Calcium cross-linked sodium alginate hydrogels have several advantageous features making them potentially suitable as tissue engineering scaffolds and this material has been previously used in many biomedical applications. 3D cell culture systems are often very different from 2D petri dish type cultures. in this study the effect of alginate hydrogel architecture was investigated by comparing rat bone marrow cell proliferation and differentiation on calcium cross linked sodium alginate discs and 1mm internal diameter tubes. It was found that bone marrow cell proliferation was diminished as the concentration of alginate in the 2D hydrogel substrates increased, yet proliferation was extensive on tubular alginate constructs with high alginate contents. Alginate gel thickness was found to be an important parameter in determining cell behaviour and the different geometries did not generate significant alterations in BMC differentiation profiles.
Alginate is a biodegradable, immunocompatible biopolymer that is capable of immobilizing viable cells and bioactive factors. Few investigations have analyzed the efficacy of alginate gels as substrata for cell attachment and proliferation. Here we have compared the adhesion and subsequent growth of human and rat bone marrow stromal fibroblastic cells on unmodified alginate hydrogel surfaces. It was found that, in contrast to rat cells, human cells did not readily attach or proliferate on unmodified alginates. In attempts to enhance these features, or collagen type I was incorporated into the gels, with no significant improvements in prolonged human cell adherence. However, alginate gels containing both collagen type I and beta-tricalcium phosphate were found to enhance human cell adherence and proliferation. Furthermore, interactions between the collagen and beta-tricalcium phosphate prevented loss of the protein from the hydrogels. These results indicate that alginate gels containing collagen have potential uses as vehicles for delivery of adherent cells to a tissue site. In addition, gels containing beta-tricalcium phosphate, with or without collagen type I incorporation, have potential to support cell growth and differentiation in vitro before implantation. This study emphasizes the limitations of the uses of cells derived from experimental animals in certain model studies relating to human tissue engineering.
a b s t r a c t E-glass fibres are used in products such as printed circuit boards, wind turbine blades, pipes, marine vehicles and pressure vessels. With reference to the production of fibre reinforced composites, the reinforcement (E-glass) is impregnated with a resin system, consolidated and generally processed by the application of heat. This results in the resin system being converted from a liquid or semi-solid to a highly cross-linked and infusible solid. There is significant interest in monitoring the progression of these crosslinking or chemical reactions and a number of optical and electrical, ultrasonic-based techniques have been developed and demonstrated. The current paper reports on the use of the reinforcing E-glass fibres to track the cross-linking of commercially available epoxy/amine resin systems. The mode of interrogation was based on using the E-glass fibres as evanescent wave sensors thus enabling Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to be conducted. This enabled the cross-linking reactions at the glass/resin interface to be monitored. Conventional transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy experiments were also conducted. The cross-linking kinetic data from the two methods were modelled and compared. A good correlation was obtained between the experimental and predicted data using a single rate constant.
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