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To evaluate the biological safety of the composite materials based on gelatin (Gel), hyaluronic acid (HA), and nano-bioactive glass (NBG), which has a potential application in tissue engineering, thein-vivobiological properties were investigated by hemolysis behavior, micronucleus, skin irritation and acute toxicity test. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphology demonstrated that the Gel-HA/NBG composite scaffolds had interconnected pores with mean diameters of 50–500 μm. The hemolysis test suggested that the Gel-HA/NBG composite scaffold, with a hemolysis ratio of 1.11%, showed no obvious hemolysis reaction. The micronucleus frequency of the Gel-HA/NBG was (3.1 ± 0.52) %; this indicated that it shows no genotoxic effect. The skin irritation result showed no systemic signs of toxicity in the integrity skin of the animals. The Gel-HA/NBG scaffolds showed no acute systemic toxicity and the liver, heart, lung, and kidney samples also showed no remarkable change in the morphology. Therefore, Gel-HA/NBG composite scaffold would be a suitable candidate of biomedical materials for tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nano-bioactive glass (NBG) was prepared via sol-gel method and freeze-dried technique using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as templates. The influences of molecular weight and content of polyethylene glycol on the morphology and the size NBG particles were investigated. The optimal sintering temperature of NBG was determined by using thermal gravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), and the NBG particles were characterized by Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD pattern of NBG sintered at 650°C in air confirmed that the calcined glass existed in amorphous state. The results indicated that the PEG molecular weight and PEG content have obvious effects on the morphology and size of the NBG particles. The size of NBG particle prepared with PEG-200 was beyond 1μm and the aggregation was obvious. The size of obtained NBG particle with PEG-10000 was between 50 nm and 80 nm, with a hollow spherical shape; while the morphology of the NBG with PEG-20000 was needle-shaped, with an average width of 20 nm and length of 100 nm. The particle size of the NBG particles decreased with the increase of PEG concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gelatin (Gel), sodium alginate (SA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) based various hydrogels for biomedical applications were prepared by freezing-drying method using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) as a crosslinker. The physical properties including morphology, water vapor transmission rate and hydrophilicity were investigated. The result showed the Gel/SA/HA composite hydrogels were successfully crosslinked by the crosslinking agent. All the Gel/SA/HA composite hydrogels with different compositions had highly homogeneous and interconnected pores, and the compositions had no significant effect on the surface and cross-section morphologies of the Gel/SA/HA hydrogels. The incorporation of sodium alginate enhanced the water vapor transmission capacity of the hydrogel; however, there were no significant differences between the water vapor transmission rates of all the Gel/SA/HA hydrogels. Gelatin had a low hydrophilic behavior, while sodium alginate exhibited relatively high hydrophilic behavior. The results indicate that the Gel/SA/HA hydrogel cross-linked via EDC is a potential wound dressing material capable of the adequate provision of moist environment for comfortable wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Designing and fabricating nanocomposite scaffolds for bone regeneration from different biodegradable polymers and bioactive materials are an essential step to engineer tissues. In this study, the composite scaffold of gelatin/hyaluronic acid (Gel/HA) containing nano-bioactive glass (NBG) was prepared by using freeze-drying method. The biocompatibilitiesin-vitroof the Gel-HA/NBG composite scaffolds, including MTT assay, ALP activity, von Kossa staining and tetracycline staining, were investigated. The SEM observations revealed that the prepared scaffolds were porous with three-dimensional (3D) and interconnected microstructure, agglomerated NBG particles were uniformly dispersed in the matrix. MTT results indicated that the tested materials didn't show any cytotoxicity. The presence of NBG in the composite scaffold further enhanced the ALP activity in comparison with the pure Gel/HA scaffold. The von Kossa staining and tetracycline staining results also indicated that the NBG may improve the cell response. Therefore, the results indicated the nanocomposite scaffold made from Gel, HA and NBG particles could be considered as a potential bone tissue engineering implant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]