Sharks possess numerous biological features such as highly developed senses and efficient liver that have stunned researchers over the past few decades. Including to those, sharks are well known for the ability of their skin to reduce drag force, and prevent adhesion of microorganisms like bacteria. Recently, investigating the anti-biofouling properties of sharkskin and particularly the mechanism of antibacterial activities have been trending and ongoing researches have been conducted to understand the extent of the anti-biofouling and identification of the possible underlying mechanisms. Hence, in this review, we take a look at sharkskin morphology and discoveries thus far regarding its unique attributes and their underlying mechanisms along with possible applications such as cathaters, implantable cardiovascular devices, and medical devices. The focus of this review is the anti-biofouling properties of sharkskin patterned surfaces prepared by biomimicked and bioinspired approaches in healthcare applications.
Synergy between biomaterial surfaces and cells is known to be important due to the direct and inevitable interactions that mediate cell behavior. Thus, the design of biomimetic surfaces with proper topography and chemistry is crucial for optimization of cellular responses. Herein, we report surface topography mimicking ability of chitosan (CH) biopolymer and its promising application as a platform for osteoblast cell culture. CH is frequently used in bone tissue engineering applications. For this reason, anisotropic bone surface was chosen to demonstrate its surface mimicking skill. Initially, bone surface topography is replicated by using soft lithography and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds. Subsequently, solvent casting by CH is performed on the replicated molds, and then polymer membranes with bone surface topography are obtained. To prepare nanocomposite, graphene oxide (GO) is blended into CH membranes to enhance biocompatibility. It is observed that CH and CH/GO nanocomposite membranes are both eligible to mimic anisotropic bone surface. Considering the surface of bone tissue, hydroxyapatite (HA) modification is also conducted using ultraviolet/ozone method. Following that, human osteoblasts are chosen to evaluate the cell responses on mimicked surfaces. The results indicate that surface mimicking has a positive impact on osteoblast viability and morphology.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.