Macroporous and nanofibrous polymer scaffolds and polymer/bone-like apatite composite scaffolds generated by sugar spheres

Scaffolds are crucial to tissue engineering/regeneration. In this work, a technique combining a unique phase-separation process with a novel sugar sphere template leaching process has been developed to produce three-dimensional scaffolds. The resulting scaffolds possess high porosities, well connected macropores, and nanofibrous pore walls. The technique advantageously controls macropore shape and size by sugar spheres, interpore opening size by assembly conditions (time and temperature of heat treatment), and pore wall morphology by phase-separation parameters. The bioactivity of a macroporous and nanofibrous poly( L -lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffold was demonstrated by the bone-like apatite deposition throughout the scaffold in a simulated body fluid (SBF). Preincorporation of nanosized hydroxyapatite eliminated the induction period and facilitated the apatite growth in the SBF. Interestingly, the apatite growth primarily occurred on the surface of the pores (internal and external) but not the interior of the nanofibrous network away from the pore surface. It was also noticed that the macropore size did not affect the apatite growth rate, while the interpore opening size did. The compressive modulus also increased substantially when a continuous apatite layer was formed on the pore walls of the scaffold. The resulting composite scaffold mimics natural bone matrix with the combination of an organic phase (a polymer such as PLLA) and an inorganic apatite phase. The demonstrated bioactivity of apatite layer, together with well-controlled macroporous and nanofibrous structures, makes the novel nanocomposite scaffolds desirable for bone tissue engineering. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2006Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55803/1/30704_ftp.pd

Nanofibrous Scaffolds Incorporating PDGF-BB Microspheres Induce Chemokine Expression and Tissue Neogenesis In Vivo

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) exerts multiple cellular effects that stimulate wound repair in multiple tissues. However, a major obstacle for its successful clinical application is the delivery system, which ultimately controls the in vivo release rate of PDGF. Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres (MS) in nanofibrous scaffolds (NFS) have been shown to control the release of rhPDGF-BB in vitro. In order to investigate the effects of rhPDGF-BB release from MS in NFS on gene expression and enhancement of soft tissue engineering, rhPDGF-BB was incorporated into differing molecular weight (MW) polymeric MS. By controlling the MW of the MS over a range of 6.5 KDa–64 KDa, release rates of PDGF can be regulated over periods of weeks to months in vitro. The NFS-MS scaffolds were divided into multiple groups based on MS release characteristics and PDGF concentration ranging from 2.5–25.0 µg and evaluated in vivo in a soft tissue wound repair model in the dorsa of rats. At 3, 7, 14 and 21 days post-implantation, the scaffold implants were harvested followed by assessments of cell penetration, vasculogenesis and tissue neogenesis. Gene expression profiles using cDNA microarrays were performed on the PDGF-releasing NFS. The percentage of tissue invasion into MS-containing NFS at 7 days was higher in the PDGF groups when compared to controls. Blood vessel number in the HMW groups containing either 2.5 or 25 µg PDGF was increased above those of other groups at 7d (p<0.01). Results from cDNA array showed that PDGF strongly enhanced in vivo gene expression of the CXC chemokine family members such as CXCL1, CXCL2 and CXCL5. Thus, sustained release of rhPDGF-BB, controlled by slow-releasing MS associated with the NFS delivery system, enhanced cell migration and angiogenesis in vivo, and may be related to an induced expression of chemokine-related genes. This approach offers a technology to accurately control growth factor release to promote soft tissue engineering in vivo

Applying CS and WSN methods for improving efficiency of frozen and chilled aquatic products monitoring system in cold chain logistics

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is applied widely in food cold chain logistics. However, traditional monitoring systems require significant real-time sensor data transmission which will result in heavy data traffic and communication systems overloading, and thus reduce the data collection and transmission efficiency. This research aims to develop a temperature Monitoring System for Frozen and Chilled Aquatic Products (MS-FCAP) based on WSN integrated with Compressed Sending (CS) to improve the efficiency of MS-FCAP. Through understanding the temperature and related information requirements of frozen and chilled aquatic products cold chain logistics, this paper illustrates the design of the CS model which consists of sparse sampling and data reconstruction, and shelf-life prediction. The system was implemented and evaluated in cold chain logistics between Hainan and Beijing in China. The evaluation result suggests that MS-FCAP has a high accuracy in reconstructing temperature data under variable temperature condition as well as under constant temperature condition. The result shows that MS-FCAP is capable of recovering the sampled sensor data accurately and efficiently, reflecting the real-time temperature change in the refrigerated truck during cold chain logistics, and providing effective decision support traceability for quality and safety assurance of frozen and chilled aquatic products.Agro-scientific Researc

Growth factor-delivering nano-fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.

