biomedical applications
    Mousavi SM, Zarei M, Hashemi SA, Ramakrishna S, Chiang WH, Lai CW, et al.
    Drug Metab Rev, 2020 05;52(2):299-318.
    PMID: 32150480 DOI: 10.1080/03602532.2020.1734021
    Gold Nanostars (GNS) have attracted tremendous attention toward themselves owing to their multi-branched structure and unique properties. These state of the art metallic nanoparticles possess intrinsic features like remarkable optical properties and exceptional physiochemical activities. These star-shaped gold nanoparticles can predominantly be utilized in biosensing, photothermal therapy, imaging, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and target drug delivery applications due to their low toxicity and extraordinary optical features. In the current review, recent approaches in the matter of GNS in case of diagnosis, bioimaging and biomedical applications were summarized and reported. In this regard, first an overview about the structure and general properties of GNS were reported and thence detailed information regarding the diagnostic, bioimaging, photothermal therapy, and drug delivery applications of such novel nanomaterials were presented in detail. Summarized information clearly highlighting the superior capability of GNS as potential multi-functional materials for biomedical applications.
  12. Bioconversion of agro-industry sourced biowaste into biomaterials via microbial factories - A viable domain of circular economy
    Kee SH, Chiongson JBV, Saludes JP, Vigneswari S, Ramakrishna S, Bhubalan K
    Environ Pollut, 2021 Feb 15;271:116311.
    PMID: 33383425 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116311
    Global increase in demand for food supply has resulted in surplus generation of wastes. What was once considered wastes, has now become a resource. Studies were carried out on the conversion of biowastes into wealth using methods such as extraction, incineration and microbial intervention. Agro-industry biowastes are promising sources of carbon for microbial fermentation to be transformed into value-added products. In the era of circular economy, the goal is to establish an economic system which aims to eliminate waste and ensure continual use of resources in a close-loop cycle. Biowaste collection is technically and economically practicable, hence it serves as a renewable carbon feedstock. Biowastes are commonly biotransformed into value-added materials such as bioethanol, bioplastics, biofuels, biohydrogen, biobutanol and biogas. This review reveals the recent developments on microbial transformation of biowastes into biotechnologically important products. This approach addresses measures taken globally to valorize waste to achieve low carbon economy. The sustainable use of these renewable resources is a positive approach towards waste management and promoting circular economy.
  13. The degradation of single-use plastics and commercially viable bioplastics in the environment: A review
    Idris SN, Amelia TSM, Bhubalan K, Lazim AMM, Zakwan NAMA, Jamaluddin MI, et al.
    Environ Res, 2023 Aug 15;231(Pt 1):115988.
    PMID: 37105296 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115988
    Plastics have become an integral part of human life. Single-use plastics (SUPs) are disposable plastics designed to be used once then promptly discarded or recycled. This SUPs range from packaging and takeaway containers to disposable razors and hotel toiletries. Synthetic plastics, which are made of non-renewable petroleum and natural gas resources, require decades to perpetually disintegrate in nature thus contribute to plastic pollution worldwide, especially in marine environments. In response to these problems, bioplastics or bio-based and biodegradable polymers from renewable sources has been considered as an alternative. Understanding the mechanisms behind the degradation of conventional SUPs and biodegradability of their greener counterpart, bioplastics, is crucial for appropriate material selection in the future. This review aims to provide insights into the degradation or disintegration of conventional single-use plastics and the biodegradability of the different types of greener-counterparts, bioplastics, their mechanisms, and conditions. This review highlights on the biodegradation in the environments including composting systems. Here, the various types of alternative biodegradable polymers, such as bacterially biosynthesised bioplastics, natural fibre-reinforced plastics, starch-, cellulose-, lignin-, and soy-based polymers were explored. Review of past literature revealed that although bioplastics are relatively eco-friendly, their natural compositions and properties are inconsistent. Furthermore, the global plastic market for biodegradable plastics remains relatively small and require further research and commercialization efforts, especially considering the urgency of plastic and microplastic pollution as currently critical global issue. Biodegradable plastics have potential to replace conventional plastics as they show biodegradation ability under real environments, and thus intensive research on the various biodegradable plastics is needed to inform stakeholders and policy makers on the appropriate response to the gradually emerging biodegradable plastics.
