Nature has produced many intriguing and spectacular surfaces at the micro- and nanoscales. These small surface decorations act for a singular or, in most cases, a range of functions. The minute landscape found on the lotus leaf is one such example, displaying antiwetting behavior and low adhesion with foreign particulate matter. Indeed the lotus leaf has often been considered the "benchmark" for such properties. One could expect that there are animal counterparts of this self-drying and self-cleaning surface system. In this study, we show that the planthopper insect wing (Desudaba danae) exhibits a remarkable architectural similarity to the lotus leaf surface. Not only does the wing demonstrate a topographical likeness, but some surface properties are also expressed, such as nonwetting behavior and low adhering forces with contaminants. In addition, the insect-wing cuticle exhibits an antibacterial property in which Gram-negative bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis) are killed over many consecutive waves of attacks over 7 days. In contrast, eukaryote cell associations, upon contact with the insect membrane, lead to a formation of integrated cell sheets (e.g., among human stem cells (SHED-MSC) and human dermal fibroblasts (HDF)). The multifunctional features of the insect membrane provide a potential natural template for man-made applications in which specific control of liquid, solid, and biological contacts is desired and required. Moreover, the planthopper wing cuticle provides a "new" natural surface with which numerous interfacial properties can be explored for a range of comparative studies with both natural and man-made materials.
A dental implant is used to replace a missing tooth. Fixing the implant in its natural position requires the engineering of a substantial amount of conformal bone growth inside the implant socket, osseointegration. However, this conventional implant attachment does not include the periodontal ligament (PDL), which has a fundamental role in cushioning high mechanical loads. As a result, tooth implants have a shorter lifetime than the natural tooth and have a high chance of infections. We have engineered a “bio-implant” that provides a living PDL connection for titanium implants. The bio-implant consists of a hydroxyapatite coated titanium screw, ensheathed in cell sheets made from immortalized human periodontal cells. Bio-implants were transplanted into the upper first molar region of a tooth-extraction mouse model. Within 8 weeks the bio-implant generated fibrous connective tissue, a localised blood vessel network and new bone growth fused into the alveolar bone socket. The study presents a bio-implant engineered with human cells, specialised for the root connection, and resulted in the partial reconstruction of a naturalised tooth attachment complex (periodontium), consisting of all the principal tissue types, cementum, PDL and alveolar bone.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.