Sharif Digital Repository

Fabrication of well-ordered and bio-mimetic scaffolds is one of the most important research lines in tissue engineering. Different techniques have been utilized to achieve this goal, however, each method has its own disadvantages. Recently, melt electrowriting (MEW) as a technique for fabrication of well-organized scaffolds has attracted the researchers’ attention due to simultaneous use of principles of additive manufacturing and electrohydrodynamic phenomena. In previous research studies, polycaprolactone (PCL) has been mostly used in MEW process. PCL is a biocompatible polymer with characteristics that make it easy to fabricate well-arranged structures using MEW device. However, the... 

A hybrid scaffold of gelatin-glycosaminoglycan matrix and fibrin (FGG) has been synthesized to improve the mechanical properties, degradation time and cell response of fibrin-like scaffolds. The FGG scaffold was fabricated by optimizing some properties of fibrin-only gel and gelatin-glycosaminoglycan (GG) scaffolds. Mechanical analysis of optimized fibrin-only gel showed the Young module and tensile strength of up to 72 and 121 KPa, respectively. Significantly, the nine-fold increase in the Young modulus and a seven-fold increase in tensile strength was observed when fibrin reinforced with GG scaffold. Additionally, the results demonstrated that the degradation time of fibrin was enhanced... 

Fontan operation is a final palliative surgical treatment for patients with a single ventricle (SV) physiology. One of the common disadvantages of Fontan operation is to generate a non-pulsatile flow instead of the normal pulsatile flow produced by contraction of the ventricle. Theoretically, in SV patients, maintaining the antegrade flow through pulmonary valve can produce flow pulsatility in the right and left pulmonary arteries. However, it not only increases the energy loss in the Fontan of total cavopulmonary pathway (TCPC), but also imposes an extra load on pulmonary arteries as well as the ventricle. In this study, the potential capability of pulmonary valve of the patient that can be... 

High rates of mortality and morbidity stemming from cardiovascular diseases unveil extreme limitations in current therapies despite enormous advances in medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Following myocardial infarction (MI), parts of myocardium undergo irreversible remodeling and is substituted by a scar tissue which eventually leads to heart failure (HF). To address this issue, cardiac patches have been utilized to initiate myocardial regeneration. In this study, a porous cardiac patch is fabricated using a mixture of decellularized myocardium extracellular matrix (ECM) and chitosan (CS). Results of rheological measurements, SEM, biodegradation test, and MTT assay showed that the... 

Self-repairing is not an advanced ability of articular cartilage. Tissue engineering has provided a novel way for reconstructing cartilage using natural polymers because of their biocompatibility and bio-functionality. The purpose of cartilage tissue engineering is to design a scaffold with proper pore structure and similar biological and mechanical properties to the native tissue. In this study, porous scaffolds prepared from gelatin, chitosan and silk fibroin were blended with varying ratios. Between the blends of chitosan (C), gelatin (G) and silk fibroin (S), the scaffold with the weight per volume ratio of 2:2:3 (w/v) showed the most favorable and higher certain properties than the... 

One of the most arduous challenges in tissue engineering is neovascularization, without which there is a lack of nutrients delivered to a target tissue. Angiogenesis should be completed at an optimal density and within an appropriate period of time to prevent cell necrosis. Failure to meet this challenge brings about poor functionality for the tissue in comparison with the native tissue, extensively reducing cell viability. Prior studies devoted to angiogenesis have provided researchers with some biomaterial scaffolds and cell choices for angiogenesis. For example, while most current angiogenesis approaches require a variety of stimulatory factors ranging from biomechanical to biomolecular... 

This paper reports on the development of conductive porous scaffolds by incorporating conductive polyaniline/graphene (PAG) nanoparticles into a chitosan/gelatin matrix for its potential application in peripheral nerve regeneration. The effect of PAG content on the various properties of the scaffold is investigated and the results showed that the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties increased proportional to the increase in the PAG loading, while the porosity, swelling ratio and in vitro biodegradability decreased. In addition, the biocompatibility was evaluated by assessing the adhesion and proliferation of Schwann cells on the prepared scaffolds using SEM and MTT assay,... 

Electrospray ionization is a wide spread technique for producing polymeric microcarriers (MCs) by applying electrostatic force and ionic cross-linker, simultaneously. In this study, fabrication process of gelatin-chitosan MCs and its optimization using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is reported. Gelatin/chitosan (G/C) blend ratio, applied voltage and feeding flow rate, their individual and interaction effects on the diameter and mechanical strength of the MCs were investigated. The obtained models for diameter and mechanical strength of MCs have a quadratic relationship with G/C blend ratio, applied voltage and feeding flow rate. Using the desirability curve, optimized G/C blend... 

The main focus of this study is to address the possibility of using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, as a computational framework, coupled with experimental assays, to optimize composite structures of a particular electrospun scaffold. To this aim, first, MD simulations were performed to obtain an initial theoretical insight into the capability of heterogeneous surfaces for protein adsorption. The surfaces were composed of six different blends of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) and PCL (polycaprolactone) with completely unlike hydrophobicity. Next, MTT assay was performed on the electrospun scaffolds made from the same percentages of polymers as in MD models to gain an understanding of the... 

Background: Extensive full-thickness burns require replacement of both epidermis and dermis. In designing skin replacements, the goal has been to re-create this model and make a product which has both essential components. Methods: In the present study, we developed procedures for establishing confluent, stratified layers of cultured human keratinocytes on the surface of modified collagen-chitosan scaffold that contains fibroblasts. The culture methods for propagation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts isolated from human neonatal foreskin were developed. The growth and proliferation of normal human keratinocytes were evaluated in serum-free (keratinocyte growth medium) and our modified... 

