Sharif Digital Repository

High morbidity and mortality caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) the leading challenge for health experts all over the world. Currently, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19; however, thanks to worldwide intense attempts, novel vaccines such as mRNA-1273 (Moderna TX, Inc.) and BNT162b2 (Biontech/Pfizer) were developed very fast and FDA approved them for emergency use. Nanomedicine-based drug delivery can be an advanced therapeutic strategy to deal with clinical complications of COVID-19. Given the fact that SARS-CoV-2 typically affects the respiratory tract, application of inhalable nanoparticles (NPs)... 

Background: SApeptides have growing applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The application of SApeptide-based hydrogels depends strongly on their viscoelastic properties. Optimizing the properties is of importance in tuning the characteristics of the hydrogels for a variety of applications. Methods: In this study, we employed statistical modeling, conducted with the RSM and particle tracking microrheology, to investigate the effects of self-assembling SPG-178 peptide and added NaCl salt concentrations and milieu type (DI water or blood serum) on the viscoelastic properties of SPG-178 hydrogels. A central composite RSM model was employed for finding the optimum value of... 

Polyphenol-based materials have attracted wide-spread interest from academic and industrial communities because of their unique structure and physicochemical properties. Tannic acid (TA), as a polyphenolic phytochemical with high level of galloyl groups, interacts with various substances (proteins, polysaccharides, and metals) through several modes including hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Such hybrid or hybrid-like systems allow the preparation of various advanced materials with promising applications in medicine. In this review, we highlight the recent advances of TA-incorporated materials in medical applications including drug delivery, tissue engineering,... 

Microfluidics is a promising approach for the facile and large-scale fabrication of monodispersed droplets for various applications in biomedicine. This technology has demonstrated great potential to address the limitations of regenerative medicine. Microfluidics provides safe, accurate, reliable, and cost-effective methods for encapsulating different stem cells, gametes, biomaterials, biomolecules, reagents, genes, and nanoparticles inside picoliter-sized droplets or droplet-derived microgels for different applications. Moreover, microenvironments made using such droplets can mimic niches of stem cells for cell therapy purposes, simulate native extracellular matrix (ECM) for tissue... 

Although graphene/stem cell-based tissue engineering has recently emerged and has promisingly and progressively been utilized for developing one of the most effective regenerative nanomedicines, it suffers from low differentiation efficiency, low hybridization after transplantation and lack of appropriate scaffolds required in implantations without any degrading in functionality of the cells. In fact, recent studies have demonstrated that the unique properties of graphene can successfully resolve all of these challenges. Among various stem cells, neural stem cells (NSCs) and their neural differentiation on graphene have attracted a lot of interest, because graphene-based neuronal tissue... 

Conducting polymer-based devices and scaffolds has become remarkably popular due to their properties such as conductivity, tunable electrochemical properties, and straightforward fabrication procedures. Hence, they have versatile applications and can be used as implants, biosensors, cell capture/release devices, and regenerative medicine scaffolds. This review addresses the effect of conductive polymers on cell behavior since their conductive features can be applied to simulate a cellular response. Moreover, the impact of polymer chemical and physical properties on cellular response has been discussed. Recent biomedical engineering approaches used for cell capture and release were reviewed... 

This review aims to propose the integrative implementation of microfluidic devices, biomaterials, and computational methods that can lead to a significant progress in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine researches. Simultaneous implementation of multiple techniques can be very helpful in addressing biological processes. Providing controllable biochemical and biomechanical cues within artificial extracellular matrix similar to in vivo conditions is crucial in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine researches. Microfluidic devices provide precise spatial and temporal control over cell microenvironment. Moreover, generation of accurate and controllable spatial and temporal... 

Fetal stem cells, which can be isolated from the organs of fetuses, differentiate along multiple lineages. Their advantages over their adult counterparts include better intrinsic homing and engraftment and lower immunogenicity, and they are less ethically contentious. It is noteworthy that Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) can be activated and mobilized at the site of damaged tissue. Since vascular delivery suffers from a pulmonary first pass effect, direct or systemic injection of MSCs into the damaged tissue is preferred, particularly in the case of versatile tissue ischemia. Ultrasound applies acoustic energy with a frequency above human hearing (20 kHz). Ultrasound imaging or sonography... 

Microfluidic devices have received wide attention and shown great potential in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Investigating cell response to various stimulations is much more accurate and comprehensive with the aid of microfluidic devices. In this study, we introduced a microfluidic device by which the matrix density as a mechanical property and the concentration profile of a biochemical factor as a chemical property could be altered. Our microfluidic device has a cell tank and a cell culture chamber to mimic both 2D to 3D and 3D to 3D migration of three types of cells. Fluid shear stress is negligible on the cells and a stable concentration gradient can be... 