Despite the demonstration of various engineered tissues, clinically useful bone tissue regeneration remains a challenge. Osteogenic cells, a three-dimensional (3D) osteoconductive scaffold, and osteoinductive factors are integral to successful bone regeneration. Pivotal in bone regeneration will be the ability to deliver appropriate growth factors in a controlled manner using 3D scaffolds and advanced release technologies within a tissue engineering strategy. The overall goal of this dissertation is to develop a growth factor delivering 3D scaffold platform for bone tissue regeneration. First, we have developed a phase separation/sugar sphere template leaching technique to fabricate 3D porous scaffolds which mimic natural bone extracellular matrix in structure, morphology and/or composition. The novel scaffolds possess high porosities, interconnected macropores, and collagen resembling nano fibers. The technique advantageously controls macropore shape and size by sugar spheres, interpore opening size by sugar template assembly conditions, and pore wall morphology by phase separation parameters. The interconnected macroporous and nano-fibrous scaffold is designed to provide an advantageous environment for cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. In addition, the biomimetic growth of bone-like apatite crystals in scaffold was investigated in simulated body fluid and the apatite coated scaffolds demonstrated improved mechanical properties and bioactivity. Second, biodegradable micro/nanospheres are prepared for the controlled release of several biological molecules including parathyroid hormone (PTH), recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB) and bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-7). The released proteins were biological active to stimulate corresponding cellular functions. Furthermore, a 3D scaffold delivery system has been developed by immobilizing growth factor (rhPDGF-BB or rhBMP-7) containing nanospheres onto a scaffold. In vitro, different biodegradable nanospheres have been utilized to individually control the release profiles of the growth factors from 3D scaffold. In vivo, enhanced ectopic bone formation has been demonstrated in rhBMP-7 delivering nanosphere-scaffold. The nanosphere-scaffold technology platform is further expanded to deliver multiple proteins from one single scaffold, each with individualized release profile. Multiple proteins released from a single scaffold over days, weeks, and months are demonstrated. In summary, this dissertation demonstrates the successful generation of a biomimetic scaffold capable of controlled growth factor delivery which indicates significant potentials in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.Ph.D.Applied SciencesBiomedical engineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/126318/2/3238109.pd

Strength, Permeability, and Freeze-Thaw Durability of Pervious Concrete with Different Aggregate Sizes, Porosities, and Water-Binder Ratios

Pervious concrete (PC), as an environmental friendly material, can be very important in solving urban problems and mitigating the impact of climate change; i.e., flooding, urban heat island phenomena, and groundwater decline. The objective of this research is to evaluate the strength, permeability, and freeze-thaw durability of PC with different aggregate sizes, porosities, and water-binder ratios. The orthogonal experiment method is employed in the study and nine experiments are conducted. The compressive strength, flexural strength, permeability coefficient, porosity, density, and freeze-thaw durability of PC mixtures are tested. Range analysis and variance analysis are carried out to analyze the collected data and estimate the influence of aggregate size, porosity, and water-binder ratio on PC properties. The results indicate that porosity is the most important factor determining the properties of PC. High porosity results in better permeability, but negatively affects the mechanical strength and freeze-thaw durability. PC of 15% porosity can obtain high compressive strength in excess of 20 MPa and favorable freeze-thaw durability of 80 cycles without sacrificing excessive permeability. Aggregate size also has a significant effect on freeze-thaw durability and mechanical strength. Small aggregate size is advantageous for PC properties. PC with 4.75&ndash;9.5 mm coarse aggregate presents excellent freeze-thaw durability. The influence of the water-binder ratio on PC properties is not as significant as that of aggregate size and porosity. An optimal mix ratio is required to trade-off between permeability, mechanical strength, and freeze-thaw durability

Mechanical Properties, Permeability, and Freeze–Thaw Resistance of Pervious Concrete Modified by Waste Crumb Rubbers

Due to the negative effects that derive from large impervious surfaces in urban areas, pervious concrete has been developed, and has become an environmentally friendly pavement material. As a porous and permeable material, pervious concrete presents an overwhelming advantage in solving urban problems, such as flooding, groundwater decline, urban heat island phenomena, etc. Waste crumb rubber has been verified as a feasible modifier for pavement material. The objective of this paper is to explore the effects of rubber particle size and incorporation level on the permeability, mechanical properties, and freeze&ndash;thaw resistance of pervious concrete. Two kinds of rubbers (fine and coarse) with four incorporation levels (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%) are used in the experiment. Permeability, compressive strength, flexural strength, flexural strain, and freeze&ndash;thaw resistance are tested. The results indicate that the addition of rubber slightly decreases strength and permeability, but significantly enhances ductility and freeze-thaw resistance. Fine crumb rubber with a suitable incorporation level could remarkably improve the ductility and freeze&ndash;thaw resistance of pervious concrete without sacrificing excessively strength and permeability

Visual and Plasmon Resonance Absorption Sensor for Adenosine Triphosphate Based on the High Affinity between Phosphate and Zr(IV)

Zr(IV) can form phosphate and Zr(IV) (–PO32−–Zr4+–) complex owing to the high affinity between Zr(IV) with phosphate. Zr(IV) can induce the aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), while adenosine triphosphate(ATP) can prevent Zr(IV)-induced aggregation of AuNPs. Herein, a visual and plasmon resonance absorption (PRA)sensor for ATP have been developed using AuNPs based on the high affinity between Zr(IV)with ATP. AuNPs get aggregated in the presence of certain concentrations of Zr(IV). After the addition of ATP, ATP reacts with Zr(IV) and prevents AuNPs from aggregation, enabling the detection of ATP. Because of the fast interaction of ATP with Zr(IV), ATP can be detected with a detection limit of 0.5 μM within 2 min by the naked eye. Moreover, ATP can be detected by the PRA technique with higher sensitivity. The A520nm/A650nm values in PRA spectra increase linearly with the concentrations of ATP from 0.1 μM to 15 μM (r = 0.9945) with a detection limit of 28 nM. The proposed visual and PRA sensor exhibit good selectivity against adenosine, adenosine monophosphate, guanosine triphosphate, cytidine triphosphate and uridine triphosphate. The recoveries for the analysis of ATP in synthetic samples range from 95.3% to 102.0%. Therefore, the proposed novel sensor for ATP is promising for real-time or on-site detection of ATP