1. Sustainable Biodegradable Biopolymer-Based Nanoparticles for Healthcare ApplicationsNika Kučuk, Mateja Primožič, Željko Knez, Maja Leitgeb, 2023, review article Abstract: Biopolymeric nanoparticles are gaining importance as nanocarriers for various biomedical applications, enabling long-term and controlled release at the target site. Since they are promising delivery systems for various therapeutic agents and offer advantageous properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and stability compared to various toxic metal nanoparticles, we decided to provide an overview on this topic. Therefore, the review focuses on the use of biopolymeric nanoparticles of animal, plant, algal, fungal, and bacterial origin as a sustainable material for potential use as drug delivery systems. A particular focus is on the encapsulation of many different therapeutic agents categorized as bioactive compounds, drugs, antibiotics, and other antimicrobial agents, extracts, and essential oils into protein- and polysaccharide-based nanocarriers. These show promising benefits for human health, especially for successful antimicrobial and anticancer activity. The review article, divided into protein-based and polysaccharide-based biopolymeric nanoparticles and further according to the origin of the biopolymer, enables the reader to select the appropriate biopolymeric nanoparticles more easily for the incorporation of the desired component. The latest research results from the last five years in the field of the successful production of biopolymeric nanoparticles loaded with various therapeutic agents for healthcare applications are included in this review.
Keywords: nanoparticles, biopolymers, therapeutic substances, incorporation, biocompatibility, healthcare, biomedical applications
Published in DKUM: 02.04.2024; Views: 231; Downloads: 11
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2. Functionalization-dependent effects of cellulose nanofibrils on tolerogenic mechanisms of human dendritic cellsSergej Tomić, Nataša Ilić, Vanja Kokol, Alisa Gruden-Movsesijan, Dušan Mihajlović, Marina Bekić, Ljiljana Sofronic Milosavljevic, Miodrag Čolić, Dragana Vučević, 2018, original scientific article Keywords: cellulose nanofibrils, biocompatibility, tolerogenic dendritic cells, regulatory T-cell subsets, immunomodulation
Published in DKUM: 08.11.2018; Views: 1622; Downloads: 237
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3. Novel chitosan/diclofenac coatings on medical grade stainless steel for hip replacement applicationsMatjaž Finšgar, Amra Perva, Janja Stergar, Lidija Gradišnik, Uroš Maver, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: Corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, improved osteointegration, as well the prevention of inflammation and pain are the most desired characteristics of hip replacement implants. In this study we introduce a novel multi-layered coating on AISI 316LVM stainless steel that shows promise with regard to all mentioned characteristics. The coating is prepared from alternating layers of the biocompatible polysaccharide chitosan and the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), diclofenac. Electrochemical methods were employed to characterize the corrosion behavior of coated and uncoated samples in physiological solution. It is shown that these coatings improve corrosion resistance. It was also found that these coatings release the incorporated drug in controlled, multi-mechanism manner. Adding additional layers on top of the as-prepared samples, has potential for further tailoring of the release profile and increasing the drug dose. Biocompatibility was proven on human-derived osteoblasts in several experiments. Only viable cells were found on the sample surface after incubation of the samples with the same cell line. This novel coating could prove important for prolongation of the application potential of steel-based hip replacements, which are these days often replaced by more expensive ceramic or other metal alloys.
Keywords: corrosion, corrosion resistance, chitosan, biocompatibility, biomaterials, biomedical materials, coatings, stainless steel
Published in DKUM: 23.06.2017; Views: 2073; Downloads: 378
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4. Covalent binding of heparin to functionalized PET materials for improved haemocompatibilityMetod Kolar, Miran Mozetič, Karin Stana-Kleinschek, Mirjam Fröhlich, Boris Turk, Alenka Vesel, 2015, original scientific article Abstract: The hemocompatibility of vascular grafts made from poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is insufficient due to the rapid adhesion and activation of blood platelets that occur upon incubation with whole blood. PET polymer was treated with NHx radicals created by passing ammonia through gaseous plasma formed by a microwave discharge, which allowed for functionalization with amino groups. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization using derivatization with 4-chlorobenzaldehyde indicated that approximately 4% of the –NH2 groups were associated with the PET surface after treatment with the gaseous radicals. The functionalized polymers were coated with an ultra-thin layer of heparin and incubated with fresh blood. The free-hemoglobin technique, which is based on the haemolysis of erythrocytes, indicated improved hemocompatibility, which was confirmed by imaging the samples using confocal optical microscopy. A significant decrease in number of adhered platelets was observed on such samples. Proliferation of both human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human microvascular endothelial cells was enhanced on treated polymers, especially after a few hours of cell seeding. Thus, the technique represents a promising substitute for wet-chemical modification of PET materials prior to coating with heparin.