Blend drug-loading method in electrospun scaffolds has gained much attention as a cost-effective and simple delivery system in regenerative medicine. However, it has some drawbacks, such as the burst release of encapsulated drugs and denaturing active agents in harsh organic solvents. In this study, a new silk fibroin-gelatin (SF–G) fibrous sheet has been introduced as an engineered scaffold and a straightforward drug delivery system for skin tissue engineering applications. The hybrid sheets have been prepared via co-electrospinning and in-situ crosslinking methods without corrosive solvents and toxic crosslinking agents. To evaluate the proposed scaffold as a controlled release system, the... 

Background:: Since the cornea is responsible for transmitting and focusing light into the eye, injury or pathology affecting any layer of the cornea can cause a detrimental effect on visual acuity. Aging is also a reason for corneal degeneration. Depending on the level of the injury, conservative therapies and donor tissue transplantation are the most common treatments for corneal diseases. Not only is there a lack of donor tissue and risk of infection/rejection, but the inherent ability of corneal cells and layers to regenerate has led to research in regenerative approaches and treatments. Methods:: In this review, we first discussed the anatomy of the cornea and the required properties for... 

Blend drug-loading method in electrospun scaffolds has gained much attention as a cost-effective and simple delivery system in regenerative medicine. However, it has some drawbacks, such as the burst release of encapsulated drugs and denaturing active agents in harsh organic solvents. In this study, a new silk fibroin-gelatin (SF–G) fibrous sheet has been introduced as an engineered scaffold and a straightforward drug delivery system for skin tissue engineering applications. The hybrid sheets have been prepared via co-electrospinning and in-situ crosslinking methods without corrosive solvents and toxic crosslinking agents. To evaluate the proposed scaffold as a controlled release system, the... 

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have solved numerous problems related to the repair and regeneration of damaged organs and tissues arising from aging, illnesses, and injuries. Nanotechnology has further aided tissue regeneration science and has provided outstanding opportunities to help disease diagnosis as well as treat damaged tissues. Based on the most recent findings, magnetic nanostructures (MNSs), in particular, have emerged as promising materials for detecting, directing, and supporting tissue regeneration. There have been many reports concerning the role of these nano-building blocks in the regeneration of both soft and hard tissues, but the subject has not been... 

Using the skin tissue engineering approach is a way to help the body to recover its lost skin in cases that the spontaneous healing process is either impossible or inadequate, such as severe wounds or burns. In the present study, chitosan/gelatin-based scaffolds containing 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1% allantoin were created to improve the wounds’ healing process. EDC and NHS were used to cross-link the samples, which were further freeze-dried. Different in-vitro methods were utilized to characterize the specimens, including SEM imaging, PBS absorption and degradation tests, mechanical experiments, allantoin release profile assessment, antibacterial assay, and cell viability and adhesion tests.... 

The employment of tissue engineering scaffolds in the reconstruction of the damaged bone tissues has shown remarkable promise since they significantly facilitate the healing process. Fabrication of highly porous biocompatible scaffolds with sufficient mechanical strength is still challenging. In this regard, polymers have been widely utilized to construct three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds due to their excellent processability and biocompatibility. However, insufficient mechanical strength and inappropriate degradation rate of the monophasic polymer scaffolds in the bone regeneration process, as the main challenges, limit their extensive clinical application. The incorporation of... 

Degenerative disc disease, associated with discrete structural changes in the peripheral annulus and vertebral endplate, is one of the most common pathological triggers of acute and chronic low back pain, significantly depreciating an individual's quality of life and instigating huge socioeconomic costs. Novel emerging therapeutic techniques are hence of great interest to both research and clinical communities alike. Exogenous crosslinking, such as Genipin, and platelet-rich plasma therapies have been recently demonstrated encouraging results for the repair and regeneration of degenerated discs, but there remains a knowledge gap regarding the quantitative degree of effectiveness and... 

Abstract: Commercially pure titanium and titanium alloys have been among the most commonly used materials for biomedical applications since the 1950s. Due to the excellent mechanical tribological properties, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and antibacterial properties of titanium, it is getting much attention as a biomaterial for implants. Furthermore, titanium promotes osseointegration without any additional adhesives by physically bonding with the living bone at the implant site. These properties are crucial for producing high-strength metallic alloys for biomedical applications. Titanium alloys are manufactured into the three types of α, β, and α + β. The scientific and clinical...