In vitro degradation behavior of Fe-20 Mn-1.2C alloy in three different pseudo-physiological solutions.

High manganese austenitic steels such as Fe-20Mn-1.2C alloys are among the most promising candidates for biodegradable stents applications due to their high strength, high ductility and their chemical composition. In the current work, 14 day static in-vitro tests were performed in controlled atmosphere to assess the degradation behavior in three common pseudo-physiological solutions, i.e. commercial Hanks' (CH), modified Hanks' (MH) and albumin-enriched Dulbecco's modified phosphate buffered saline (DPBS) solutions. The degraded samples surfaces as well as the degradation products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Degradation of material and degradation products are shown to be strongly dependent on the test medium due to the presence of different ionic species such as HCO3(-), CO3(2-), Cl(-), Ca(2+) or phosphate groups. In both MH and CH solutions, the increased content of HCO3(-) ions seems to promote MnCO3 crystal growth on sample surfaces whereas the presence of albumin and high content of phosphate ions promotes the formation of an amorphous layer rich in phosphates, iron and manganese.

Fucoidan in a 3D scaffold interacts with vascular endothelial growth factor and promotes neovascularization in mice.

The aim of this study was to functionalize 3D porous cross-linked scaffolds with natural non-animal sulfated polysaccharide fucoidans in order to allow a delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and potentiate its angiogenic activity. Microporous (20 µm) and macroporous (200 µm) scaffolds were functionalized with low, medium, or high molecular weight fucoidans (named LMWF, MMWF, and HMWF, respectively). In vitro, addition of fucoidans promoted endothelial progenitor cells proliferation in both micro- and macroporous scaffolds. While control scaffolds without fucoidans loaded with VEGF165 (100 ng) showed a fast burst release in PBS during the first 24 h, MMWF significantly reduced the VEGF165 release (p < 0.001). Surface plasmon resonance experiments confirmed a direct interaction between MMWF and VEGF165, characterized by an affinity K D (K d/K a) of 1 × 10(-9) M. In a subcutaneous angiogenesis model in mice, fucoidan functionalized scaffolds showed a more intense vascularization response than control groups. Expression of isolectin-B4 and α-smooth muscle actin, as well as confinement of erythrocytes, demonstrated the neoformed blood vessels functionality. There was a significant difference in neovessel area and neovessel density between MMWF scaffolds or VEGF165 scaffolds and MMWF+VEGF165 scaffolds (p < 0.001 for all cases). Here, we demonstrate that fucoidan sequesters VEGF165 and delivers biological cues promoting angiogenesis. In conclusion, this study shows that hydrogels functionalized with fucoidan can direct the formation of mature vasculature through a local release of VEGF165 and can be a useful tool in ischemic tissues to guide therapeutic angiogenesis.

Small-diameter vascular tissue engineering.

Vascular occlusion remains the leading cause of death in Western countries, despite advances made in balloon angioplasty and conventional surgical intervention. Vascular surgery, such as CABG surgery, arteriovenous shunts, and the treatment of congenital anomalies of the coronary artery and pulmonary tracts, requires biologically responsive vascular substitutes. Autografts, particularly saphenous vein and internal mammary artery, are the gold-standard grafts used to treat vascular occlusions. Prosthetic grafts have been developed as alternatives to autografts, but their low patency owing to short-term and intermediate-term thrombosis still limits their clinical application. Advances in vascular tissue engineering technology-such as self-assembling cell sheets, as well as scaffold-guided and decellularized-matrix approaches-promise to produce responsive, living conduits with properties similar to those of native tissue. Over the past decade, vascular tissue engineering has become one of the fastest-growing areas of research, and is now showing some success in the clinic.

Caveolin: a possible biomarker of degradable metallic materials toxicity in vascular cells.

Iron-based materials could constitute an interesting option for cardiovascular biodegradable stent applications due to their appropriate ductility compared with their counterparts, magnesium alloys. However, the predicted degradation rate of pure iron is considered to be too slow for such applications. We explored manganese (35 wt.%) as an alloying element in combination with iron to circumvent this problem through powder metallurgical processing (Fe-35Mn). Manganese, on the other hand, is highly cytotoxic. We recently explored a new method to better characterize the safety of degradable metallic materials (DMMs) by establishing the gene expression profile (GEP) of cells (mouse 3T3 fibroblasts) exposed to Fe-35Mn degradation products in order to better understand their global response to a potentially cytotoxic DMM. We identified a number of up- and down-regulated genes and confirmed the regulation of a subset of them by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Caveolin-1 (cav1), the structural protein of caveolae, small, smooth plasma membrane invaginations present in various differentiated cell types, was one of the most down-regulated genes in our GEPs. In the present study we further studied the potential of this 22 kDa protein to become a biomarker for cytotoxicity after exposure to degradable metallic elements. In order to better characterize cav1 expression in this context 3T3 mouse fibroblasts were exposed to either ferrous and manganese ions at cytostatic concentrations for 24 or 48 h. cav1 gene expression was not influenced by exposure to ferrous ions. On the other hand, exposure to manganese for 24h reduced cav1 gene expression by about 30% and by >65% after 48 h compared with control 3T3 cells. The cav1 cellular protein content was reduced to the same extent. The same pattern of expression of cav3 (the muscle-specific caveolin subtype) was also observed in this study. This strong and reproducible pattern of regulation of caveolins thus indicates potential as a biomarker for the toxicity of DMM elements.

Gene expression profile of mouse fibroblasts exposed to a biodegradable iron alloy for stents.