  14. Incorporation of graphene oxide/titanium dioxide with different polymer materials and its effects on methylene blue dye rejection and antifouling ability
    Mohamat R, Bakar SA, Mohamed A, Muqoyyanah M, Othman MHD, Mamat MH, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Jun;30(28):72446-72462.
    PMID: 37170051 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27207-7
    Exposure of synthetic dye, such as methylene blue (MB), in water bodies led to a serious threat to living things because they are toxic and non-degradable. Amongst the introduced dye removal methods, membrane separation process can be considered a powerful technique for treating dye contamination. However, this method commonly suffered from drawbacks, such as short membrane lifetime, low permeability and selectivity. To overcome these issues, graphene oxide (GO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) were used as additives to fabricate polyethersulfone (PES)- and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based hybrid membranes via non-solvent-induced phase separation method. Prior to membrane fabrication, GO was synthesised via electrochemical exfoliation method assisted by customised triple-tail surfactant. The potential of PES- and PVDF-based hybrid membranes for wastewater treatment has been discussed widely. However, direct comparison between these two polymeric membranes is not critically discussed for MB dye separation application yet. Therefore, this study is aimed at evaluating the performance of different types of polymers (e.g. PES and PVDF) in terms of membrane morphology, properties, dye rejection and antifouling ability. Results showed that the incorporation of GO and TiO2 alters the morphology of the fabricated membranes and affects dye rejection further, as well as their antifouling performance. In contrast with pristine membrane, PES-GO/TiO2 and PVDF-GO/TiO2 possessed high hydrophilicity, as indicated by their low contact angle (67.38° and 62.12°, respectively). Based on this study, PVDF-GO/TiO2 showed higher porosity value (94.88%), permeability (87.32 L/m2hMPa) and MB rejection rate (92.63%), as well as flux recovery ratio value of > 100% as compared with others. Overall, the incorporation of GO and TiO2 with PVDF polymer are proven to be effective hybrid materials of membrane fabrication for dye rejection application in the near future. The polymer material's intrinsic properties can affect the attributes of the fabricated membrane.
  15. Fulltext Elucidating the Surface Functionality of Biomimetic RGD Peptides Immobilized on Nano-P(3HB-co-4HB) for H9c2 Myoblast Cell Proliferation
    Vigneswari S, Chai JM, Kamarudin KH, Amirul AA, Focarete ML, Ramakrishna S
    Front Bioeng Biotechnol, 2020;8:567693.
    PMID: 33195129 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.567693
    Biomaterial scaffolds play crucial role to promote cell proliferation and foster the regeneration of new tissues. The progress in material science has paved the way for the generation of ingenious biomaterials. However, these biomaterials require further optimization to be effectively used in existing clinical treatments. It is crucial to develop biomaterials which mimics structure that can be actively involved in delivering signals to cells for the formation of the regenerated tissue. In this research we nanoengineered a functional scaffold to support the proliferation of myoblast cells. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] copolymer is chosen as scaffold material owing to its desirable mechanical and physical properties combined with good biocompatibility, thus eliciting appropriate host tissue responses. In this study P(3HB-co-4HB) copolymer was biosynthesized using Cupriavidus malaysiensis USMAA1020 transformant harboring additional PHA synthase gene, and the viability of a novel P(3HB-co-4HB) electrospun nanofiber scaffold, surface functionalized with RGD peptides, was explored. In order to immobilize RGD peptides molecules onto the P(3HB-co-4HB) nanofibers surface, an aminolysis reaction was performed. The nanoengineered scaffolds were characterized using SEM, organic elemental analysis (CHN analysis), FTIR, surface wettability and their in vitro degradation behavior was evaluated. The cell culture study using H9c2 myoblast cells was conducted to assess the in vitro cellular response of the engineered scaffold. Our results demonstrated that nano-P(3HB-co-4HB)-RGD scaffold possessed an average fiber diameter distribution between 200 and 300 nm, closely biomimicking, from a morphological point of view, the structural ECM components, thus acting as potential ECM analogs. This study indicates that the surface conjugation of biomimetic RGD peptide to the nano-P(3HB-co-4HB) fibers increased the surface wettability (15 ± 2°) and enhanced H9c2 myoblast cells attachment and proliferation. In summary, the study reveals that nano-P(3HB-co-4HB)-RGD scaffold can be considered a promising candidate to be further explored as cardiac construct for building cardiac construct.
