Annulus fibrosus （AF） tissue engineering has recently received increasing attention as a treatment for intervertebral disc 0VD） degeneration; however, such engineering remains challenging because of the remarkable ...Annulus fibrosus （AF） tissue engineering has recently received increasing attention as a treatment for intervertebral disc 0VD） degeneration; however, such engineering remains challenging because of the remarkable complexity of AF tissue. In order to engineer a functional AF replacement, the fabrication of cell-scaffold constructs that mimic the cellular, biochemical and structural features of native AF tissue is critical. In this study, we fabricated aligned fibroua polyurethane scaffolds using an electrospinning technique and used them for culturing AF-derived-stem/progenitor cells （AFSCs）. Random fibrous scaffolds, also prepared via electrospinningy were used as a control. We compared the morphology, proliferation, gene expression and matrix production of AFSCs on aligned scaffolds and random scaffolds. There was no apparent difference in the attachment or proliferation of cells cultured on aligned scaffolds and random scaffolds. However, compared to cells on random scaffolds, the AFSCs on aligned scaffolds were more elongated and better aligned, and they exhibited higher gene expression and matrix production of coUagen-I and aggrecan. The gene expression and protein production of coUagen-II did not appear to differ between the two groups. Together, these findings indicate that aligned fibrous scaffolds may provide a favourable microenvironment for the differentiation of AFSCs into cells similar to outer AF cells, which predominantly produce collagen-I matrix.展开更多
Increasing evidence indicates that engineered nerve grafts have great potential for the regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries(PNIs).While most studies have focused only on the topographical features of the grafts,...Increasing evidence indicates that engineered nerve grafts have great potential for the regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries(PNIs).While most studies have focused only on the topographical features of the grafts,we have considered both the biophysical and biochemical manipulations in our applied nanoscaffold.To achieve this,we fabricated an electrospun nanofibrous scaffold(ENS)containing polylactide nanofibers loaded with lithium(Li)ions,a Wnt/β-catenin signaling activator.In addition,we seeded human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells(hADMSCs)onto this engineered scaffold to examine if their differentiation toward Schwann-like cells was induced.We further examined the efficacy of the scaffolds for nerve regeneration in vivo via grafting in a PNI rat model.Our results showed that Li-loaded ENSs gradually released Li within 11 d,at concentrations ranging from 0.02 to(3.64±0.10)mmol/L,and upregulated the expression of Wnt/β-catenin target genes(cyclinD1 and c-Myc)as well as those of Schwann cell markers(growth-associated protein 43(GAP43),S100 calcium binding protein B(S100B),glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP),and SRY-box transcription factor 10(SOX10))in differentiated hADMSCs.In the PNI rat model,implantation of Li-loaded ENSs with/without cells improved behavioral features such as sensory and motor functions as well as the electrophysiological characteristics of the injured nerve.This improved function was further validated by histological analysis of sciatic nerves grafted with Li-loaded ENSs,which showed no fibrous connective tissue but enhanced organized myelinated axons.The potential of Li-loaded ENSs in promoting Schwann cell differentiation of hADMSCs and axonal regeneration of injured sciatic nerves suggests their potential for application in peripheral nerve tissue engineering.展开更多
Current dermal regenerative scaffolds provide wound coverage, and structural support and guidance for tissue repair, but usually lack enough bio-signals needed for speeding up skin cell growth, migration, wound closur...Current dermal regenerative scaffolds provide wound coverage, and structural support and guidance for tissue repair, but usually lack enough bio-signals needed for speeding up skin cell growth, migration, wound closure, and skin regeneration. In this study, an androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor called ASC-J9 is used to demonstrate the concept and feasibility of fabricating drug-loaded scaffolds via electrospinning. Inhibition of androgen is known to promote skin wound healing. The novel ASC-J9 - loaded porous scaffold was fabricated for skin wound repair using electrospun fibers of collagen and polycaprolactone (PCL) blend. Our preliminary results indicated that ASC-J9 - loaded scaffolds facilitated more efficient attachment and ingrowth of dermal fibroblasts, compared to the control collagen-PCL scaffold. A significant increase of cell proliferation was observed with the drug-loaded scaffold over a 28-day period. The drug-loaded scaffold also accelerated keratinocyte migration and wound closure in a contraction-inhibited mouse wound model over 21 days. The data indicated a sustained release of ASC-J9 from the scaffold and its potential to accelerate wound healing by promoting cell proliferation and migration over an extended period of time. More importantly, our results proved the concept and feasibility of fabricating drug-releasing or bioactive dermal scaffolds for more effective wound healing.展开更多
