Mechanical Characterization of Electrospun Polycaprolactone (PCL): A Potential Scaffold for Tissue Engineering

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan R. Duling ◽  
Rebecca B. Dupaix ◽  
Noriko Katsube ◽  
John Lannutti
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Mechanical Behavior ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tensile Tests ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Chain Model ◽  
Viable Option ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Large Stretch

This paper investigates the mechanical behavior of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) under tensile loading. PCL in bulk form degrades slowly and is biocompatible, two properties that make it a viable option for tissue engineering applications in biomedicine. Of particular interest is the use of electrospun PCL tubes as scaffolds for tissue engineered blood vessel implants. Stress relaxation and tensile tests have been conducted with specimens at room temperature (21°C) and 37°C. Additionally, to probe the effects of moisture on mechanical behavior, specimens were tested either dry (in air) or submerged in water. In general, the electrospun PCL was found to exhibit rate dependence, as well as some dependence on the test temperature and on whether the sample was wet or dry. Two different models were investigated to describe the experimentally observed material behavior. The models used were Fung’s theory of quasilinear viscoelasticity (QLV) and the eight-chain model developed for rubber elastomers by Arruda and Boyce (1993, “A Three-Dimensional Constitutive Model for the Large Stretch Behavior of Rubber Elastic Materials,” J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 41(2), pp. 389–412). The implementation and fitting results, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each model, are presented. In general, it was found that the QLV theory provided a better fit.

Inverse Mechanical Characterization of Tissue Engineered Heart Valves

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn A. J. Cox ◽  
Jeroen Kortsmit ◽  
Niels J. B. Driessen ◽  
Carlijn V. C. Bouten ◽  
Frank P. T. Baaijens
Keyword(s):  
Heart Valves ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Mechanical Characterization ◽  
Tensile Tests ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Uniaxial Tensile ◽  
Mechanical Conditioning ◽  
Indentation Tests ◽  
Tissue Engineered Heart Valves

Over the last few years, research interest in tissue engineering as an alternative for current treatment and replacement strategies for cardiovascular and heart valve diseases has significantly increased. In vitro mechanical conditioning is an essential tool for engineering strong implantable tissues [1]. Detailed knowledge of the mechanical properties of the native tissue as well as the properties of the developing engineered constructs is vital for a better understanding and control of the mechanical conditioning process. The nonlinear and anisotropic behavior of soft tissues puts high demands on their mechanical characterization. Current standards in mechanical testing of soft tissues include (multiaxial) tensile testing and indentation tests. Uniaxial tensile tests do not provide sufficient information for characterizing the full anisotropic material behavior, while biaxial tensile tests are difficult to perform, and boundary effects limit the test region to a small central portion of the tissue. In addition, characterization of the local tissue properties from a tensile test is non-trivial. Indentation tests may be used to overcome some of these limitations. Indentation tests are easy to perform and when indenter size is small relative to the tissue dimensions, local characterization is possible. We have demonstrated that by recording deformation gradients and indentation force during a spherical indentation test the anisotropic mechanical behavior of engineered cardiovascular constructs can be characterized [2]. In the current study this combined numerical-experimental approach is used on Tissue Engineered Heart Valves (TEHV).

Hydroxyapatite/Biopolymers Composite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

2011 ◽  
Vol 493-494 ◽  
pp. 826-831
Author(s):  
A.C.B.M. Fook ◽  
Thiago Bizerra Fideles ◽  
R.C. Barbosa ◽  
G.T.F.S. Furtado ◽  
G.Y.H. Sampaio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Bone Tissue Engineering ◽  
Bone Tissue ◽  
Freeze Drying ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Porous Scaffolds ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Interconnected Pores

