Challenges in Nasal Cartilage Tissue Engineering to Restore the Shape and Function of the Nose.

The repair of nasal septal cartilage is a key challenge in cosmetic and functional surgery of the nose, as it determines its shape and its respiratory function. Supporting the dorsum of the nose is essential for both the prevention of nasal obstruction and the restoration of the nose structure. Most surgical procedures to repair or modify the nasal septum focus on restoring the external aspect of the nose by placing a graft under the skin, without considering respiratory concerns. Tissue engineering offers a more satisfactory approach, in which both the structural and biological roles of the nose are restored. To achieve this goal, nasal cartilage engineering research has led to the development of scaffolds capable of accommodating cartilaginous extracellular matrix-producing cells, possessing mechanical properties close to those of the nasal septum, and retaining their structure after implantation in vivo. The combination of a non-resorbable core structure with suitable mechanical properties and a biocompatible hydrogel loaded with autologous chondrocytes or mesenchymal stem cells is a promising strategy. However, the stability and immunotolerance of these implants are crucial parameters to be monitored over the long term after in vivo implantation, to definitively assess the success of nasal cartilage tissue engineering. Here, we review the tissue engineering methods to repair nasal cartilage, focusing on the type and mechanical characteristics of the biomaterials; cell and implantation strategy; and the outcome with regard to cartilage repair.

Influence of pH upon surface-enhanced enzyme-catalyzed luminol chemiluminescence at vicinity of nanoscale-corrugated gold and silver films.

Au and Ag biochips were fabricated to investigate the influence of pH upon the chemiluminescence (CL) of luminol at vicinity of surface-adsorbed peroxidase. A nanoscaled-corrugation of the metal induces an enhancement of the luminol CL which is maximal in the pH range favoring peroxidase catalysis and greater for gold than for silver. This is the proof that, in the CL process, the reactions involving peroxidase are surface-enhanced near corrugated surfaces.