A Review on the Adaption of Alginate-Gelatin Hydrogels for 3D Cultures and Bioprinting

Sustaining the vital functions of cells outside the organism requires strictly defined parameters. In order to ensure their optimal growth and development, it is necessary to provide a range of nutrients and regulators. Hydrogels are excellent materials for 3D in vitro cell cultures. Their ability to retain large amounts of liquid, as well as their biocompatibility, soft structures, and mechanical properties similar to these of living tissues, provide appropriate microenvironments that mimic extracellular matrix functions. The wide range of natural and synthetic polymeric materials, as well as the simplicity of their physico-chemical modification, allow the mechanical properties to be adjusted for different requirements. Sodium alginate-based hydrogel is a frequently used material for cell culture. The lack of cell-interactive properties makes this polysaccharide the most often applied in combination with other materials, including gelatin. The combination of both materials increases their biological activity and improves their material properties, making this combination a frequently used material in 3D printing technology. The use of hydrogels as inks in 3D printing allows the accurate manufacturing of scaffolds with complex shapes and geometries. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the materials used for 3D cell cultures, which are mainly alginate–gelatin hydrogels, including their properties and potential applications.

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Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Injectable Betamethasone-Loaded Tyramine-Modified Gellan Gum/Silk Fibroin Hydrogels

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom10101456 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1456

Author(s):

Isabel Matos Oliveira ◽

Cristiana Gonçalves ◽

Myeong Eun Shin ◽

Sumi Lee ◽

Rui Luis Reis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Mechanical Properties ◽

Silk Fibroin ◽

Therapeutic Efficacy ◽

Composite Structures ◽

Gelation Time ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Gellan Gum ◽

Traditional Use

Rheumatoid arthritis is a rheumatic disease for which a healing treatment does not presently exist. Silk fibroin has been extensively studied for use in drug delivery systems due to its uniqueness, versatility and strong clinical track record in medicine. However, in general, natural polymeric materials are not mechanically stable enough, and have high rates of biodegradation. Thus, synthetic materials such as gellan gum can be used to produce composite structures with biological signals to promote tissue-specific interactions while providing the desired mechanical properties. In this work, we aimed to produce hydrogels of tyramine-modified gellan gum with silk fibroin (Ty–GG/SF) via horseradish peroxidase (HRP), with encapsulated betamethasone, to improve the biocompatibility and mechanical properties, and further increase therapeutic efficacy to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Ty–GG/SF hydrogels presented a β-sheet secondary structure, with gelation time around 2–5 min, good resistance to enzymatic degradation, a suitable injectability profile, viscoelastic capacity with a significant solid component and a betamethasone-controlled release profile over time. In vitro studies showed that Ty–GG/SF hydrogels did not produce a deleterious effect on cellular metabolic activity, morphology or proliferation. Furthermore, Ty–GG/SF hydrogels with encapsulated betamethasone revealed greater therapeutic efficacy than the drug applied alone. Therefore, this strategy can provide an improvement in therapeutic efficacy when compared to the traditional use of drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

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Biotic and Abiotic Elicitors of Stilbenes Production in Vitis vinifera L. Cell Culture

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10030490 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 490

Author(s):

Martin Sák ◽

Ivana Dokupilová ◽

Šarlota Kaňuková ◽

Michaela Mrkvová ◽

Daniel Mihálik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Vitis Vinifera ◽

Cell Cultures ◽

Trichoderma Viride ◽

Vitis Vinifera L ◽

Treated Plant ◽

Abiotic Elicitors ◽

In Vitro Cell Cultures ◽

Red Grape

The in vitro cell cultures derived from the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) have been used for the production of stilbenes treated with different biotic and abiotic elicitors. The red-grape cultivar Váh has been elicited by natural cellulose from Trichoderma viride, the cell wall homogenate from Fusarium oxysporum and synthetic jasmonates. The sodium-orthovanadate, known as an inhibitor of hypersensitive necrotic response in treated plant cells able to enhance production and release of secondary metabolite into the cultivation medium, was used as an abiotic elicitor. Growth of cells and the content of phenolic compounds trans-resveratrol, trans-piceid, δ-viniferin, and ɛ-viniferin, were analyzed in grapevine cells treated by individual elicitors. The highest accumulation of analyzed individual stilbenes, except of trans-piceid has been observed after treatment with the cell wall homogenate from F. oxysporum. Maximum production of trans-resveratrol, δ- and ɛ-viniferins was triggered by treatment with cellulase from T. viride. The accumulation of trans-piceid in cell cultures elicited by this cellulase revealed exactly the opposite effect, with almost three times higher production of trans-resveratrol than that of trans-piceid. This study suggested that both used fungal elicitors can enhance production more effectively than commonly used jasmonates.

