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Vitamin D3 (VitD3) has several beneficial effects on many metabolic pathways such as immunity system, bone development. The aim of the study, encapsulation of VitD3 with solid lipids, determine encapsulation efficiency and biocompatibility of nanoparticles. Therefore, VitD3-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNPs) were developed by optimising ratios of VitD3, stearic acid, beeswax and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). Thermal stability, degradation profile, crystallinity rate, encapsulation efficiency and release profile of SLNPs were determined. Cytotoxicity of SLNPs on HaCaT, L929 and HUVEC cells were investigated. Negatively charged and VitD3-loaded nanoparticles with diameters between 30 and 60 nm were obtained. SLNPs containing up to 5.1 mg VitD3 per 10 mg powder samples were obtained. Cell proliferations were stimulated after exposure with VitD3-loaded SLNPs. Besides, inflammatory response after exposure to VitD3-loaded SLNPs was evaluated via determining IL10 and TNF-alpha levels on THP-1 cells. According to the results, no inflammatory response was observed.

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In the treatment of dermal wounds, wound-dressing materials prepared from natural mucopolysaccharides are widely used because of their advantages such as nonirritation, nontoxicity, and ease in topical application. In the present study, alginate hydrogels modified with N-acetyl glucose amine (NAG) were prepared as wound-dressing material. Physical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were studied. Cytotoxicity of the hydrogels on endothelial (HUVEC) and keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells were examined. Anti-and proinflammatory cytokine levels of human monocyte-macrophage cells (THP-1) stimulated with hydrogels were determined. According to the results, increasing the NAG concentration led to an increase in the swelling and nitrogen ratios in the hydrogels. Additionally, increasing the NAG concentration decreased elastic modulus and degradation time. Hydrogels were not cytotoxic on HaCaT and HUVEC cells. It stimulated IL-10 and TNF-alpha levels at a small rate.

Several polymers are used for the preparation of biomaterials as membranes and films for tissue engineering applications. The most common plasticizer is PEG to obtain polymer-based biomaterials. On the other hand, triacetin is a non-toxic, FDA-approved plasticizer mostly used in the food industry. In this study, we used triacetin as a plasticizer to obtain hydrophobic membranes for the prevention of intra-abdominal adhesion. We selected a well-known polymer named PHBHHx which is a bacterial polyester generally used as supporting material for cell attachments in regenerative tissue applications. We evaluated the triacetin as a plasticizer and its effect on mechanical, thermal, surface area, pore size, and surface energy. The hydrophobic/hydrophilic contrast of a biomaterial surface determines the biological response. Surface hydrophobicity is critical for the cellular response. The contact angle tests of PHBHHx revealed that the hydrophilicity of the membrane was decreased following triacetin blending. Modification of the PHBHHx membrane by blending with triacetin caused a significant decrease in cell adhesion. The cell attachment rates of PHBHHx membranes were as 95 ± 5% on the first day, 34.5 ± 0.9% on third day, and 23 ± 1.5% on the fifth day, respectively. The rates of cell attachments on PHBHHx/triacetin membranes were determined as 79 ± 2.5% for the first day, 33 ± 2.7% for the third day, and 13 ± 2.1% for the fifth day, respectively. Besides, triacetin blending decreased the surface area from 38.790 to 32.379 m2/g. The elongation at breaks was observed as 128% for PHBHHx and 171% for PHBHHx/triacetin. Graphical abstract [Formula: see text]

Decellularized tissues and organs have been successfully used in various tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. A biological scaffold obtained from the extracellular matrix can be produced by a variety of decellularization methods that effectively remove cells from the tissue to be treated. Decellularization methods is changed according to the target structure of tissues and organs. These methods can be summarized with chemically, physically, enzymatically and using Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) ways. Each of these methods affects the biochemical composition in the structure of the remaining extracellular matrix (ECM), the structure of the tissue (ultrastructure), and the mechanical behavior. In this article, the most commonly used decellulization methods are introduced and their effects on biological tissue scaffold materials are discussed.

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A new imine based chiral calamitic compound carrying a (S)-3,7-Dimethyloctyloxy group at one of terminal was synthesized and characterized by 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. 4-Dodecyloxybenzylidene-4'-(S)-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy) aniline (DBDMA) exhibits an enantiotropic chiral smectic tilted phase (SmC*) at a low temperature range. The mesomorphic properties of new liquid crystal were determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Polarised Optical Microscopy (POM). A new composite membrane was also prepared from DBDMA and Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) via solvent evaporation technique. The surface morphology as well as the mechanical behaviour of PHBHHx/ DBDMA composite membrane were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). Additionally, cell compatibility tests of the PHBHHx/ DBDMA composite were performed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. The surface of PHBHHx/DBDMA composite membrane exhibited a homogenous porosity. The introduction of DBDMA into the polymer media improves the cell viability and mechanical strength.