Keywords: poly(ethylene terephthalate), vascular graft, biocompatibility, heparin, plasma, functionalization, haemolysis, platelet adhesion, endothelization
Published in DKUM: 21.06.2017; Views: 1344; Downloads: 347
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5. Raziskave interakcij med celicami in biopolimernimi materiali z naprednimi eksperimentalnimi metodami kot osnova za študij biokompatibilnosti polimerovRok Podlipec, 2015, doctoral dissertation Abstract: The last two decades have been determined by the development in the field of tissue engineering. Beside the constant progress in new biomaterials and scaffold fabrication methods, currently the main focus is to understand scaffolds biocompatibility. In our thesis, physical aspects of scaffold biocompatibility were studied by correlating molecular to macro scale physical properties of scaffolds with cell attachment and cell growth. In order to focus on scaffold physical properties, scaffolds were prepared by the same chemical composition of natural polymer gelatin excluding biochemical effects on the cell response. Scaffold with different physical properties were obtained by changing the temperature, pH and crosslinker degree during the cryogelation and populated by the fibroblast cells. Advanced experimental biophysical methods were applied to determine the polymer mobility via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) with spin labelling, the scaffold mechanical properties via rheometry, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and nanoindentation using atomic force microscope (AFM) and the scaffold porosity via confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM). The anisotropy of the molecular mobility of the side chains of polymers in the crosslinked gelatin structure was found to correlate with the initial cell growth (throughout the first week) the best of all the physical properties measured. About five times less efficient cell growth was measured on the scaffolds with highly mobile, spatially nonrestricted dynamics of the polymer side chains, in comparison with cell growth on the scaffolds with the restricted rotational motion of polymers. The result indicates that cells identify and respond to the degree of polymer mobility, where partially immobile phase is necessary for efficient cell attachment and efficient cell growth. So far, the molecular mobility of polymers constituting tissue engineering materials has never been studied thoroughly with respect to its influence on cell response, and therefore may represent a new experimental approach in understanding biocompatibility.
To further understand cell-scaffold interaction, the study focused also on the first events during cell attachment - bond formation between the cell surface proteins and the specific binding sites on the material. In our thesis, cell adhesion dynamics was investigated in real-time on the surfaces of gelatin scaffolds with different physical properties using spatially-controlled cell manipulation by the optical tweezers and the confocal fluorescence microscopy detection. Our goal was to elucidate, if the adhesion dynamics can be correlated with cell growth and if it can be dependent on the scaffold polymer molecular mobility.
Quantitative characterization of the optical tweezers force applied during cell-scaffold adhesion analysis was done by viscous drag force calibration and dynamic cell sequential trapping of individual cells. The maximal force on a trapped cell not causing the thermal damage was measured up to 200 pN, with nearly linearly increasing force profile across the cell towards the plasma membrane. By submicron spatial resolution of cell manipulation, we managed to quantify probability of cell adhesion, cell adhesion strength and mechanism of cell attachment, including the formation of the membrane tethers, which slow down the adhesion process. Adhesion strength was classified according to the displacement of the attached cell under the force of optical tweezers measured in the direction of the scaffold surface.Cell adhesion was shown to significantly correlate with cell growth in the first days of culture, while the adhesion itself seems to be dependent on the molecular mobility of surface polymers. The result indicates that the interactions during the first seconds may markedly direct further cell response. The developed methodology for cell adhesion analysis on the surfaces of 3D scaffolds serves as a good tool to forecast scaffold biocompatibility.
Keywords: polymer molecular mobility, mechanical response, morphology, scaffold biocompatibility, cell growth, single cell manipulation, cell adhesion dynamics, optical tweezers, electron paramagnetic resonance, dynamical mechanical analysis, nanoindentation, fluorescence microscopy and microspectroscopy
Published in DKUM: 06.10.2015; Views: 2496; Downloads: 175
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6. EFFECT OF GELATINE SCAFFOLDS FABRICATION AS POLYPROPYLENE MESH COAT ON IMPLANT BIOCOMPATIBILITYSelestina Gorgieva, 2014, doctoral dissertation Abstract: This work presents the methodological study, processing and optimization of novel, technologically acceptable procedure for in situ coating of polypropylene (PP) mesh (used for hernia treatment) with physico-chemically, mechanically and micro-structurally different gelatin (GEL) scaffolds to assess implant composite biocompatibility impact. In order to systematically follow the experimental work progress and respective achievements, whole research path is subdivided into three main sections.
