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Significant progress has been made over the past few decades in the development of in vitro-engineered substitutes that mimic human skin, either as grafts for the replacement of lost skin, or for the establishment of in vitro human skin models. Tissue engineering has been developing as a novel strategy by employing the recent advances in various fields such as polymer engineering, bioengineering, stem cell research and nanomedicine. Recently, an advancement of 3D printing technology referred as bioprinting was exploited to make cell loaded scaffolds to produce constructs which are more matching with the native tissue. Bioprinting facilitates the simultaneous and highly specific deposition of multiple types of skin cells and biomaterials, a process that is lacking in conventional skin tissue-engineering approaches. Bioprinted skin substitutes or equivalents containing dermal and epidermal components offer a promising approach in skin bioengineering. Various materials including synthetic and natural biopolymers and cells with or without signalling molecules like growth factors are being utilized to produce functional skin constructs. This technology emerging as a novel strategy to overcome the current bottle-necks in skin tissue engineering such as poor vascularization, absence of hair follicles and sweat glands in the construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric materials that generate electrical signals in response to mechanical strain can be used in tissue engineering to stimulate cell proliferation. Poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)), a piezoelectric polymer, is widely used in biomaterial applications. We hypothesized that incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO )nanoparticles into the P(VDF-TrFE) matrix could promote adhesion, migration, and proliferation of cells, as well as blood vessel formation (angiogenesis). In this study, we fabricated and comprehensively characterized a novel electrospun P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO nanocomposite tissue engineering scaffold. We analyzed the morphological features of the polymeric matrix by scanning electron microscopy, and utilized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry to examine changes in the crystalline phases of the copolymer due to addition of the nanoparticles. We detected no or minimal adverse effects of the biomaterials with regard to blood compatibility in vitro, biocompatibility, and cytotoxicity, indicating that P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO nanocomposite scaffolds are suitable for tissue engineering applications. Interestingly, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured on the nanocomposite scaffolds exhibited higher cell viability, adhesion, and proliferation compared to cells cultured on tissue culture plates or neat P(VDF-TrFE) scaffolds. Nanocomposite scaffolds implanted into rats with or without hMSCs did not elicit immunological responses, as assessed by macroscopic analysis and histology. Importantly, nanocomposite scaffolds promoted angiogenesis, which was increased in scaffolds pre-seeded with hMSCs. Overall, our results highlight the potential of these novel P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO nanocomposites for use in tissue engineering, due to their biocompatibility and ability to promote cell adhesion and angiogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of materials for medical applications using biologically derived materials by green approaches is emerging as an important focus in the present healthcare scenario. Herein the first time, we report the plant extract mediated ultra-rapid biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using whole plant extracts of Biophytum sensitivum. Synthesized nanoparticles were immobilized in nano-micro dual-porous calcium pectinate scaffolds for wound dressing application. Pectinate wound dressings containing silver nanoparticles have shown excellent antibacterial property and exudate uptake capacity while being biocompatible to the human cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices have been utilized for the sensing of chemical and biological phenomena in microscale for the past few decades. In this study, SAW device was fabricated by electrospinning poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF−TrFE)) incorporated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles over the delay line area of the SAW device. The morphology, composition, and crystallinity of P(VDF−TrFE)/ZnO nanocomposites were investigated. After measurement of SAW frequency response, it was found that the insertion loss of the SAW devices incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles was much less than that of the neat polymer-deposited device. The fabricated device was expected to be used in acoustic biosensors to detect and quantify the cell proliferation in cell culture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical size bone defects that do not heal spontaneously are among the major reasons for the disability in majority of people with locomotor disabilities. Tissue engineering has become a promising approach for repairing such large tissue injuries including critical size bone defects. Three-dimension (3D) porous scaffolds based on piezoelectric polymers like poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) have received a lot of attention in bone tissue engineering due to their favorable osteogenic properties. Owing to the favourable redox properties, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanostructures have gained a great deal of attention in bone tissue engineering. In this paper, tissue engineering scaffolds based on P(VDF-TrFE) loaded with TiO2 nanowires (TNW) were developed and evaluated for bone tissue engineering. Wet-chemical method was used for the synthesis of TNW. Obtained TNW were thoroughly characterized for the physicochemical and morphological properties using techniques such as X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrospinning was used to produce TNW incorporated P(VDF-TrFE) scaffolds. Developed scaffolds were characterized by state of art techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), XRD and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. TEM analysis revealed that the obtained TiO2 nanostructures possess nanofibrous morphology with an average diameter of 26 ± 4 nm. Results of characterization of nanocomposite scaffolds confirmed the effective loading of TNW in P(VDF-TrFE) matrix. Fabricated P(VDF-TrFE)/TNW scaffolds possessed good mechanical strength and cytocompatibility. Osteoblast like cells showed higher adhesion and proliferation on the nanocomposite scaffolds. This investigation revealed that the developed P(VDF-TrFE) scaffolds containing TNW can be used as potential scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrospun membranes have the potential to act as an effective barrier for wounds from the external environment to prevent pathogens. In addition, materials with good antibacterial properties can effectively fight off the invading pathogens. In this paper, we report the development of a novel electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membrane containing biosynthesized silver nanoparticle (bAg) for wound dressing applications. Plant extract from a medicinal plant Mimosa pudica was utilized for the synthesis of bAg. Synthesized bAg were characterized by Ultraviolet-Visible (UV) Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The morphology of bAg was obtained from Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and found that they were spherical in morphology with average particle size 7.63 ± 1.2 nm. bAg nanoparticles incorporated PVA membranes were characterized using several physicochemical techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. Experimental results confirmed the successful incorporation of bAg in PVA fibers. PVA nanofiber membranes incorporated with bAg showed good mechanical strength, excellent exudate uptake capacity, antibacterial activity, blood compatibility and cytocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]