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Mandible reconstruction and dental rehabilitation after trauma or tumor resection represent a serious challenge for maxillofacial surgeons. This study aimed to investigate the bone formation potential of nanocomposite fibrous scaffold (silica-nanohydroxyapatite-gelatin reinforced with poly L-lactic acid yarns - CSF) for delayed Titanium (Ti) implantation, which was compared to autograft (AG) taken from the iliac crest. The grafts were placed in critical-sized mandibular defects in an adult pig model for 6 months followed by dental implant placement for another 3 months. There was complete union and vascularised lamellar bone formation within 6 months. Moreover, the biological processes associated with angiogenesis, bone maturation and remodelling were seen in CSF, which was comparable to AG. Later, when Ti dental implant was placed on newly formed bone, CSF group demonstrated better osseointegration. In short, nanocomposite fibrous scaffold promoted quality bone formation in mandible defect that leads to successful osseointegration, suggesting as a potential candidate for implant-based rehabilitation in clinics in future.

Electrospun nanofiber-based drug delivery systems have evolved as a promising candidate for controlled delivery of diverse therapeutic agents. This process enables application-specific drug delivery, wherein precise concentrations of drugs can be delivered for the desired durations via appropriate choice of polymers and variations in the electrospinning process. Further alterations in release kinetics are realized through alterations in drug-loading schemes, which is achievable using innovative nanofibrous architectures. Transforming nanofibers to nanotextiles by utilizing conventional textile techniques also impacts the release pattern of drugs. This chapter elaborates the recent advances in controlled drug delivery from electrospun matrices having nonwoven to woven geometries.

A major impediment to the development of small diameter vascular grafts is to achieve an optimal balance between its mechanical properties and cellular response. To address this, the technique of cylindrical weaving has been combined with electrospinning to fabricate a seamless bilayered conduit (∼3 mm) having an inner cell-friendly nanofibrous layer of poly(caprolactone)/collagen and an outer mechanically compliant woven silk layer. Mechanical characteristics such as burst strength, suture retention, compliance and leak resistance were found to be improved for this bilayered conduit when compared to the commercial standard. In-vitro studies revealed that the lumen of the conduit was non-hemolytic and could support adhesion and viability of endothelial cells. Overall, our studies suggest that the proposed bilayer construct could be a suitable candidate for small diameter vascular prosthesis.

This paper reports the fabrication of natural, biodegradable, disposable and low cost clothing with antibacterial activity. Chitosan has been successfully immobilized on woven cotton with the help of natural rubber latex. The water contact angle studies reveal increased hydrophilicity of the samples with increase in chitosan concentration. The as prepared materials exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Due to the electrostatic interaction between chitosan and bacterial surface, the chitosan immobilized samples exhibited clear inhibition zones. This study invokes the possibility of fabrication of medical textiles with antibacterial properties by simple processing of woven cotton materials.