An appropriate cell microenvironment is key to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.Revealing the factors that influence the cell microenvironment is a fundamental research topic in the fields of cell biology,...An appropriate cell microenvironment is key to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.Revealing the factors that influence the cell microenvironment is a fundamental research topic in the fields of cell biology,biomaterials,tissue engineering,and regenerative medicine.The cell microenvironment consists of not only its surrounding cells and soluble factors,but also its extracellular matrix(ECM)or nearby external biomaterials in tissue engineering and regeneration.This review focuses on six aspects of bioma-terial-related cell microenvironments:①chemical composition of materials,②material dimensions and architecture,③material-controlled cell geometry,④effects of material charges on cells,⑤matrix stiff-ness and biomechanical microenvironment,and⑥surface modification of materials.The present chal-lenges in tissue engineering are also mentioned,and eight perspectives are predicted.展开更多
Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene(ePTFE)is promising in biomedical fields such as covered stents and plastic surgery owing to its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties.However,ePTFE material prepared by ...Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene(ePTFE)is promising in biomedical fields such as covered stents and plastic surgery owing to its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties.However,ePTFE material prepared by the traditional biaxial stretching process is with thicker middle and thinner sides due to the bowing effect,which poses a major problem in industrial-scale fabrication.To solve this problem,we design an olive-shaped winding roller to provide the middle part of the ePTFE tape with a greater longitudinal stretching amplitude than the two sides,so as to make up for the excessive longitudinal retraction tendency of the middle part when it is transversely stretched.The as-fabricated ePTFE membrane has,as designed,uniform thickness and node-fibril microstructure.In addition,we examine the effects of mass ratio of lubricant to PTFE powder,biaxial stretching ratio and sintering temperature on the performance of the resultant ePTFE membranes.Particularly,the relation between the internal microstructure of the ePTFE membrane and its mechanical properties is revealed.Besides stable mechanical properties,the sintered ePTFE membrane exhibits satisfactory biological properties.We make a series of biological assessments including in vitro hemolysis,coagulation,bacterial reverse mutation and in vivo thrombosis,intracutaneous reactivity test,pyrogen test and subchronic systemic toxicity test;all of the results meet the relevant international standards.The muscle implantation of the sintered ePTFE membrane into rabbits indicates acceptable inflammatory reactions of our sintered ePTFE membrane fabricated on industrial scale.Such a medical-grade raw material with the unique physical form and condensed-state microstructure is expected to afford an inert biomaterial potentially for stent-graft membrane.展开更多
Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)is a promising non-invasive method to assess cartilage regeneration based on the quantitative relationship between MRI features and concentrations of the major components in the extracel...Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)is a promising non-invasive method to assess cartilage regeneration based on the quantitative relationship between MRI features and concentrations of the major components in the extracellular matrix(ECM).To this end,in vitro experiments are performed to investigate the relationship and reveal the underlying mechanism.A series of collagen(COL)and glycosaminoglycan(GAG)solutions at different concentrations are prepared,and T_(1)and T_(2)relaxation times are measured with or without a contrast agent(Gd-DTPA2−)by MRI.Fourier transform infrared spectrometry is also used to measure the contents of biomacromolecule-bound water and other water,allowing theoretical derivation of the relationship between biomacromolecules and the resulting T_(2)values.It has been revealed that the MRI signal in the biomacromolecule aqueous systems is mainly influenced by the protons in hydrogens of biomacromolecule-bound water,which we divide into inner-bound water and outer-bound water.We have also found that COL results in higher sensitivity of bound water than GAG in T_(2)mapping.Owing to the charge effect,GAG regulates the penetration of the contrast agent during dialysis and has a more significant effect on T_(1)values than COL.Considering that COL and GAG are the most abundant biomacromolecules in the cartilage,this study is particularly useful for the real-time MRI-guided assessment of cartilage regeneration.A clinical case is reported as an in vivo demonstration,which is consistent with our in vitro results.The established quantitative relation plays a critical academic role in establishing an international standard ISO/TS24560-1:2022‘Clinical evaluation of regenerative knee articular cartilage using delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage(dGEMRIC)and T_(2)mapping’drafted by us and approved by International Standard Organization.展开更多
