A biodegradable hybrid scaffold consisting of a synthetic polymer, poly(lactic acid-co-caprolactone) (PLACL), and a naturally derived polymer, collagen, was constructed by plastic compressing hyperhydrated collagen gels onto a flat warp-knitted PLACL mesh. The collagen compaction process was characterized, and it was found that the duration, rather than the applied load under the test conditions in the plastic compression, was the determining factor of the collagen and cell density in the cell-carrying component. Cells were spatially distributed in three different setups and statically cultured for a period of 7 days. Short-term biocompatibility of the hybrid construct was quantitatively assessed with AlamarBlue and qualitatively with fluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. No significant cell death was observed after the plastic compression of the interstitial equivalents, confirming previous reports of good cell viability retention. The interstitial, epithelial, and composite tissue equivalents showed no macroscopic signs of contraction and good cell proliferation with a two- to threefold increase in cell number over 7 days. Quantitative analysis showed a homogenous cell distribution and good biocompatibility. The results indicate that viable and proliferating multilayered tissue equivalents can be engineered using the PLACL-collagen hybrid construct in the space of several hours.
Due to its excellent biocompatibility, Chitosan is a very promising material for degradable products in biomedical applications. The development of pure chitosan microfibre yarn with defined size and directional alignment has always remained a critical research objective. Only fibres of consistent quality can be manufactured into textile structures, such as nonwovens and knitted or woven fabrics. In an adapted, industrial scale wet spinning process, chitosan fibres can now be manufactured at the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology at TU Dresden (ITM). The dissolving system, coagulation bath, washing bath and heating/drying were optimised in order to obtain pure chitosan fibres that possess an adequate tenacity. A high polymer concentration of 8.0–8.5% wt. is realised by regulating the dope-container temperature. The mechanical tests show that the fibres present very high average tensile force up to 34.3 N, tenacity up to 24.9 cN/tex and Young’s modulus up to 20.6 GPa, values much stronger than that of the most reported chitosan fibres. The fibres were processed into 3D nonwoven structures and stable knitted and woven textile fabrics. The mechanical properties of the fibres and fabrics enable its usage as textile scaffolds in regenerative medicine. Due to the osteoconductive properties of chitosan, promising fields of application include cartilage and bone tissue engineering.
A single step electrospinning of chitosan and chitosan derivative-chitosan lactate nanofibres was studied in this paper. Chitosan was dissolved into acetic acid to produce structure-stable nanofibres. The effect of chitosan concentration and the content of acetic acid on the fibre diameter and morphology of nanofibres were studied in detail. The dynamic viscosity and surface tension of the electrospinning chitosan solutions were systematically studied as well. Based on the fundamental study on electrospinning chitosan in acetic acid, a chitosan derivative, chitosan lactate, was added to produce nanofibre in a pH-friendly aqueous environment. Chemical and morphological analyses demonstrated that chitosan lactate will positively influence the formation of nanofibres in higher pH condition although the morphology should be improved.
Growth factors play a crucial role in wound healing in general and are promising tools for the treatment of chronic wounds as they can restore the physiological wound healing process. In growth factor-loaded wound dressings, human epidermal growth factor (EGF) is released in a burst and washed out quickly. The developed matrix consists of recombinant EGF produced in transgenic silkworms as a fusion protein with the fibroin light chain. The covalent linkage prevents EGF from draining into the surrounding tissue while presenting the growth factor on the surface. EGF-functionalized silk membranes and nonwovens lead to a 2.5-fold increase in the cell number of fibroblasts, while retaining full bioactivity even after e-beam sterilization. EGF is long-term presented without burst release and significantly reduces the wound area by 15% in an in vitro wound model. Hence, the cost-effective production of a biomaterial using transgenic silkworm larvae in combination with a growth factor paves the way for a promising new multifactorial wound cover for chronic wound healing. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 2643-2652, 2018.
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