In the first section, the procedure for fabrication of gradiently micro-porous GELscaffolds on the cryo-unit’s cooling plate surface, using spatiotemporal and temperature- controlled gelation and freezing, followed by lyophylizaton was studied. Subsequently, cross-linking procedure using different molarities of reagents (EDC and NHS) and reaction media (100% PBS or 20/80% PBS/EtOH mixture) was performed for variable time extensions (1-24 h), rendering scaffolds physico-chemical properties. In this way, scaffolds with micro-structures having porosity gradient from 100 µm to 1000 µm and pores with rounded to ellipsoid morphology were formed, which, in combination with ethanol (EtOH) addition in cross-linking media modulates the swelling capacity towards twice lower percentages (~600%) comparing with scaffolds cross-linked in 100% PBS. Whilst the presence of EtOH reduce the cross-linking kinetic by retaining the scaffolds’ micro-structure formed during freezing, the 100% PBS and higher EDC molarity resulted in 40% cross-linking degree, being expressed as a thermal resistance up to 73 °C. The presented integral fabrication procedure was shown to allow tuning of both, the physical and micro-structural properties of scaffold, utilized in preparation of materials for specific biomedical applications.
In the second part, the complex relation between surface and interface-related physico-chemical properties and gradient micro-structuring of 3D GELscaffolds, being fabricated by simultaneous temperature- controlled freeze-thawing cycles and in situ cross-linking using variable conditions (pH and molarity of carbodiimide reagent) and fibroblast cells viability (by tracking of their spreading and morphology) was established. Rarely- populated cells with rounded morphology and small elongations were observed on scaffolds with apparently negatively- charged surface with a lower cross-linking degree (CD) and consequently higher molecular mobility and availability of cell-recognition sequences, in comparison with the prominently- elongated and densely- populated cells on a scaffold’s with positively- charged surface, higher CD and lower mobility. Surface micro-structure effect was demonstrated by cell’s vacuolization and their pure inter-communication being present on scaffold’s bottom side with smaller pores (25±19 µm) and thinner pore walls (9±5 µm), over the air- exposed side with twice bigger pores (56±38 µm) and slightly thicker pore walls (12±6 µm). Strong correlation of preparation conditions (pH and reagents molarity) with CD (r2=0.96) and moderate correlation with local molecular mobility (r2 =-0.44), as well as micro-structure features being related to temperature gradient, imply on possibility to modulate scaffold’s properties in a direction to guide cell’s viability and most likely its genotype development.
The third part presents an innovative strategy for the fabrication of bio-active PPmesh-GELscaffold composites with a potential for abdominal hernia treatment, where mesothelial cells in-growth have to be stimulated together with fibroblasts on-site proliferation, while formation of fibrin-developing, viscera-to-abdominal wall adhesions should be reduced, together with bacteria- related infections. In this respect, the plasma pre-activated PPmesh was coated with micro-structured GELscaffold, with pore size in 50 µm to 100 µm range at the upper-side and loosely- porous network at the composite bottom side, being modulated by sample thickness and freezing end- temperature applied. Simultaneously, the
Keywords: gelatin, targeted cross-linking, controlled freezing, gradiental micro-porosity, scaffold, surface and interface chemistry, physico-mechanical properties, polypropylene mesh, composite, biocompatibility.
Published in DKUM: 07.05.2014; Views: 2355; Downloads: 175
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7. Response of monocyte-derived dendritic cells to rapidly solidified nickel-titanium ribbons with shape memory propertiesSergej Tomić, Rebeka Rudolf, Mihael Brunčko, Ivan Anžel, V. Savić, Miodrag Čolić, 2012, original scientific article Abstract: Ni-Ti Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) have attracted considerable attention as biomaterials for medical devices. However, the biocompatibility of Ni-Ti SMAs is often unsatisfactory due to their poor surface structure. Here we prepared Rapidly Solidified (RS) Ni-Ti SMA ribbons by melt-spinning and their surface was characterised by Augerelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The biocompatibility of the produced ribbons and their immunomodulatory properties were studied on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs). We showed that melt-spinning of Ni-Ti SMAs can form a thin homogenous oxide layer, which improves their corrosion resistance and subsequent toxicity to MoDCs. Ni-Ti RS ribbons stimulated the maturation of MoDCs, as detected by changes in the cells' morphology and increased expression of HLA-DR, CD86, CD40 and CD83 molecules. However, Ni-Ti RS ribbons enhanced the tolerogenic properties of immature MoDCs, which produced higher levels of IL-10 and IL-27, driving the differentiation of IL-10- and TGF-β-producing CD4+T cells. On the other hand, in the presence of lipopolysaccharide, an important pro-inflammatory biomolecule, Ni-Ti RS ribbons enhanced the allostimulatory and Th1 polarising capacity of MoDCs, whereas the production of Th2 and Th17 cytokines was down-regulated. In conclusion, Ni-Ti RS ribbons possess substantial immunomodulatory properties on MoDCs. These findings might be clinically relevant, because implanted Ni-Ti SMA devices can induce both desired and adverse effects on the immune system, depending on the microenvironmental stimuli.
Keywords: nickel-titanium alloy, biocompatibility, cytokines, immunomodulation, monocyte-derived dendritic cells
Published in DKUM: 01.06.2012; Views: 2084; Downloads: 363
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