For years, it has been reported that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Various external and internal factors may contribute to the early onset of AD. This review highlights a contribution of the disturbances in the microbiota–gut–brain (MGB) axis to the development of AD. Alteration in the gut microbiota composition is determined by increase in the permeability of the gut barrier and immune cell activation, leading to impairment in the blood–brain barrier function that promotes neuroinflammation, neuronal loss, neural injury, and ultimately AD. Numerous studies have shown that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in brain function and changes in the behavior of individuals and the formation of bacterial amyloids. Lipopolysaccharides and bacterial amyloids synthesized by the gut microbiota can trigger the immune cells residing in the brain and can activate the immune response leading to neuroinflammation. Growing experimental and clinical data indicate the prominent role of gut dysbiosis and microbiota–host interactions in AD. Modulation of the gut microbiota with antibiotics or probiotic supplementation may create new preventive and therapeutic options in AD. Accumulating evidences affirm that research on MGB involvement in AD is necessary for new treatment targets and therapies for AD.

A 3D printing fused filament fabrication (FFF) approach has been implemented for the creation of microstructures having an internal 3D microstructure geometry. These objects were produced without any sacrificial structures or additional support materials, just by precisely tuning the nozzle heating, fan cooling and translation velocity parameters. The manufactured microporous structures out of polylactic acid (PLA) had fully controllable Micromachines 2014, 5 840 porosity (20%-60%) and consisted of desired volume pores (∼0.056 µm 3 ). The prepared scaffolds showed biocompatibility and were suitable for the primary stem cell growth. In addition, direct laser writing (DLW) ablation was employed to modify the surfaces of the PLA structures, drill holes, as well as shape the outer geometries of the created objects. The proposed combination of FFF printing with DLW offers successful fabrication of 3D microporous structures with functionalization capabilities, such as the modification of surfaces, the generation of grooves and microholes and cutting out precisely shaped structures (micro-arrows, micro-gears). The produced structures could serve as biomedical templates for cell culturing, as well as biodegradable implants for tissue engineering. The additional micro-architecture is important in connection with the cell types used for the intention of cell growing. Moreover, we show that surface roughness can be modified at the nanoscale by immersion into an acetone bath, thus increasing the hydrophilicity. The approach is not limited to biomedical applications, it could be employed for the manufacturing of bioresorbable 3D microfluidic and micromechanic structures.

The biocompatibility of dental implant abutment materials depends on numerous factors including the nature of the material, its chemical composition, roughness, texture, hydrophilicity and surface charge. The aim of the present study was to compare the viability and adhesion strength of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) grown on several dental materials used in implant prosthodontics. Surfaces of the tested materials were assessed using an optical imaging profiler. For material toxicity and cellular adhesion evaluation, primary human gingival fibroblast cells were used. To evaluate the strength of cellular adhesion, gingival fibroblasts were cultured on the tested materials and subjected to lateral shear forces by applying 300 and 500 rpm shaking intensities. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression and phosphorylation in cells grown on the specimens were registered by cell-based ELISA. There was a tendency of fibroblast adhesion strength to decrease in the following order: sandblasted titanium, polished titanium, sandblasted zirconium oxide, polished zirconium oxide, gold-alloy, chrome-cobalt alloy. Higher levels of total as well as phospho-FAK protein were registered in HGFs grown on roughened titanium. Material type and surface processing technique have an impact on gingival fibroblast interaction with dental implant abutment materials.

Femtosecond Laser Induced Polymerization is an attractive direct writing technique for rapid three-dimensional (3D) micro and nanofabrication in diverse applications. Recently, it has been successfully applied for 3D scaffold fabrication required in biomedicine applications. However, there are still a lot of investigations to be done before it can be used for practical applications in tissue engineering or regenerative medicine. In this work, experimental results on production of artificial polymeric scaffolds for stem cell growth are presented. Parameters (average laser power, sample scanning speed, and developing conditions) for microfabrication in biocompatible photopolymers AKRE (AKRE37) and ORMOSIL (SZ2080) are experimentally determined. 3D custom form and size artificial scaffolds were successfully microfabricated. Adult stem cell growth on them was investigated in order to test their biocompatibility. The results of myogenic stem cell culture expansion were compared to the control growth of the same cells on the scaffolds manufactured out of commonly used biocompatible photopolymers ORMOCER (Ormocore b59) and Poly-Ethylen Glycol Di-Acrylate (PEG-DA-258). Preliminary results show FLIP technique to have potential in fabrication of artificial 3D polymeric scaffolds for cell proliferation experiments. These are the first steps in transferring FLIP fabrication method from laboratory tests to flexible manufacturing of individual scaffolds out of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers.

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