  16. Fulltext Biocompatible Aloe vera and Tetracycline Hydrochloride Loaded Hybrid Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Skin Tissue Engineering
    Ezhilarasu H, Ramalingam R, Dhand C, Lakshminarayanan R, Sadiq A, Gandhimathi C, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2019 Oct 18;20(20).
    PMID: 31635374 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20205174
    Aloe vera (AV) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) exhibit significant properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-bacterial activities to facilitate skin tissue engineering. The present study aims to develop poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL)/ AV containing curcumin (CUR), and TCH loaded hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds to validate the synergistic effect on the fibroblast proliferation and antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria for wound healing. PCL/AV, PCL/CUR, PCL/AV/CUR and PCL/AV/TCH hybrid nanofibrous mats were fabricated using an electrospinning technique and were characterized for surface morphology, the successful incorporation of active compounds, hydrophilicity and the mechanical property of nanofibers. SEM revealed that there was a decrease in the fiber diameter (ranging from 360 to 770 nm) upon the addition of AV, CUR and TCH in PCL nanofibers, which were randomly oriented with bead free morphology. FTIR spectra of various electrospun samples confirmed the successful incorporation of AV, CUR and TCH into the PCL nanofibers. The fabricated nanofibrous scaffolds possessed mechanical properties within the range of human skin. The biocompatibility of electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds were evaluated on primary human dermal fibroblasts (hDF) by MTS assay, CMFDA, Sirius red and F-actin stainings. The results showed that the fabricated PCL/AV/CUR and PCL/AV/TCH nanofibrous scaffolds were non-toxic and had the potential for wound healing applications. The disc diffusion assay confirmed that the electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds possessed antibacterial activity and provided an effective wound dressing for skin tissue engineering.
  17. Fulltext Antimicrobial quaternary ammonium organosilane cross-linked nanofibrous collagen scaffolds for tissue engineering
    Dhand C, Balakrishnan Y, Ong ST, Dwivedi N, Venugopal JR, Harini S, et al.
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2018;13:4473-4492.
    PMID: 30122921 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S159770
    Introduction: In search for cross-linkers with multifunctional characteristics, the present work investigated the utility of quaternary ammonium organosilane (QOS) as a potential cross-linker for electrospun collagen nanofibers. We hypothesized that the quaternary ammonium ions improve the electrospinnability by reducing the surface tension and confer antimicrobial properties, while the formation of siloxane after alkaline hydrolysis could cross-link collagen and stimulate cell proliferation.

    Materials and methods: QOS collagen nanofibers were electrospun by incorporating various concentrations of QOS (0.1%-10% w/w) and were cross-linked in situ after exposure to ammonium carbonate. The QOS cross-linked scaffolds were characterized and their biological properties were evaluated in terms of their biocompatibility, cellular adhesion and metabolic activity for primary human dermal fibroblasts and human fetal osteoblasts.

    Results and discussion: The study revealed that 1) QOS cross-linking increased the flexibility of otherwise rigid collagen nanofibers and improved the thermal stability; 2) QOS cross-linked mats displayed potent antibacterial activity and 3) the biocompatibility of the composite mats depended on the amount of QOS present in dope solution - at low QOS concentrations (0.1% w/w), the mats promoted mammalian cell proliferation and growth, whereas at higher QOS concentrations, cytotoxic effect was observed.

    Conclusion: This study demonstrates that QOS cross-linked mats possess anti-infective properties and confer niches for cellular growth and proliferation, thus offering a useful approach, which is important for hard and soft tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

  18. Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/fibrinogen/bredigite nanofibrous membranes and their integration with osteoblasts for guided bone regeneration
    Kouhi M, Jayarama Reddy V, Fathi M, Shamanian M, Valipouri A, Ramakrishna S
    J Biomed Mater Res A, 2019 06;107(6):1154-1165.
