Concomitant control of mechanical properties and degradation in resorbable elastomer-like materials using stereochemistry and stoichiometry for soft tissue engineering

Complex biological tissues are highly viscoelastic and dynamic. Efforts to repair or replace cartilage, tendon, muscle, and vasculature using materials that facilitate repair and regeneration have been ongoing for decades. However, materials that possess the mechanical, chemical, and resorption characteristics necessary to recapitulate these tissues have been difficult to mimic using synthetic resorbable biomaterials. Herein, we report a series of resorbable elastomer-like materials that are compositionally identical and possess varying ratios of cis:trans double bonds in the backbone. These features afford concomitant control over the mechanical and surface eroding degradation properties of these materials. We show the materials can be functionalized post-polymerization with bioactive species and enhance cell adhesion. Furthermore, an in vivo rat model demonstrates that degradation and resorption are dependent on succinate stoichiometry in the elastomers and the results show limited inflammation highlighting their potential for use in soft tissue regeneration and drug delivery.

A one-step tannic acid coating to improve cell adhesion and proliferation on polydimethylsiloxane

A green and straightforward tannic acid functionalization can enhance cell adhesion and proliferation on PDMS, and thus, can be potentially used for microfluidic cell assay devices for cellular physiological study or drug screening.

The relationship between cell adhesion force activation on nano/micro-topographical surfaces and temporal dependence of cell morphology

Time-dependent cell morphology changed cellular capability to enhance cell adhesion force activation on nano/micro-topographies, resulting in difference cell–material interactions.

Physically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol)–carrageenan composite hydrogels: pore structure stability and cell adhesive ability

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)–carrageenan (CAR) composite hydrogels can reduce pore collapse during lyophilization and enhance cell adhesion in comparison to pure PVA hydrogels.

DEVELOPMENT OF MICROSPHERES COVERED WITH HYDROXYAPATITE NANOCRYSTALS AS CELL SCAFFOLD FOR ANGIOGENESIS

We prepared poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) cell scaffolds coated with hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals with 50–100 nm in diameter via the Pickering emulsion method. Our cell scaffolds were composed of biodegradable polymers and HAp nanocrystals as a core and shell, respectively. The scaffolds were spherical but displayed uneven shapes when altering a shear speed of homogenization during syntheses. The surface coverage of HAp nanocrystals was examined because the HAp-coating ratio for the scaffolds was an important factor as cell scaffolds in order to enhance cell adhesion. On the basis of scanning electron microscopy observations and thermogravimetric analyses, it was found that the cell scaffolds showed distorted morphologies, and the HAp-coating ratio decreased with increasing the shear speed in the synthesis because shear stress influenced shapes of the scaffolds.