Polysaccharide Based Scaffolds for Soft Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

Soft tissue reconstructs require materials that form three-dimensional (3-D) structures supportive to cell proliferation and regenerative processes. Polysaccharides, due to their hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, abundance, and presence of derivatizable functional groups, are distinctive scaffold materials. Superior mechanical properties, physiological signaling, and tunable tissue response have been achieved through chemical modification of polysaccharides. Moreover, an appropriate formulation strategy enables spatial placement of the scaffold to a targeted site. With the advent of newer technologies, these preparations can be tailor-made for responding to alterations in temperature, pH, or other physiological stimuli. In this review, we discuss the developmental and biological aspects of scaffolds prepared from four polysaccharides, viz. alginic acid (ALG), chitosan (CHI), hyaluronic acid (HA), and dextran (DEX). Clinical studies on these scaffolds are also discussed.

Functionalized polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (POSS) based composites for bone tissue engineering: synthesis, computational and biological studies

“…Fluorimetric analyzes were performed by a microtiter plate reader (Tecan Italia, Milan-Italy) while a TCS SP2 (Leica Microsystems, Heidelberg, Germany), equipped with Ar/Kr laser and coupled to a microscope (Leica DM IRB) was used for morphological analyses. The rst eluted product was ethyl(3RS,5RS) -5- (3,5,7,9,11,13,15- The second eluted product was ethyl(3SR,5RS)-5- (3,5,7,9,11,13,15-heptaisobutylpentacyclo[9.5.1.1 3,9 .1 5,15 .1 7,13 ] octasilox-1-yl)-2-methylisoxazolidine-3-carboxylate (4a) (15%, using a dialysis bag (MW of 12 000 Da) for 8 h. Aer removal of water under vacuum at 50 C, the mixture was dried at 50 C for 24 h at the vacuum drying pressure of 65 mbar. The sample was characterized by FTIR and TGA analysis and used for the subsequent reactions without further purication.…”

“…6 Among the different polysaccharide-based 3D scaffolds, the naturally derived polymers such as chitin, chitosan, collagen, gelatin, alginate, hyaluronic acid and their composites, due to their high biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cost, ease of handling, and possibility of gelation in situ, represent resourceful biomaterials for bone and so tissue engineering applications. 7 Moreover, these biopolymers can be cross-linked, allowing the incorporation of cells, growth factors and the controlled release of bioactive molecules. 8 Among the different investigated biopolymers, the natural polysaccharide, chitosan (CS), obtained from the deacetylation of chitin, due to its good biocompatibility, biodegradability, ease of chemical modications, antibacterial properties and high affinity in vivo with macromolecules represent an ideal organic material for the development of biopolymer based scaffold for organ and tissue regeneration.…”

The physico-chemistry of adhesions of protein resistant and weak polyelectrolyte brushes to cells and tissues

“…The non-specific interactions between polymeric biomaterials and soft tissues play an important role in the performance of implants, tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery systems. [1][2][3][4][5] Physico-chemical interactions are particularly important in regulating the strength of bioadhesives, such as skin adhesives for surgical applications, [6][7][8] hydrogels for epicardial placement and stem cell delivery, 9 soft tissue adhesion for tissue regeneration 3,4 or mucoadhesives for dental adhesion. 10,11 Although a range of chemical functions and molecules have been introduced in biomaterials to promote covalent coupling and adhesion to soft tissues, the control and regulation of non-specific physicochemical interactions with surrounding tissues post-implantation and delivery can play an important role and even dominate adhesion performance.…”

Synthesis and 3D Printing of Conducting Alginate–Polypyrrole Ionomers

“…These "wet" ICP structures are quite different from the "dry" films and powders of the early work in the ICP field, and they offer distinct advantages when interfacing with biological systems [20].Sodium alginate is a carbohydrate obtained from brown algae and widely used in the food industry as a stabilizer, emulsifier, and gelling agent [21]. It is also useful in applications ranging from drug delivery to tissue engineering [22] due to the fact of its good biocompatibility and non-immunogenicity. The viscoelastic properties of alginate can be varied dramatically by cross-linking with multiply charged metal ions, such as Ca 2+ , chemical cross-linking, or by blending with polycations.…”