Sharif Digital Repository

Mammalian cardiac tissue lacks the ability to effectively self-regenerate following severe damage. The application of external therapeutic agents with strong mechanical properties is needed to restore its function. Even though conventional therapies have several challenges and limitations, injectable hydrogels, with minimally invasive, can significantly improve cardiac tissue regeneration. Extracellular matrices are the most appropriate biomaterials for synthesizing cardiac scaffolds. The human amniotic membrane obtained from the amniotic sac is a readily available, abundant, and inexpensive candidate that has been successfully utilized for the clinical treatment of cardiac diseases.... 

In the past decades, hydrogels have been used as an adsorbent with high potential to remove pollutants in water. Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymer networks that have the ability to absorb and store water and water-soluble compounds due to the presence of hydrophilic functional groups in their structure. Different particles with unique characteristics can be used to increase the efficiency of hydrogel absorption. Based on the type of pollutant, hydrogels are divided into three different forms, including particles, films and nanocomposites. In this research, the absorption effect of metal cations as well as the absorption kinetics of polyvinyl pyrrolidine-based hydrogels, sodium... 

The retina, a photosensitive area in the central nervous system, is delicate and intricate. It is susceptible to degenerative disorders such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Stargardt disease (SD), and glaucoma. These diseases can lead to severe vision loss and ultimately irreversible blindness by causing destruction or dysfunction of different types of retinal cells. Unfortunately, there are no proven treatment strategies to cure or reverse these degenerative disorders. However, cell transplantation therapies may be an alternative to replace distorted cells and improve an individual's vision. Recent clinical outcomes show that transplanted cells in the... 

Tissue engineering is a science that tries to create new tissues by using cells, growth factors and appropriate biological materials in order to repair damaged organs and replace parts lost due to various reasons. In this research, the effect of adding mxene sheets on the oxidized alginate-gelatin hydrogel scaffold was investigated. For this purpose, mxene nanosheets were first synthesized by Max phase chemical etching and its synthesis was confirmed by X-ray diffraction spectroscoy, field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray energy diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy. Then, in order to prepare the scaffolds, different amounts of... 

Cartilage is a connective tissue, whose most important role in the body is to create a surface with a low friction coefficient in order to allow bones to slide on each other without direct contact to transfer loads. Articular cartilage is always under a harsh biomechanical environment and lacks blood, lymphatic and nerve vessels. As a result, it limits the capacity of this tissue to improve and restore itself. According to experimental efforts, cartilage cannot be regenerated spontaneously without the support of healthy subchondral bone. In recent years, the implantation of tissue engineering scaffolds has been considered as an effective strategy for the treatment of osteochondral damage.... 

In this research, we developed a drug release system of two biocompatible and biodegradable polymers and biocompatible ceramic nanoparticles. Hydrogels of sodium alginate (SA) were crosslinked using calcium chloride. The SA hydrogels were blended with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and mixed with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAP) to make hydrogel nanocomposites in the form of microbeads as drug carriers. Ciprofloxacin was selected as a model antibiotic drug for treatment of bone infection. It was found that SA and PVP form hydrogen bonds and are miscible at whole range of concentrations. Indeed, the SA/PVP blends may be considered as interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs). HAP nanoparticles...