Elastin-Coated Biodegradable Photopolymer Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

One of the main open issues in modern vascular surgery is the nonbiodegradability of implants used for stent interventions, which can lead to small caliber-related thrombosis and neointimal hyperplasia. Some new, resorbable polymeric materials have been proposed to substitute traditional stainless-steel stents, but so far they were affected by poor mechanical properties and low biocompatibility. In this respect, a new material, polypropylene fumarate (PPF), may be considered as a promising candidate to implement the development of next generation stents, due to its complete biodegradability, and excellent mechanical properties and the ease to be precisely patterned. Besides all these benefits, PPF has not been tested yet for vascular prosthesis, mainly because it proved to be almost inert, while the ability to elicit a specific biological function would be of paramount importance in such critical surgery applications. Here, we propose a biomimetic functionalization process, aimed at obtaining specific bioactivation and thus improved cell-polymer interaction. Porous PPF-based scaffolds produced by deep-UV photocuring were coated by elastin and the functionalized scaffolds were extensively characterized, revealing a stable bound between the protein and the polymer surface. Both 3T3 and HUVEC cell lines were used for in vitro tests displaying an enhancement of cells adhesion and proliferation on the functionalized scaffolds.

Microenvironment complexity and matrix stiffness regulate breast cancer cell activity in a 3D in vitro model

“…Gels were then imaged by using an upright microscope equipped with transmitted illumination and epifluorescence (Eclipse Ni-U, Nikon) 53 to discriminate live cells (calcein AM stained-green) from dead cells (propidium iodide stained-red).…”

Four-order stiffness variation of laser-fabricated photopolymer biodegradable scaffolds by laser parameter modulation

“…The biocompatibility of MPExSL-fabricated structures has already been investigated by our group in previous in vitro [9] and in vivo [10] studies. Besides, elastine [11,12] and titanate nanotubes [13,14] were utilized as functional coatings on these PPF scaffolds.…”

Materials and Methods of Bone Tissue Engineering

“…На данный момент широкое распространение в тканевой инженерии костной ткани получили такие соединения, как хитозан [50], коллаген [16], желатин [19], эластин [10], шелк [37]. Хорошо изучено их влияние как на свойства конструкции, так и на поведение клеток.…”

“…Наибольшее распространение в тканевой инженерии получили гидроксиапатит [24], в том числе наногидроксиапатит, β-трикальцийфосфат [10] и карбонат кальция [11]. Перечисленные вещества могут использоваться в тканеинженерных конструкциях в виде порошков, нанопорошков, цементов, покрытий.…”