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An Overview on the Rheology, Mechanical Properties, Durability, 3D Printing, and Microstructural Performance of Nanomaterials in Cementitious Composites

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14112950 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 2950

Author(s):

Hongwei Song ◽

Xinle Li

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

3D Printing ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Cementitious Materials ◽

Research Area ◽

Cementitious Composites ◽

Split Tensile Strength ◽

Contour Crafting ◽

Wide Range ◽

Active Research

The most active research area is nanotechnology in cementitious composites, which has a wide range of applications and has achieved popularity over the last three decades. Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as possible materials to be used in the field of civil engineering. Previous research has concentrated on evaluating the effect of different NPs in cementitious materials to alter material characteristics. In order to provide a broad understanding of how nanomaterials (NMs) can be used, this paper critically evaluates previous research on the influence of rheology, mechanical properties, durability, 3D printing, and microstructural performance on cementitious materials. The flow properties of fresh cementitious composites can be measured using rheology and slump. Mechanical properties such as compressive, flexural, and split tensile strength reveal hardened properties. The necessary tests for determining a NM’s durability in concrete are shrinkage, pore structure and porosity, and permeability. The advent of modern 3D printing technologies is suitable for structural printing, such as contour crafting and binder jetting. Three-dimensional (3D) printing has opened up new avenues for the building and construction industry to become more digital. Regardless of the material science, a range of problems must be tackled, including developing smart cementitious composites suitable for 3D structural printing. According to the scanning electron microscopy results, the addition of NMs to cementitious materials results in a denser and improved microstructure with more hydration products. This paper provides valuable information and details about the rheology, mechanical properties, durability, 3D printing, and microstructural performance of cementitious materials with NMs and encourages further research.

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Workshop on measurement of human IgE and supernatants from in vitro cell cultures

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ◽

10.1016/0091-6749(84)90417-2 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 411

Author(s):

N ADKINSONJR

Keyword(s):

Cell Cultures ◽

In Vitro Cell Cultures

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Elastin-Coated Biodegradable Photopolymer Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2014/624645 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Rossella Barenghi ◽

Szabolcs Beke ◽

Ilaria Romano ◽

Paola Gavazzo ◽

Balázs Farkas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Neointimal Hyperplasia ◽

Polymer Surface ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Promising Candidate ◽

Huvec Cell ◽

New Material ◽

Polymer Interaction ◽

Open Issues

One of the main open issues in modern vascular surgery is the nonbiodegradability of implants used for stent interventions, which can lead to small caliber-related thrombosis and neointimal hyperplasia. Some new, resorbable polymeric materials have been proposed to substitute traditional stainless-steel stents, but so far they were affected by poor mechanical properties and low biocompatibility. In this respect, a new material, polypropylene fumarate (PPF), may be considered as a promising candidate to implement the development of next generation stents, due to its complete biodegradability, and excellent mechanical properties and the ease to be precisely patterned. Besides all these benefits, PPF has not been tested yet for vascular prosthesis, mainly because it proved to be almost inert, while the ability to elicit a specific biological function would be of paramount importance in such critical surgery applications. Here, we propose a biomimetic functionalization process, aimed at obtaining specific bioactivation and thus improved cell-polymer interaction. Porous PPF-based scaffolds produced by deep-UV photocuring were coated by elastin and the functionalized scaffolds were extensively characterized, revealing a stable bound between the protein and the polymer surface. Both 3T3 and HUVEC cell lines were used forin vitrotests displaying an enhancement of cells adhesion and proliferation on the functionalized scaffolds.

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Fabrication of photothermally active poly(vinyl alcohol) films with gold nanostars for antibacterial applications

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology ◽

10.3762/bjnano.9.193 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 2040-2048 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Mykola Borzenkov ◽

Maria Moros ◽

Claudia Tortiglione ◽

Serena Bertoldi ◽

Nicola Contessi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Vinyl Alcohol ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Photothermal Effect ◽

Poly Vinyl Alcohol ◽

Broad Application ◽

Gold Nanostars ◽

Wide Range ◽

Spherical Gold Nanoparticles

The unique photothermal properties of non-spherical gold nanoparticles under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation find broad application in nanotechnology and nanomedicine. The combination of their plasmonic features with widely used biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films can lead to novel hybrid polymeric materials with tunable photothermal properties and a wide range of applications. In this study, thin PVA films containing highly photothermally efficient gold nanostars (GNSs) were fabricated and their properties were studied. The resulting films displayed good mechanical properties and a pronounced photothermal effect under NIR irradiation. The local photothermal effect triggered by NIR irradiation of the PVA-GNS films is highly efficient at killing bacteria, therefore providing an opportunity to develop new types of protective antibacterial films and coatings.

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Fabrication and Characterization of Polylactic Acid Electrospun Scaffolds Modified with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles

Biomimetics ◽

10.3390/biomimetics5030043 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Athanasios Kotrotsos ◽

Prokopis Yiallouros ◽

Vassilis Kostopoulos

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Polylactic Acid ◽

Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Electrospinning Process ◽

Wide Range ◽

Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Walled Carbon Nanotubes

The solution electrospinning process (SEP) is a cost-effective technique in which a wide range of polymeric materials can be electrospun. Electrospun materials can also be easily modified during the solution preparation process (prior SEP). Based on this, the aim of the current work is the fabrication and nanomodification of scaffolds using SEP, and the investigation of their porosity and physical and mechanical properties. In this study, polylactic acid (PLA) was selected for scaffold fabrication, and further modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles. After fabrication, porosity calculation and physical and mechanical characterization for all scaffold types were conducted. More precisely, the morphology of the fibers (in terms of fiber diameter), the surface properties (in terms of contact angle) and the mechanical properties under the tensile mode of the fabricated scaffolds have been investigated and further compared against pristine PLA scaffolds (without nanofillers). Finally, the scaffold with the optimal properties was proposed as the candidate material for potential future cell culturing.

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