The application of a hybrid composite consisting of biopolymer and calcium phosphate, similar morphology and properties of natural bone, may be a way to solve the problem of the fragility of ceramics without reducing its mechanical properties, retaining the properties of biocompatibility and high bioactivity. This work aims at the preparation and characterization of three-dimensional scaffolds composite HA / biopolymers (chitosan and gelatin). The freeze-drying technique was employed in this study to obtain these frameworks and partial results showed the effectiveness of this method. This involved the study of structural, chemical and morphological frameworks, in order to direct the research suggested the application. The X Ray Diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy and Fourier transform (FTIR) results confirmed the formation of hydroxyapatite (HA) phase and the presence of characteristic bands of HA and biopolymers in all compositions. The microstructure of the scaffolds study conducted by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed the formation of longitudinally oriented microchannels with interconnected pores. In all compositions the porous scaffolds showed varying sizes and mostly larger than 100μm, and is therefore considered materials with potential for application in bone tissue engineering.

scholarly journals Hydrogel: Preparation, Characterization and Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ujjwal Nautiyal ◽  
Nandini Sahu ◽  
Diksha Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Biological Tissue ◽  
Biological Fluids ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Concise Review ◽  
Large Molecular Weight

This review article is intended to provide an overview of hydrogel as novel vesicular drug delivery system.For the treatment of many diseases large molecular weight proteins are required. These can be available with the availability of Hydrogels. Hydrogels are hydrophilic, three-dimensional networks, which are able to imbibe large amounts of water or biological fluids, and thus resemble, to a large extent, a biological tissue. They are insoluble due to the presence of chemical (tie-points, junctions) and/or physical crosslinks such as entanglements and crystallites. It has focused on to present a concise review on the applications of hydrogels in the pharmaceutical field, hydrogel properties, method of preparation of hydrogel, advantages and disadvantages of hydrogel, characterization of hydrogel.

scholarly journals MicroCT analysis of connectivity in porous structures: optimizing data acquisition and analytical methods in the context of tissue engineering

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (165) ◽  
pp. 20190833
Author(s):  
Malavika Nair ◽  
Jennifer H. Shepherd ◽  
Serena M. Best ◽  
Ruth E. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Data Capture ◽  
Pixel Size ◽  
Scale Invariant ◽  
Structural Anisotropy

Micro-computed X-ray tomography (MicroCT) is one of the most powerful techniques available for the three-dimensional characterization of complex multi-phase or porous microarchitectures. The imaging and analysis of porous networks are of particular interest in tissue engineering due to the ability to predict various large-scale cellular phenomena through the micro-scale characterization of the structure. However, optimizing the parameters for MicroCT data capture and analyses requires a careful balance of feature resolution and computational constraints while ensuring that a structurally representative section is imaged and analysed. In this work, artificial datasets were used to evaluate the validity of current analytical methods by considering the effect of noise and pixel size arising from the data capture, and intrinsic structural anisotropy and heterogeneity. A novel ‘segmented percolation method’ was developed to exclude the effect of anomalous, non-representative features within the datasets, allowing for scale-invariant structural parameters to be obtained consistently and without manual intervention for the first time. Finally, an in-depth assessment of the imaging and analytical procedures are presented by considering percolation events such as micro-particle filtration and cell sieving within the context of tissue engineering. Along with the novel guidelines established for general pixel size selection for MicroCT, we also report our determination of 3 μm as the definitive pixel size for use in analysing connectivity for tissue engineering applications.

Thermal Processing of Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

2010 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisa Morss Clyne
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Thermal Processing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
High Pressure Processing ◽  
Porous Scaffolds ◽  
Tissue Engineering Scaffolds ◽  
Thermally Induced ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Particulate Leaching

Tissue engineering requires complex three-dimensional scaffolds that mimic natural extracellular matrix function. A wide variety of techniques have been developed to create both fibrous and porous scaffolds out of polymers, ceramics, metals, and composite materials. Existing techniques include fiber bonding, electrospinning, emulsion freeze drying, solvent casting/particulate leaching, gas foaming/particulate leaching, high pressure processing, and thermally induced phase separation. Critical scaffold properties, including pore size, porosity, pore interconnectivity, and mechanical integrity, are determined by thermal processing parameters in many of these techniques. In this review, each tissue engineering scaffold preparation method is discussed, including recent advancements as well as advantages and disadvantages of the technique, with a particular emphasis placed on thermal parameters. Improvements on these existing techniques, as well as new thermal processing methods for tissue engineering scaffolds, will be needed to provide tissue engineers with finer control over tissue and organ development.

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