    PMID: 30636094 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.36607
    Guided bone regeneration (GBR) has been established to be an effective method for the repair of defective tissues, which is based on isolating bone defects with a barrier membrane for faster tissue reconstruction. The aim of the present study is to develop poly (hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/fibrinogen (FG)/bredigite (BR) membranes with applicability in GBR. BR nanoparticles were synthesized through a sol-gel method and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometer. PHBV, PHBV/FG, and PHBV/FG/BR membranes were fabricated using electrospinning and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle, pore size, thermogravimetric analysis and tensile strength. The electrospun PHBV, PHBV/FG, and PHBV/FG/BR nanofibers were successfully obtained with the mean diameter ranging 240-410 nm. The results showed that Young's modulus and ultimate strength of the PHBV membrane reduced upon blending with FG and increased by further incorporation of BR nanoparticles, Moreover hydrophilicity of the PHBV membrane improved on addition of FG and BR. The in vitro degradation assay demonstrated that incorporation of FG and BR into PHBV matrix increased its hydrolytic degradation. Cell-membrane interactions were studied by culturing human fetal osteoblast cells on the fabricated membrane. According to the obtained results, osteoblasts seeded on PHBV/FG/BR displayed higher cell adhesion and proliferation compared to PHBV and PHBV/FG membrane. Furthermore, alkaline phosphatase activity and alizarin red-s staining indicated enhanced osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of cells on PHBV/FG/BR membranes. The results demonstrated that developed electrospun PHBV/FG/BR nanofibrous mats have desired potential as a barrier membrane for guided bone tissue engineering. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 1154-1165, 2019.
  19. Current approaches in CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing for biomedical and therapeutic applications
    Bhattacharjee G, Gohil N, Khambhati K, Mani I, Maurya R, Karapurkar JK, et al.
    J Control Release, 2022 Feb 08.
    PMID: 35149141 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.02.005
    A single gene mutation can cause a number of human diseases that affect quality of life. Until the development of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) systems, it was challenging to correct a gene mutation to avoid disease by reverting phenotypes. The advent of CRISPR technology has changed the field of gene editing, given its simplicity and intrinsic programmability, surpassing the limitations of both zinc-finger nuclease and transcription activator-like effector nuclease and becoming the method of choice for therapeutic gene editing by overcoming the bottlenecks of conventional gene-editing techniques. Currently, there is no commercially available medicinal cure to correct a gene mutation that corrects and reverses the abnormality of a gene's function. Devising reprogramming strategies for faithful recapitulation of normal phenotypes is a crucial aspect for directing the reprogrammed cells toward clinical trials. The CRISPR-Cas9 system has been promising as a tool for correcting gene mutations in maladies including blood disorders and muscular degeneration as well as neurological, cardiovascular, renal, genetic, stem cell, and optical diseases. In this review, we highlight recent developments and utilization of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in correcting or generating gene mutations to create model organisms to develop deeper insights into diseases, rescue normal gene functionality, and curb the progression of a disease.
  20. CNT and rGO reinforced PMMA based bone cement for fixation of load bearing implants: Mechanical property and biological response
    Pahlevanzadeh F, Bakhsheshi-Rad HR, Kharaziha M, Kasiri-Asgarani M, Omidi M, Razzaghi M, et al.
    J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2021 04;116:104320.
    PMID: 33571842 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104320
    Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cements (BCs) have some drawbacks, including limited bioactivity and bone formation, as well as inferior mechanical properties, which may result in failure of the BC. To deal with the mentioned issues, novel bioactive polymethyl methacrylate-hardystonite (PMMA-HT) bone cement (BC) reinforced with 0.25 and 0.5 wt% of carbon nanotube (CNT) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized. In this context, the obtained bone cements were evaluated in terms of their mechanical and biological characteristics. The rGO reinforced bone cement exhibited better mechanical properties to the extent that the addition of 0.5 wt% of rGO where its compressive and tensile strength of bioactive PMMA-HT/rGO cement escalated from 92.07 ± 0.72 MPa, and 40.02 ± 0.71 MPa to 187.48 ± 5.79 MPa and 64.92 ± 0.75 MPa, respectively. Besides, the mechanisms of toughening, apatite formation, and cell interaction in CNT and rGO encapsulated PMMA have been studied. Results showed that the existence of CNT and rGO in BCs led to increase of MG63 osteoblast viability, and proliferation. However, rGO reinforced bone cement was more successful in supporting MG63 cell attachment compared to the CNT counterpart due to its wrinkled surface, which made a suitable substrate for cell adhesion. Based on the results, PMMA-HT/rGO can be a proper bone cement for the fixation of load-bearing implants.
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