The complex pathophysiology of spinal cord injury may explain the current lack of an effective therapeutic approach for the regeneration of damaged neuronal cells and the recovery of motor functions. Many efforts have...The complex pathophysiology of spinal cord injury may explain the current lack of an effective therapeutic approach for the regeneration of damaged neuronal cells and the recovery of motor functions. Many efforts have been performed to design and develop suitable scaffolds for spinal cord regeneration, keeping in mind that the reconstruction of a pro-regenerative environment is the key challenge for an effective neurogenesis. The aim of this review is to outline the main features of an ideal scaffold, based on biomaterials, produced by the electrospinning technique and intended for the spinal cord regeneration. An overview of the poly- mers more investigated in the production of neural fibrous scaffolds is also provided.展开更多
Disc-electrospinning using a disc as spinneret and a rotary drum as collector is a novel technology to prepare nanofiber which has been applied in tissue engineering scaffolds.In this study,nanofibrous mats with micro...Disc-electrospinning using a disc as spinneret and a rotary drum as collector is a novel technology to prepare nanofiber which has been applied in tissue engineering scaffolds.In this study,nanofibrous mats with micro-patterned structure were fabricated via disc-electrospinning.Poly( #-caprolactone)( PCL) was dissolved in trifluoroethanol( TFE) at various concentrations( 2%-7%)( w / v)for electrospinning and the applied voltage ranged from 40 to 70 kV.Scanning electron microscopy( SEM) was employed to observe the morphology of the nanofibrous scaffolds.SEM images illustrated that the nanofibers with beads formed micro-patterned structure such as triangles and other polygons.The average diameter of nanofibers presented various size with the concentration increased from 2% to 7%.The beads on the nanofibers constructed the vertexes of the polygons,while nanofibers bridged between adjacent vertexes.The concentration of solution and applied voltage may be two dominant factors to influence the topological structure of the nanofibrous scaffolds.Cells cultured on the micro-patterned scaffold spread along the edges of the polygons.The scaffold with patterned structure may have a promising application in tissue engineering.展开更多
The nerves of the peripheral nervous system are not able to effectively regenerate in cases of severe neural injury.This can result in debilitating consequences,including morbidity and lifelong impairments affecting t...The nerves of the peripheral nervous system are not able to effectively regenerate in cases of severe neural injury.This can result in debilitating consequences,including morbidity and lifelong impairments affecting the quality of the patient’s life.Recent findings in neural tissue engineering have opened promising avenues to apply fibrous tissue-engineered scaffolds to promote tissue regeneration and functional recovery.These scaffolds,known as neural scaffolds,are able to improve neural regeneration by playing two major roles,namely,by being a carrier for transplanted peripheral nervous system cells or biological cues and by providing structural support to direct growing nerve fibers towards the target area.However,successful implementation of scaffold-based therapeutic approaches calls for an appropriate design of the neural scaffold structure that is capable of up-and down-regulation of neuron-scaffold interactions in the extracellular matrix environment.This review discusses the main challenges that need to be addressed to develop and apply fibrous tissue-engineered scaffolds in clinical practice.It describes some promising solutions that,so far,have shown to promote neural cell adhesion and growth and a potential to repair peripheral nervous system injuries.展开更多
Diseases and disorders associated with nervous system such as injuries by trauma and neurodegeneration are shown to be one of the most serious problems in medicine, requiring innovative strategies to trigger and enhan...Diseases and disorders associated with nervous system such as injuries by trauma and neurodegeneration are shown to be one of the most serious problems in medicine, requiring innovative strategies to trigger and enhance the nerve regeneration. Tissue engineering aims to provide a highly biomimetic environment by using a combination of cells, materials and suitable biological cues, by which the lost body part may be regenerated or even fully rebuilt. Electrospinning, being able to produce extracellular matrix （ECM）-like nanostructures with great flexibility in design and choice of materials, have demonstrated their great po- tential for fabrication of nerve tissue engineered scaffolds. The review here begins with a brief description of the anatomy of native nervous system, which provides basic knowledge and ideas for the design of nerve tissue scaffolds, followed by five main parts in the design of electrospun nerve tissue engineered scaffolds including materials selection, structural design, in vitro bioreactor, functionalization and cellular support. Performances of biomimetic electrospun nanofibrous nerve implant devices are also reviewed. Finally, future directions for advanced electrospun nerve tissue engineered scaffolds are discussed.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81171479, 51303120, 81471790)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2012M521121)+2 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20130335)the Jiangsu Provincial Special Program of Medical Science (BL2012004)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