The malalignment of teeth is treated classically by metal braces with alloy wires,which has an unfavorable influence on the patients appearance during the treatment.With the development of digitization,computer simula...The malalignment of teeth is treated classically by metal braces with alloy wires,which has an unfavorable influence on the patients appearance during the treatment.With the development of digitization,computer simulation and three-dimensional(3D)printing technology,herein,a modern treatment was tried using clear polymeric aligners,which were fabricated by molding polyurethane films via thermoforming on the 3D-printed personalized dental models.The key parameters of photocurable 3D printing of dental models and the mechanical properties of the clear aligner film material were examined.The precision of a 3D-printed dental model mainly relied on characteristics of photocurable resin,the resolution of light source and the exposure condition,which determined the eventual shape of the molded clear aligner and thus the orthodontic treatment efficacy.The biocompatibility of the polyurethane filmmaterial was confirmed through cytotoxicity and hemolysis tests in vitro.Following a series of 3D-printed personalized dental models and finite element analysis to predict and plan the fabrication and orthodontic processes,corresponding clear aligners were fabricated and applied in animal experiments,which proved the efficacy and biocompatibility in vivo.Clinical treatments of 120 orthodontic cases were finally carried out with success,which highlights the advantage of the clear aligners as an esthetic,compatible and efficient appliance.展开更多
With the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine,it is much desired to establish bioimaging techniques to monitor the real-time regeneration efficacy in vivo in a non-invasive way.Herein,we tried m...With the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine,it is much desired to establish bioimaging techniques to monitor the real-time regeneration efficacy in vivo in a non-invasive way.Herein,we tried magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)to evaluate knee cartilage regeneration after implanting a biomaterial scaffold seeded with chondrocytes,namely,matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation(MACI).After summary of the T2 mapping and the T1-related delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI imaging of cartilage(dGEMRIC)in vitro and in vivo in the literature,these two MRI techniques were tried clinically.In this study,18 patients were followed up for 1 year.It was found that there was a significant difference between the regeneration site and the neighboring normal site(control),and the difference gradually diminished with regeneration time up to 1 year according to both the quantitative T1 and T2 MRI methods.We further established the correlation between the quantitative evaluation of MRI and the clinical Lysholm scores for the first time.Hence,the MRI technique was confirmed to be a feasible semiquantitative yet non-invasive way to evaluate the in vivo regeneration of knee articular cartilage.展开更多
基金the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21961160721 and 52130302)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFC1100300)
文摘An appropriate cell microenvironment is key to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.Revealing the factors that influence the cell microenvironment is a fundamental research topic in the fields of cell biology,biomaterials,tissue engineering,and regenerative medicine.The cell microenvironment consists of not only its surrounding cells and soluble factors,but also its extracellular matrix(ECM)or nearby external biomaterials in tissue engineering and regeneration.This review focuses on six aspects of bioma-terial-related cell microenvironments:①chemical composition of materials,②material dimensions and architecture,③material-controlled cell geometry,④effects of material charges on cells,⑤matrix stiff-ness and biomechanical microenvironment,and⑥surface modification of materials.The present chal-lenges in tissue engineering are also mentioned,and eight perspectives are predicted.
