Three Dimensional (3D) Printable Gel-Inks for Skin Tissue Regeneration

Recent and rapid progression in three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques has revolutionized conventional therapies in medicine; 3D printed constructs are gradually being recognized as common substitutes for the replacement of skin wounds. As gel-inks, large numbers of natural and synthetic (e.g., collagen and polyurethane, respectively) substances were used to be printed into different shapes and sizes for managing both acute and chronic skin wounds. The resultant 3D printed scaffolds not only provide physical support but also act as supporting niches for improving immunomodulation and vascularization and subsequent accelerated wound healing. Recently, the use of thermosensitive and pH-responsive gels has made it possible to prepare 3D printed constructs with the ability to facilitate in situ crosslinking within the biopolymer and with native wound edge tissue as well as to fill the exact shape of wound damage. In this chapter, we aim to introduce the current state of 3D printable gel-inks utilized for skin wound treatment and illustrate future prospects in this amazing area of science

Electrospun nanofibers for improved angiogenesis: Promises for tissue engineering applications

Angiogenesis (or the development of new blood vessels) is a key event in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; thus, a number of biomaterials have been developed and combined with stem cells and/or bioactive molecules to produce three-dimensional (3D) pro-angiogenic constructs. Among the various biomaterials, electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds offer great opportunities for pro-angiogenic approaches in tissue repair and regeneration. Nanofibers made of natural and synthetic polymers are often used to incorporate bioactive components (e.g., bioactive glasses (BGs)) and load biomolecules (e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)) that exert pro-angiogenic activity. Furthermore, seeding of specific types of stem cells (e.g., endothelial progenitor cells) onto nanofibrous scaffolds is considered as a valuable alternative for inducing angiogenesis. The effectiveness of these strategies has been extensively examined both in vitro and in vivo and the outcomes have shown promise in the reconstruction of hard and soft tissues (mainly bone and skin, respectively). However, the translational of electrospun scaffolds with pro-angiogenic molecules or cells is only at its beginning, requiring more research to prove their usefulness in the repair and regeneration of other highly-vascularized vital tissues and organs. This review will cover the latest progress in designing and developing pro-angiogenic electrospun nanofibers and evaluate their usefulness in a tissue engineering and regenerative medicine setting

Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles for Improved Cancer Theranostics

Beyond their well-known applications in bone tissue engineering, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAp NPs) have also been showing great promise for improved cancer therapy. The chemical structure of HAp NPs offers excellent possibilities for loading and delivering a broad range of anticancer drugs in a sustained, prolonged, and targeted manner and thus eliciting lower complications than conventional chemotherapeutic strategies. The incorporation of specific therapeutic elements into the basic composition of HAp NPs is another approach, alone or synergistically with drug release, to provide advanced anticancer effects such as the capability to inhibit the growth and metastasis of cancer cells through activating specific cell signaling pathways. HAp NPs can be easily converted to smart anticancer agents by applying different surface modification treatments to facilitate the targeting and killing of cancer cells without significant adverse effects on normal healthy cells. The applications in cancer diagnosis for magnetic and nuclear in vivo imaging are also promising as the detection of solid tumor cells is now achievable by utilizing superparamagnetic HAp NPs. The ongoing research emphasizes the use of HAp NPs in fabricating three-dimensional scaffolds for the treatment of cancerous tissues or organs, promoting the regeneration of healthy tissue after cancer detection and removal. This review provides a summary of HAp NP applications in cancer theranostics, highlighting the current limitations and the challenges ahead for this field to open new avenues for research

Gum Tragacanth (GT): A Versatile Biocompatible Material beyond Borders

The use of naturally occurring materials in biomedicine has been increasingly attracting the researchers' interest and, in this regard, gum tragacanth (GT) is recently showing great promise as a therapeutic substance in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As a polysaccharide, GT can be easily extracted from the stems and branches of various species of Astragalus. This anionic polymer is known to be a biodegradable, non-allergenic, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic material. The stability against microbial, heat and acid degradation has made GT an attractive material not only in industrial settings (e.g., food packaging) but also in biomedical approaches (e.g., drug delivery). Over time, GT has been shown to be a useful reagent in the formation and stabilization of metal nanoparticles in the context of green chemistry. With the advent of tissue engineering, GT has also been utilized for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds applied for both hard and soft tissue healing strategies. However, more research is needed for defining GT applicability in the future of biomedical engineering. On this object, the present review aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of GT in biomedicine and tries to open new horizons in the field based on its inherent characteristics

Zinc- and Copper-Doped Mesoporous Borate Bioactive Glasses: Promising Additives for Potential Use in Skin Wound Healing Applications

In this study, zinc (Zn)- and copper (Cu)-doped 13-93B3 borate mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) were successfully synthesized using nitrate precursors in the presence of Pluronic P123. We benefited from computational approaches for predicting and confirming the experimental findings. The changes in the dynamic surface tension (SFT) of simulated body fluid (SBF) were investigated using the Du Noüy ring method to shed light on the mineralization process of hydroxyapatite (HAp) on the glass surface. The obtained MBGs were in a glassy state before incubation in SBF. The formation of an apatite-like layer on the SBF-incubated borate glasses was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of Zn and Cu into the basic composition of 13-93B3 glass led to changes in the glass transition temperature (Tg) (773 to 556 °C), particle size (373 to 64 nm), zeta potential (−12 to −26 mV), and specific surface area (SBET) (54 to 123 m2/g). Based on the K-means algorithm and chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) tree, we found that the SFT of SBF is an important factor for the prediction and confirmation of the HAp mineralization process on the glasses. Furthermore, we proposed a simple calculation, based on SFT variation, to quantify the bioactivity of MBGs. The doped and dopant-free borate MBGs could enhance the proliferation of mouse fibroblast L929 cells at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL. These glasses also induced very low hemolysis (<5%), confirming good compatibility with red blood cells. The results of the antibacterial test revealed that all the samples could significantly decrease the viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In summary, we showed that Cu-/Zn-doped borate MBGs can be fabricated using a cost-effective method and also show promise for wound healing/skin tissue engineering applications, as especially supported by the cell test with fibroblasts, good compatibility with blood, and antibacterial properties