文摘Annulus fibrosus （AF） tissue engineering has recently received increasing attention as a treatment for intervertebral disc 0VD） degeneration; however, such engineering remains challenging because of the remarkable complexity of AF tissue. In order to engineer a functional AF replacement, the fabrication of cell-scaffold constructs that mimic the cellular, biochemical and structural features of native AF tissue is critical. In this study, we fabricated aligned fibroua polyurethane scaffolds using an electrospinning technique and used them for culturing AF-derived-stem/progenitor cells （AFSCs）. Random fibrous scaffolds, also prepared via electrospinningy were used as a control. We compared the morphology, proliferation, gene expression and matrix production of AFSCs on aligned scaffolds and random scaffolds. There was no apparent difference in the attachment or proliferation of cells cultured on aligned scaffolds and random scaffolds. However, compared to cells on random scaffolds, the AFSCs on aligned scaffolds were more elongated and better aligned, and they exhibited higher gene expression and matrix production of coUagen-I and aggrecan. The gene expression and protein production of coUagen-II did not appear to differ between the two groups. Together, these findings indicate that aligned fibrous scaffolds may provide a favourable microenvironment for the differentiation of AFSCs into cells similar to outer AF cells, which predominantly produce collagen-I matrix.
基金support from the University of Tehran and the Iran National Science Foundation(INSF No.97,012,418).
文摘Increasing evidence indicates that engineered nerve grafts have great potential for the regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries(PNIs).While most studies have focused only on the topographical features of the grafts,we have considered both the biophysical and biochemical manipulations in our applied nanoscaffold.To achieve this,we fabricated an electrospun nanofibrous scaffold(ENS)containing polylactide nanofibers loaded with lithium(Li)ions,a Wnt/β-catenin signaling activator.In addition,we seeded human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells(hADMSCs)onto this engineered scaffold to examine if their differentiation toward Schwann-like cells was induced.We further examined the efficacy of the scaffolds for nerve regeneration in vivo via grafting in a PNI rat model.Our results showed that Li-loaded ENSs gradually released Li within 11 d,at concentrations ranging from 0.02 to(3.64±0.10)mmol/L,and upregulated the expression of Wnt/β-catenin target genes(cyclinD1 and c-Myc)as well as those of Schwann cell markers(growth-associated protein 43(GAP43),S100 calcium binding protein B(S100B),glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP),and SRY-box transcription factor 10(SOX10))in differentiated hADMSCs.In the PNI rat model,implantation of Li-loaded ENSs with/without cells improved behavioral features such as sensory and motor functions as well as the electrophysiological characteristics of the injured nerve.This improved function was further validated by histological analysis of sciatic nerves grafted with Li-loaded ENSs,which showed no fibrous connective tissue but enhanced organized myelinated axons.The potential of Li-loaded ENSs in promoting Schwann cell differentiation of hADMSCs and axonal regeneration of injured sciatic nerves suggests their potential for application in peripheral nerve tissue engineering.
基金Cassandra Chong is the recipient of Australian NH&MRC research scholarship
文摘Current dermal regenerative scaffolds provide wound coverage, and structural support and guidance for tissue repair, but usually lack enough bio-signals needed for speeding up skin cell growth, migration, wound closure, and skin regeneration. In this study, an androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor called ASC-J9 is used to demonstrate the concept and feasibility of fabricating drug-loaded scaffolds via electrospinning. Inhibition of androgen is known to promote skin wound healing. The novel ASC-J9 - loaded porous scaffold was fabricated for skin wound repair using electrospun fibers of collagen and polycaprolactone (PCL) blend. Our preliminary results indicated that ASC-J9 - loaded scaffolds facilitated more efficient attachment and ingrowth of dermal fibroblasts, compared to the control collagen-PCL scaffold. A significant increase of cell proliferation was observed with the drug-loaded scaffold over a 28-day period. The drug-loaded scaffold also accelerated keratinocyte migration and wound closure in a contraction-inhibited mouse wound model over 21 days. The data indicated a sustained release of ASC-J9 from the scaffold and its potential to accelerate wound healing by promoting cell proliferation and migration over an extended period of time. More importantly, our results proved the concept and feasibility of fabricating drug-releasing or bioactive dermal scaffolds for more effective wound healing.