In order to regenerate bone defects, bioactive hierarchically scaffolds play a key role due to their multilevel porous structure, high surface area, enhanced nutrient transport and diffusion. In this study, novel hierarchically porous silk fibroin (SF) and silk fibroin-bioactive glass (SF-BG) composite were fabricated with controlled architecture and interconnected structure, by combining indirect three-dimensional (3D) inkjet printing and freeze-drying methods. Further, the effect of 45S5 Bioactive glass particles of different sizes (<100 nm and 6 μm) on mechanical strength and cell behavior was investigated. The results demonstrated that the hierarchical structure in this scaffold was... 

To enhance physicomechanical properties and bioactivity of fibrous membranes for wound dressing and tissue engineering applications, novel composite scaffolds consisting of fibrous mats and thermosensitive hydrogel particles were prepared by concurrent electrospinning and electrospraying technique. The composite scaffolds were composed of keratin/bacterial cellulose fibers (150 ± 43 nm) which are hybridized with hydrogel particles (500 nm to 2 μm) based on nonionic triblock copolymers conjugated with Tragacanth gum (TG). FTIR and H-NMR studies indicated ester reactions between carboxylated copolymers and TG through carbodiimide crosslinker chemistry. The hydrogel particles were uniformly... 

Nanofibrous structures mimicking the native extracellular matrix have attracted considerable attention for biomedical applications. The present study aims to design and produce drug-eluting core-shell fibrous scaffolds for wound healing and skin tissue engineering. Aloe vera extracts were encapsulated inside polymer fibers containing chitosan, polycaprolactone, and keratin using the co-axial electrospinning technique. Electron microscopic studies show that continuous and uniform fibers with an average diameter of 209 ± 47 nm were successfully fabricated. The fibers have a core-shell structure with a shell thickness of about 90 nm, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. By... 

Three-dimensional porous nanocomposites consisting of gelatin-carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) cross-linked by carboxylic acids biopolymers and monophasic hydroxyapatite (HA) nanostructures were fabricated by lyophilization, for soft-bone-tissue engineering. The bioactive ceramic nanostructures were prepared by a novel wet-chemical and low-temperature procedure from marine wastes containing calcium carbonates. The effect of surface-active molecules, including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), on the morphology of HA nanostructures is shown. It is demonstrated that highly bioactive and monophasic HA nanorods with an aspect ratio > 10 can be synthesized in... 

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.... 

In this study, polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel chains were crosslinked by polyurethane in order to synthesize a suitable substrate for cartilage lesions. The substrate was fully characterized, and in vitro and in vivo investigations were conducted based on a sheep model. In vitro tests were performed based on the chondrocyte cells with the Alcian Blue and safranin O staining in order to prove the presence of proteoglycan on the surface of the synthesized substrate, which has been secreted by cultures of chondrocytes. Furthermore, the expression of collagen type I, collagen type II, aggrecan, and Sox9 was presented in the chondrocyte cultures on the synthesized substrate through RT-PCR. In... 

Tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine have held great promises for the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues and organs. Additive manufacturing has recently appeared as a versatile technology in TE strategies that enables the production of objects through layered printing. By applying 3D printing and bioprinting, it is now possible to make tissue-engineered constructs according to desired thickness, shape, and size that resemble the native structure of lost tissues. Up to now, several organic and inorganic materials were used as raw materials for 3D printing; bioactive glasses (BGs) are among the most hopeful substances regarding their excellent properties (e.g., bioactivity... 

Abstract: In recent years, temporary skin grafts (TSG) based on natural biopolymers modified with carbon nanostructures have received considerable attention for wound healing. Developments are required to improve physico-mechanical properties of these materials to match to natural skins. Additionally, in-deep pre-clinical examinations are necessary to ensure biological performance and toxicity effect in vivo. In the present work, we show superior acute-wound healing effect of graphene oxide nanosheets embedded in ultrafine biopolymer fibers (60 nm) on adult male rats. Nano-fibrous chitosan-based skin grafts crosslinked by Genepin with physico-mechanical properties close to natural skins were... 

The paucity of cellular and molecular signals essential for normal wound healing makes severe dermatological ulcers stubborn to heal. The novel strategies of skin regenerative treatments are focused on the development of biologically responsive scaffolds accompanied by cells and multiple biomolecules resembling structural and biochemical cues of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds provide similar architecture to the ECM leading to enhancement of cell adhesion, proliferation, migration and neo tissue formation. This Review surveys the application of biocompatible natural, synthetic and composite polymers to fabricate electrospun scaffolds as skin... 

Porous scaffolds composed of gelatin/poly (vinyl alcohol), (Gel/PVA), were prepared using combination of freeze gelation and freeze drying methods. The effect of polymer concentration, gelatin/PVA ratio, and glutaraldehyde/gelatin ratio (GA/Gel) was investigated on morphology of pores, swelling ratio, biodegradation, and skin cell culture. At optimum preparation conditions the scaffolds had uniform pore size distributions showing high swelling ratio of 23.6. The scaffolds were of biodegradable nature and almost degraded in 28 days. Human dermal fibroblast cells (HDF) were cultured on the scaffolds and MTS assay was conducted to evaluate the influence of PVA on growth and proliferation of the...