Fabrication and characterization of cobalt- and copper-doped mesoporous borate bioactive glasses for potential applications in tissue engineering

Developing novel compositions of bioactive glasses (BGs) is key for accelerating tissue repair and regeneration. In this work, we developed a series of cobalt (Co)- and copper (Cu)-doped mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) based on borate 13-93B3 composition using nitrate precursors. We took benefit from data science algorithms to predict and assess the physico-chemical and biological properties of the samples. The results showed that the presence of the dopants (Co and Cu) in the MBGs could change the glass transition temperature (Tg) (from 773 to 539 °C), the zeta potential (from -12 to -43 mV), and surface area (from 54 to 194 m2/g). However, the presence of 2.5 mol% of dopants in the composition led to just a slight decrease in their bioactivity. In vitro biocompatibility assays confirmed that all the glass samples were biocompatible. Furthermore, the doped MBGs exhibited potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, these glasses could induce the mobility of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and enhance new blood vessel formation in ovo. According to the obtained data, it can be stated that this type of doped borate MBGs held great promise in tissue engineering applications

Monitoring the cell wall characteristics of degraded beech wood by white-rot fungi: Anatomical, chemical, and photochemical study

Meticulous chemical analysis of decaying xylem and linking it to corresponding anatomical modification at the cellular level can improve our understanding of the decay process. The aim of this study was to monitor the histological, chemical, photochemical, and progression of wood degradation by two white-rot fungi at different intervals. Oriental beech wood (Fagus orientalis) blocks were exposed to Pleurotus ostreatus and Trametes versicolor to investigate the degradation capabilities of these two fungi. Light microscopy was used to study the decay patterns in wood. Decayed wood samples were also analyzed to determine lignin, cellulose and sugar contents and also evaluated at two week intervals by FT-IR spectroscopy to study chemical alterations. According to chemical analyses lignin is the most degraded polymer followed by cellulose and hemicelluloses for both white rot fungi. However, both test fungi tended to consume lignin more than cellulose. FT-IR spectra changes for &nbsp;lignin and carbohydrates in beech wood supported chemical alteration and indicated that both fungi decay wood in a simultaneous pattern.&nbsp

Study of particleboard manufacture by nonconventional bonding

This research was conducted to investigate the posibility of producing particleboards using surface activation method of  P. deltoides particles and then using  cross-linking agents to bond wood particles. At  first, nitric acid as an oxidative agent at different proportion including 0, 3, 4.5 & 6 percent (based on OD weight of wood) and two assembly times of 0 and 1 hour was used. Black liquor at two amounts of 5 and 7 percent was used as cross-linking agent. The results indicates that using 6% nitric acid and 7% liquor had the best performance and that, the assembly time of 1 hour had negative effect on all properties. The ATR spectrum of treated samples showed the increase in the absorbtion rate at 1740 cm-1  related to COOH group as compared with control samples.  In addition, the spectrum indicated that increasing oxidation increase absorbtion rate of COOH group

Production of Nanocellulose from Rice Husk

In this work, nanocellulose was produced from rice husk, as a lignocellulosic waste of rice. Initially, purified cellulose was produced with chemo-mechanical and soda-anthraquinone (soda/AQ) pulping and bleaching. The purified cellulose was then sonicated for 15 min using an ultrasonic processor, resulted in nanocellulose. The nanocellulose obtained by sonification has been characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Diameter of nanocellulose from rice husk by chemical method was 30-40 nm and that of produced by soda-AQ pulping method were 10-20 nm. The nanocellulose crystallinity for chemical method obtained 60% and for that of produced with soda-AQ pulping method was 66%. The degradation onset temperature for nanocellulose from rice husk by chemical method was 165°C and that of produced with soda-AQ pulping method were 188°c. The thermal behaviors of nanocellulose and purified cellulose were almost the same, suggesting the ultrasonic treatment had minor effect on the thermal decomposition of the nanocellulose

Evaluation of Effect of Steam Pretreatment on Water and Liquor Absorption of Wood Particles

This research was investigation of steaming pretreatment on water and liquor absorbtion by wood particles. In this study, wood particles steamed at two different temperature (110oC- 140oC), and then were saturated in water and liquor at two different temperature (25oC, 100oC). Liquor was supplied with two different consistencies. That is, sodium hydroxide %9, sodium sulfite %6 and sodum hydroxide %18, sodium sulfite %12. Result of this research has shown that maximum absorbed water was %95.5. It was treated with steam of 140oC for one hour, and minimum absorbed water was %68.9. It was treated with steam of 110oC for half an hour. So, maximum of absorbed liquor was %108.64. It was treated with steam of 140oC for one hour. And least of absorbed liquor was %99.88. It was treated with steam of 110oC for half hour. Moreover, maximum of water and liquor absorption for control samples were %94.98 and %107 respectively. However, they were less than treated samples