Numerous techniques have been reported for preparing and sterilizing amniotic membrane (AM) for use in clinical applications. However, these preparations either do not produce completely sterile tissue or are detrimental to molecules unique to the tissue matrix, thus compromising beneficial wound-healing properties of the AM graft. The objective of this work was to produce a sterile human AM tissue graft using a novel preparation technique involving supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2). AM tissue was subjected to various sterilization treatment groups that optimized the duration of exposure to SCCO2 and the amount of peracetic acid (PAA) required to achieve a sterility assurance level of 10(-6) log reduction in bacterial load. Effects of sterilization treatment on the histological, biophysical, and biochemical properties of the sterile AM were evaluated and compared with those of native AM tissue. Exposure of the AM tissue to combined SCCO2 and PAA sterilization treatment did not significantly alter tissue architecture, the amounts of pertinent extracellular matrix proteins (type IV collagen, glycosaminoglycans, elastin) present in the tissue, or the biophysical properties of the tissue. AMs treated with SCCO2 were also found to be excellent substrates for adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) attachment and proliferation in vitro. Human ASCs, attached to all treatment groups after 24 h of culture and continued to proliferate over the next few days. The current study's results indicate that SCCO2 can be used to sterilize AM tissue grafts while simultaneously preserving their biological attributes. The preservation of these features make AM appealing for use in numerous clinical and tissue engineering applications.
Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to characterize the optical properties of thin (<5 nm) films of nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). These films were then used to investigate the dynamic adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA, a model protein), as a function of protein concentration, pH, and ionic strength. Experimental results were analyzed by an optical model and revealed that hydrophobic interactions were the main driving force behind the adsorption process, resulting in up to 3.5 mg/m 2 of albumin adsorbed to nanostructured TiO 2 . The measured thickness of the adsorbed BSA layer (less than 4 nm) supports the possibility that spreading of the protein molecules on the material surface occurred. Conformational changes of adsorbed proteins are important because they may subsequently lead to either accessibility or inaccessibility of bioactive sites which are ligands for cell interaction and function relevant to physiology and pathology.
Amniotic membrane (AM) has been shown to enhance corneal wound healing due to the abundance of growth factors, cytokines, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins inherent to the tissue. As such, AM has garnered widespread clinical utility as a biological dressing for a number of ophthalmic and soft tissue applications. The preparation, sterilization, and storage procedures used to manufacture AM grafts are extremely important for the conservation of inherent biological components within the membrane. Current processing techniques use harsh chemicals and sterilization agents that can compromise the fundamental wound healing properties of AM. Furthermore, commercially available cryopreserved AM products require specific storage conditions (e.g., ultra-low freezers) thereby limiting their clinical availability in austere environments. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) technology allows for the sterilization of biological tissues without the resulting degradation of integral ECM proteins and other factors often seen with current tissue sterilization processes. With this study we demonstrate that lyophilized AM, sterilized using SCCO2, maintains similar biochemical properties and biocompatibility as that of commercially available AM products requiring specialized cold storage conditions.
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