Iron-based materials could constitute an interesting option for cardiovascular biodegradable stent applications due to their superior ductility compared to their counterparts - magnesium alloys. Since the predicted degradation rate of pure iron is considered slow, manganese (35% w/w), an alloying element for iron, was explored to counteract this problem through the powder metallurgy process (Fe-35 Mn). However, manganese presents a high cytotoxic potential; thus its effect on cells must first be established. Here, we established the gene expression profile of mouse 3T3 fibroblasts exposed to Fe-35 Mn degradation products in order to better understand cell response to potentially cytotoxic degradable metallic material (DMM). Mouse 3T3 cells were exposed to degradation products eluting through tissue culture insert filter (3 µm pore size) containing cytostatic amounts of 3.25 mg ml(-1) of Fe-35 Mn powder, 0.25 mg ml(-1) of pure Mn powder or 5 mg ml(-1) of pure iron powder for 24 h. We then conducted a gene expression profiling study from these cells. Exposure of 3T3 cells to Fe-35 Mn was associated with the up-regulation of 75 genes and down-regulation of 59 genes, while 126 were up-regulated and 76 down-regulated genes in the presence of manganese. No genes were found regulated for the iron powder. When comparing the GEP of 3T3 fibroblasts in the presence of Fe-35 Mn and Mn, 68 up-regulated and 54 down-regulated genes were common. These results were confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR for a subset of these genes. This GEP study could provide clues about the mechanism behind degradation products effects on cells of the Fe-35 Mn alloy and may help in the appraisal of its potential for DMM applications.

Films of dextran-graft-polybutylmethacrylate to enhance endothelialization of materials.

We have synthesized new structures obtained from amphiphilic copolymers of dextran and polybutylmethacrylate with the aim of endothelialization of biomaterials. Grafting of butylmethacrylate onto dextran has been carried out using ceric ammonium nitrate as initiator. Three copolymers were obtained (11, 30 and 37 wt.% dextran) and homogeneous thin films were successfully prepared. In contrast to dextran, the resulting films were stable in water, and copolymers characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis showed evidence of hybrid properties between the parent homopolymers. Surfaces of films were smooth when analyzed by atomic force microscopy (roughness 2+/-1 nm) but greatly differed in their hydrophilicity by increasing the dextran content (water contact angle from 99 degrees to 57 degrees). In contrast to polybutylmethacrylate, where the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was excellent but that of endothelial cells was very low, the copolymer containing 11% of dextran was excellent for endothelial cells but very limited for VSMCs. An in vitro wound assay demonstrated that copolymer with 11% dextran is even more favorable for endothelial cell migration than tissue-culture polystyrene. Increasing the dextran content in the copolymers decreased the proliferation for both vascular cell types. Altogether, these results show that transparent and water-insoluble films made from copolymers of dextran and butylmethacrylate copolymers with an appropriate composition could enhance endothelial cell proliferation and migration. Therefore, a potential benefit of this approach is the availability of surfaces with tunable properties for the endothelialization of materials.

Assessing the biocompatibility of degradable metallic materials: state-of-the-art and focus on the potential of genetic regulation.

For decades, the design, development and use of metallic biomaterials has focused on the corrosion resistance of these materials once implanted in the human body. Recently, degradable metallic biomaterials (DMMs) have been proposed for some specific applications, including paediatric, orthopaedic and cardiovascular applications. DMMs are expected to disappear via corrosion after providing structural support for a certain period of time depending on the application site. Over the past decades, a wide-ranging and comprehensive set of in vitro, in vivo and for some cases also ex vivo tests have been proposed and exhaustively investigated for conventional corrosion-resistant metallic biomaterials. Standardization and regulatory bodies in the United States, Japan and Europe have therefore developed tests to license corrosion-resistant metals for use as "biomaterials". This is not the case for DMMs. Once implanted, this new class of biomaterials is expected to support the healing process of a diseased tissue or organ while degrading at a potentially adjustable degradation rate. The tests developed for corrosion-resistant metals cannot simply be transposed to DMMs. These tests can in some cases be adapted, but the expected unique properties of DMMs should also inspire and lead to the design and the development of new specific tests. The current challenge is how to assess the tolerance of surrounding tissues and organs to the presence of degradation products. This work precisely focuses on this topic. The tests usually used to assess the biocompatibility of conventional corrosion-resistant metals are briefly reviewed. Then, genetic regulation is proposed as an original and novel approach to assess the biocompatibility of DMMs. This method appears to predict cell behaviour in the presence of degradation products that are closely related to DNA damage. Various genes have been related to the toxicity and inflammatory responses, indicating their role as biomarkers to assess the toxicity of degradation products. Finally, some gene families that have the potential to be applied as biomarkers of degradation product toxicity are summarized.

Fe-Mn alloys for metallic biodegradable stents: degradation and cell viability studies.

Biodegradable stents have shown their potential to be a valid alternative for the treatment of coronary artery occlusion. This new class of stents requires materials having excellent mechanical properties and controllable degradation behaviour without inducing toxicological problems. The properties of the currently considered gold standard material for stents, stainless steel 316L, were approached by new Fe-Mn alloys. The degradation characteristics of these Fe-Mn alloys were investigated including in vitro cell viability. A specific test bench was used to investigate the degradation in flow conditions simulating those of coronary artery. A water-soluble tetrazolium test method was used to study the effect of the alloy's degradation product to the viability of fibroblast cells. These tests have revealed the corrosion mechanism of the alloys. The degradation products consist of metal hydroxides and calcium/phosphorus layers. The alloys have shown low inhibition to fibroblast cells' metabolic activities. It is concluded that they demonstrate their potential to be developed as degradable metallic biomaterials.