基金supports from National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.52130302)National Key R&D Program of China(grant no.2016YFC1100300)。
文摘Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene(ePTFE)is promising in biomedical fields such as covered stents and plastic surgery owing to its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties.However,ePTFE material prepared by the traditional biaxial stretching process is with thicker middle and thinner sides due to the bowing effect,which poses a major problem in industrial-scale fabrication.To solve this problem,we design an olive-shaped winding roller to provide the middle part of the ePTFE tape with a greater longitudinal stretching amplitude than the two sides,so as to make up for the excessive longitudinal retraction tendency of the middle part when it is transversely stretched.The as-fabricated ePTFE membrane has,as designed,uniform thickness and node-fibril microstructure.In addition,we examine the effects of mass ratio of lubricant to PTFE powder,biaxial stretching ratio and sintering temperature on the performance of the resultant ePTFE membranes.Particularly,the relation between the internal microstructure of the ePTFE membrane and its mechanical properties is revealed.Besides stable mechanical properties,the sintered ePTFE membrane exhibits satisfactory biological properties.We make a series of biological assessments including in vitro hemolysis,coagulation,bacterial reverse mutation and in vivo thrombosis,intracutaneous reactivity test,pyrogen test and subchronic systemic toxicity test;all of the results meet the relevant international standards.The muscle implantation of the sintered ePTFE membrane into rabbits indicates acceptable inflammatory reactions of our sintered ePTFE membrane fabricated on industrial scale.Such a medical-grade raw material with the unique physical form and condensed-state microstructure is expected to afford an inert biomaterial potentially for stent-graft membrane.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.52130302).W。
文摘Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)is a promising non-invasive method to assess cartilage regeneration based on the quantitative relationship between MRI features and concentrations of the major components in the extracellular matrix(ECM).To this end,in vitro experiments are performed to investigate the relationship and reveal the underlying mechanism.A series of collagen(COL)and glycosaminoglycan(GAG)solutions at different concentrations are prepared,and T_(1)and T_(2)relaxation times are measured with or without a contrast agent(Gd-DTPA2−)by MRI.Fourier transform infrared spectrometry is also used to measure the contents of biomacromolecule-bound water and other water,allowing theoretical derivation of the relationship between biomacromolecules and the resulting T_(2)values.It has been revealed that the MRI signal in the biomacromolecule aqueous systems is mainly influenced by the protons in hydrogens of biomacromolecule-bound water,which we divide into inner-bound water and outer-bound water.We have also found that COL results in higher sensitivity of bound water than GAG in T_(2)mapping.Owing to the charge effect,GAG regulates the penetration of the contrast agent during dialysis and has a more significant effect on T_(1)values than COL.Considering that COL and GAG are the most abundant biomacromolecules in the cartilage,this study is particularly useful for the real-time MRI-guided assessment of cartilage regeneration.A clinical case is reported as an in vivo demonstration,which is consistent with our in vitro results.The established quantitative relation plays a critical academic role in establishing an international standard ISO/TS24560-1:2022‘Clinical evaluation of regenerative knee articular cartilage using delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage(dGEMRIC)and T_(2)mapping’drafted by us and approved by International Standard Organization.
基金supports from NSF of China(grants No.52130302,21961160721)National Key R&D Program of China(grant No.2016YFC1100300)。
文摘The malalignment of teeth is treated classically by metal braces with alloy wires,which has an unfavorable influence on the patients appearance during the treatment.With the development of digitization,computer simulation and three-dimensional(3D)printing technology,herein,a modern treatment was tried using clear polymeric aligners,which were fabricated by molding polyurethane films via thermoforming on the 3D-printed personalized dental models.The key parameters of photocurable 3D printing of dental models and the mechanical properties of the clear aligner film material were examined.The precision of a 3D-printed dental model mainly relied on characteristics of photocurable resin,the resolution of light source and the exposure condition,which determined the eventual shape of the molded clear aligner and thus the orthodontic treatment efficacy.The biocompatibility of the polyurethane filmmaterial was confirmed through cytotoxicity and hemolysis tests in vitro.Following a series of 3D-printed personalized dental models and finite element analysis to predict and plan the fabrication and orthodontic processes,corresponding clear aligners were fabricated and applied in animal experiments,which proved the efficacy and biocompatibility in vivo.Clinical treatments of 120 orthodontic cases were finally carried out with success,which highlights the advantage of the clear aligners as an esthetic,compatible and efficient appliance.
基金supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China(grant no.2018YFC1105900,2016YFC1100300 and 2016YFC1103203)National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.21961160721).
文摘With the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine,it is much desired to establish bioimaging techniques to monitor the real-time regeneration efficacy in vivo in a non-invasive way.Herein,we tried magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)to evaluate knee cartilage regeneration after implanting a biomaterial scaffold seeded with chondrocytes,namely,matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation(MACI).After summary of the T2 mapping and the T1-related delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI imaging of cartilage(dGEMRIC)in vitro and in vivo in the literature,these two MRI techniques were tried clinically.In this study,18 patients were followed up for 1 year.It was found that there was a significant difference between the regeneration site and the neighboring normal site(control),and the difference gradually diminished with regeneration time up to 1 year according to both the quantitative T1 and T2 MRI methods.We further established the correlation between the quantitative evaluation of MRI and the clinical Lysholm scores for the first time.Hence,the MRI technique was confirmed to be a feasible semiquantitative yet non-invasive way to evaluate the in vivo regeneration of knee articular cartilage.