文摘The complex pathophysiology of spinal cord injury may explain the current lack of an effective therapeutic approach for the regeneration of damaged neuronal cells and the recovery of motor functions. Many efforts have been performed to design and develop suitable scaffolds for spinal cord regeneration, keeping in mind that the reconstruction of a pro-regenerative environment is the key challenge for an effective neurogenesis. The aim of this review is to outline the main features of an ideal scaffold, based on biomaterials, produced by the electrospinning technique and intended for the spinal cord regeneration. An overview of the poly- mers more investigated in the production of neural fibrous scaffolds is also provided.
基金National Natural Science Foundations of China，Science and Technology Comission of Shanghai Municipality,China，Ph.D.Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China
文摘Disc-electrospinning using a disc as spinneret and a rotary drum as collector is a novel technology to prepare nanofiber which has been applied in tissue engineering scaffolds.In this study,nanofibrous mats with micro-patterned structure were fabricated via disc-electrospinning.Poly( #-caprolactone)( PCL) was dissolved in trifluoroethanol( TFE) at various concentrations( 2%-7%)( w / v)for electrospinning and the applied voltage ranged from 40 to 70 kV.Scanning electron microscopy( SEM) was employed to observe the morphology of the nanofibrous scaffolds.SEM images illustrated that the nanofibers with beads formed micro-patterned structure such as triangles and other polygons.The average diameter of nanofibers presented various size with the concentration increased from 2% to 7%.The beads on the nanofibers constructed the vertexes of the polygons,while nanofibers bridged between adjacent vertexes.The concentration of solution and applied voltage may be two dominant factors to influence the topological structure of the nanofibrous scaffolds.Cells cultured on the micro-patterned scaffold spread along the edges of the polygons.The scaffold with patterned structure may have a promising application in tissue engineering.
基金supported by a Garnett-Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation grant(to JE)a National Health and Medical Research Council grant,No.APP1183799(to JASJ and JAKE).
文摘The nerves of the peripheral nervous system are not able to effectively regenerate in cases of severe neural injury.This can result in debilitating consequences,including morbidity and lifelong impairments affecting the quality of the patient’s life.Recent findings in neural tissue engineering have opened promising avenues to apply fibrous tissue-engineered scaffolds to promote tissue regeneration and functional recovery.These scaffolds,known as neural scaffolds,are able to improve neural regeneration by playing two major roles,namely,by being a carrier for transplanted peripheral nervous system cells or biological cues and by providing structural support to direct growing nerve fibers towards the target area.However,successful implementation of scaffold-based therapeutic approaches calls for an appropriate design of the neural scaffold structure that is capable of up-and down-regulation of neuron-scaffold interactions in the extracellular matrix environment.This review discusses the main challenges that need to be addressed to develop and apply fibrous tissue-engineered scaffolds in clinical practice.It describes some promising solutions that,so far,have shown to promote neural cell adhesion and growth and a potential to repair peripheral nervous system injuries.
文摘Diseases and disorders associated with nervous system such as injuries by trauma and neurodegeneration are shown to be one of the most serious problems in medicine, requiring innovative strategies to trigger and enhance the nerve regeneration. Tissue engineering aims to provide a highly biomimetic environment by using a combination of cells, materials and suitable biological cues, by which the lost body part may be regenerated or even fully rebuilt. Electrospinning, being able to produce extracellular matrix （ECM）-like nanostructures with great flexibility in design and choice of materials, have demonstrated their great po- tential for fabrication of nerve tissue engineered scaffolds. The review here begins with a brief description of the anatomy of native nervous system, which provides basic knowledge and ideas for the design of nerve tissue scaffolds, followed by five main parts in the design of electrospun nerve tissue engineered scaffolds including materials selection, structural design, in vitro bioreactor, functionalization and cellular support. Performances of biomimetic electrospun nanofibrous nerve implant devices are also reviewed. Finally, future directions for advanced electrospun nerve tissue engineered scaffolds are discussed.
