Decellularized human adipose tissue has potential clinical utility as a processed biological scaffold for soft tissue cosmesis, grafting, and reconstruction. Adipose tissue decellularization has been accomplished using enzymatic-, detergent-, and/or solvent-based methods. To examine the hypothesis that distinct decellularization processes may yield scaffolds with differing compositions, the current study employed mass spectrometry to compare the proteomes of human adipose-derived matrices generated through three independent methods combining enzymatic-, detergent-, and/or solvent-based steps. In addition to protein content, bioscaffolds were evaluated for deoxyribose nucleic acid depletion, extracellular matrix composition, and physical structure using optical density, histochemical staining, and scanning electron microscopy. Mass spectrometry based proteomic analyses identified 25 proteins (having at least two peptide sequences detected) in the scaffolds generated with an enzymatic approach, 143 with the detergent approach, and 102 with the solvent approach, as compared to 155 detected in unprocessed native human fat. Immunohistochemical detection confirmed the presence of the structural proteins actin, collagen type VI, fibrillin, laminin, and vimentin. Subsequent in vivo analysis of the predominantly enzymatic- and detergent-based decellularized scaffolds following subcutaneous implantation in GFP transgenic mice demonstrated that the matrices generated with both approaches supported the ingrowth of host-derived adipocyte progenitors and vasculature in a time dependent manner. Together, these results determine that decellularization methods influence the protein composition of adipose tissue-derived bioscaffolds. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A:2481-2493, 2018.

In situ tertiary amine-catalyzed thiol-acrylate chemistry was employed to produce hydrophilic microfluidic devices via a soft lithography process. The process involved the Michael addition of a secondary amine to a multifunctional acrylate producing a nonvolatile in situ tertiary amine catalyst/comonomer molecule. The Michael addition of a multifunctional thiol to a multifunctional acrylate was facilitated by the catalytic activity of the in situ catalyst/comonomer. These cost-efficient thiol-acrylate devices were prepared at room temperature, rapidly, and with little equipment. The thiol-acrylate thermoset materials were more natively hydrophilic than the normally employed poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) thermoset material, and the surface energies were stable compared to PDMS. Because the final chip was self-adhered via a simple chemical process utilizing the same chemistry, and it was naturally hydrophilic, there was no need for expensive instrumentation or complicated methods to "activate" the surface. There was also no need for postprocessing removal of the catalyst as it was incorporated into the polymer network. These bottom-up devices were fabricated to completion proving their validity as microfluidic devices, and the materials were manipulated and characterized via various analyses illustrating the potential diversity and tunability of the devices.

Insulin weakens the structural integrity of equine lamellar explants and an ex vivo model for evaluation of hyperinsulinaemia-induced lamellar failure was established. The summary is available in Spanish - see Supporting Information.

Because of the large number of total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries conducted per year, and with projections of increased demand to almost a million primary TKR surgeries per year by 2030 in the United States alone, there is a need to discover more efficient working materials as alternatives to current bone cements. There is a need for surgeons and hospitals to become more efficient and better control over the operative environment. One area of inefficiency is the cement steps during TKR. Currently the surgeon has very little control over cement polymerization. This leads to an increase in time, waste, and procedural inefficiencies. There is a clear need to create an extended working time, moldable, osteoconductive, and osteoinductive bone augment as a substitution for the current clinically used bone cement where the surgeon has better control over the polymerization process. This study explored several compositions of pentaerythritol-co-trimethylolpropane tris-(3-mercaptopropionate) hydroxyapatite composite materials prepared via benzoyl peroxide-initiated thermal frontal polymerization. The 4:1 acrylate to thiol ratio containing augment material shows promise with a maximal propagation temperature of 160°C ± 10°C, with mechanical strength of 3.65 MPa, and 111% cytocompatibility, relative to the positive control. This frontally polymerized material may have application as an augment with controlled polymerization supporting cemented implants.

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