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Two important issues in skin tissue engineering are the vascularization and regeneration of the dermis. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is known to promote angiogenesis and accelerate wound healing. Direct delivery of bFGF to the wound area, however, would lead to a loss of bioactivity. To this end, bFGF-loaded alginate microspheres (Ms) were fabricated and incorporated into carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to form a composite hydrogel. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicated that the incorporation of Ms does not significantly affect the inner structure of CMCS-PVA. In an in vitro study, the release of bFGF from Ms-CMCS-PVA in a sustained manner retained higher bioactivity over a 2-week period. Full-thickness burn wounds were created in the dorsal area of rats for in vivo evaluation of skin regeneration treated with CMCS-PVA hydrogel, with and without bFGF. Compared with the control, CMCS-PVA and bFGF-CMCS-PVA groups, the bFGF/Ms-CMCS-PVA group revealed significantly faster wound recovery rates, with re-epithelialization and regeneration of the dermis. Moreover, the bFGF/Ms-CMCS-PVA group had the highest density of newly formed and mature blood vessels during the 2 mweek treatment period. The ability of the bFGF/Ms-CMCS-PVA hydrogel to accelerate wound healing in a full-thickness burn model suggests its potential for use in dermal tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this study, calcium-alginate microgels coated with a polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) were fabricated as a controlled-release system. This system was constructed via an electrostatic droplet generation technique followed by a layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. The electrostatic droplet generation technique was reported as an easy method of preparing microgels, due to their mild preparation conditions and ability to preserve the biological activity of the encapsulated drugs. With the LbL self-assembly technique, the PEM could be fabricated on the microgels attributed to the electrostatic attraction between positive-charged chitosan (Chi) and negative-charged dextran sulfate (Dex). The properties of the prepared microgels were investigated using dynamic laser scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum and zeta potential analyzer. In vitro release study indicated that the initial burst release of the bovine serum albumin (BSA) from PEM-coated microgels was less compared to the uncoated microgels (19% versus 31% in 24 h). In addition, the sustained release of BSA from the PEM-coated microgels was recorded up to 1 month without any damage to BSA integrity. Thus, our results demonstrated that the PEM-coated microgels not only prolonged the release time, but also relieved the initial burst problem to some degree and preserved the biological activity of the encapsulated drugs. Moreover, the release rate of BSA could be regulated by controlling the number of deposited layers. In conclusion, this study presented an easy yet effective method for the controlled, sustained release of biological macromolecules.

In this study, we present a simple yet efficient method to modify polyester electrospun fibrous scaffolds by polysaccharide-protein multilayer formation based on electrostatic interactions. Chitosan (CS) and gelatin (Gel) was selected as the polycation and polyanion, respectively, to build polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) on poly-L-lactide (PLLA) electrospun fibers via layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. A positively charged surface was first created via the aminolysis reaction of esters in the PLLA backbone by poly(ethylene imine) (PEI), followed by consequent alternate deposition of Gel and CS. FTIR and XPS measurements confirmed alternative coating of Gel and CS, while SEM observation indicated that the scaffolds maintained the porous and fibrous morphology during PEM development. IMARIS software, which was extensively employed to reconstruct 3D images, was employed to visualize the architecture of neuronal networks and neurite development of single neurons. Our results indicated that the PEM-modification significantly enhanced cell-matrix interactions by improving cell viability and neurite outgrowth. Significantly more branches and longer neurites were obtained on Gel/CS PEM-coated fibrous scaffolds than PLLA fibrous scaffold and those after Gel or CS monolayer modification. Moreover, the component of the outermost layer showed influence on neuron growth in terms of higher cell viability as well as more branches and longer neurites being obtained on Gel-outermost coated fibrous scaffolds than those outermost coated with CS. The current study indicated that the polysaccharide-protein assembly multilayer could be employed to modify the surface of polyester fibers, thus providing a new strategy to fabricate biomimetic scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering.

In order to effectively immobilize and control release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) from alginate microspheres, heparin-conjugated alginate (H-Alg) was first synthesized by covalent binding. Then multilayered H-Alg microspheres (multilayered microspheres) were fabricated via an electrostatic droplet generation technique followed by a layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. Several techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), (1)H-NMR, zeta potential analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the properties of H-Alg (FTIR and (1)H-NMR) and multilayered microspheres (FTIR, zeta potential analysis and SEM). bFGF binding efficiency, release profiles of bFGF from multilayered microspheres and the biological activity of released bFGF were well investigated. It was found that the bFGF binding efficiency of H-Alg microspheres was increased up to five times higher than that of the alginate microspheres. Additionally, the release profiles of bFGF from multilayered microspheres were sustained for two weeks with relieved initial burst release, and the release rate to bFGF could be regulated by controlling the number of deposited layers. Importantly, the released bFGF still retained its biological activity as assessed by the in vitro proliferation of NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblasts. In conclusion, this study presented an easy yet effective method for the controlled, sustained release of heparin-binding growth factors, using polyelectrolyte multilayer-coated heparin-conjugated alginate microspheres.

In this research, a novel drug delivery system consisting of alginate microspheres and carboxymethyl chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel was developed for prolonged and sustained controlled drug release. The alginate microspheres and various volume ratios of carboxymethyl chitosan were incorporated physically into poly(vinyl alcohol) to form the composite system. Scanning electron microscope, rheometer, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to investigate the morphological, rheological, and thermal properties. The adsorptivity and hydrogel content were evaluated by swelling ratio and gel fraction, respectively. Incorporation of alginate microspheres improved the swelling ratio and thermal stability of carboxymethyl chitosan/ poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. Carboxymethyl chitosan decreased gel fraction and elasticity while increased swelling and porosity of hydrogel. In vitro, the release profiles of bovine serum albumin from the composite gels were sustained for 2 weeks in phosphate buffered saline.

In the field of tumor immunotherapy, tumor vaccines have unique advantages including less side effect, tumor-specificity and immune memory, and hence attract more and more attention. In the development of...

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