Nanotechnology in tissue engineering: expanding possibilities with nanoparticles.

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that merges engineering, material science, and medical biology in order to develop biological alternatives for repairing, replacing, maintaining, or boosting the functionality of tissues and organs. The ultimate goal of tissue engineering is to create biological alternatives for repairing, replacing, maintaining, or enhancing the functionality of tissues and organs. However, the current landscape of tissue engineering techniques presents several challenges, including a lack of suitable biomaterials, inadequate cell proliferation, limited methodologies for replicating desired physiological structures, and the unstable and insufficient production of growth factors, which are essential for facilitating cell communication and the appropriate cellular responses. Despite these challenges, there has been significant progress made in tissue engineering techniques in recent years. Nanoparticles hold a major role within the realm of nanotechnology due to their unique qualities that change with size. These particles, which provide potential solutions to the issues that are met in tissue engineering, have helped propel nanotechnology to its current state of prominence. Despite substantial breakthroughs in the utilization of nanoparticles over the past two decades, the full range of their potential in addressing the difficulties within tissue engineering remains largely untapped. This is due to the fact that these advancements have occurred in relatively isolated pockets. In the realm of tissue engineering, the purpose of this research is to conduct an in-depth investigation of the several ways in which various types of nanoparticles might be put to use. In addition to this, it sheds light on the challenges that need to be conquered in order to unlock the maximum potential of nanotechnology in this area.

Glycosylated nanoplatforms: From glycosylation strategies to implications and opportunities for cancer theranostics.

Glycosylated nanoplatforms have emerged as promising tools in the field of cancer theranostics, integrating both therapeutic and diagnostic functionalities. These nanoscale platforms are composed of different materials such as lipids, polymers, carbons, and metals that can be modified with glycosyl moieties to enhance their targeting capabilities towards cancer cells. This review provides an overview of different modification strategies employed to introduce glycosylation onto nanoplatforms, including chemical conjugation, enzymatic methods, and bio-orthogonal reactions. Furthermore, the potential applications of glycosylated nanoplatforms in cancer theranostics are discussed, focusing on their roles in drug delivery, imaging, and combination therapy. The ability of these nanoplatforms to selectively target cancer cells through specific interactions with overexpressed glycan receptors is highlighted, emphasizing their potential for enhancing efficacy and reducing the side effects compared to conventional therapies. In addition, the incorporation of diagnostic components onto the glycosylated nanoplatforms provided the capability of simultaneous imaging and therapy and facilitated the real-time monitoring of treatment response. Finally, challenges and future perspectives in the development and translation of glycosylated nanoplatforms for clinical applications are addressed, including scalability, biocompatibility, and regulatory considerations. Overall, this review underscores the significant progress made in the field of glycosylated nanoplatforms and their potential to revolutionize cancer theranostics.

Cell-based wound dressing: Bilayered PCL/gelatin nanofibers-alginate/collagen hydrogel scaffold loaded with mesenchymal stem cells.

Wound dressing is applied to promote the healing process, wound protection, and additionally regeneration of injured skin. In this study, a bilayer scaffold composed of a hydrogel and nanofibers was fabricated to improve the regeneration of injured skin. To this end, polycaprolactone/gelatin (PCL/Gel) nanofibers were electrospun directly on the prepared collagen/alginate (Col/Alg) hydrogel. The bilayer scaffold was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), mechanical properties, and swelling/degradation time. Cytotoxicity assays were evaluated using MTT assay. Then, the nanofiber and bilayer scaffolds were seeded with Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). ADSCs were isolated from rat adipose tissue and analyzed using flow cytometry, in advance. Full-thickness wounds on the backs of rats were dressed with ADSCs-seeded bilayer scaffolds and nanofibers. Histopathological evaluations were performed after 14 and 21 days using H&E (hematoxylin and eosin) staining. The results indicated that re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, and collagen remodeling were enhanced in ADSCs-seeded bilayer scaffolds and nanofibers in comparison with the control group. In conclusion, the best re-epithelialization, collagen organization, neovascularization, and low presence of inflammation in the wound area were observed in the ADSCs-seeded bilayer scaffolds.

Recent advances in isolation and detection of exosomal microRNAs related to Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease, a progressive neurological condition, is associated with various internal and external risk factors in the disease's early stages. Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is essential for treatment management. Circulating exosomal microRNAs could be a new class of valuable biomarkers for early Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. Different kinds of biosensors have been introduced in recent years for the detection of these valuable biomarkers. Isolation of the exosomes is a crucial step in the detection process which is traditionally carried out by multi-step ultrafiltration. Microfluidics has improved the efficiency and costs of exosome isolation by implementing various effects and forces on the nano and microparticles in the microchannels. This paper reviews recent advancements in detecting Alzheimer's disease related exosomal microRNAs based on methods such as electrochemical, fluorescent, and SPR. The presented devices' pros and cons and their efficiencies compared with the gold standard methods are reported. Moreover, the application of microfluidic devices to detect Alzheimer's disease related biomarkers is summarized and presented. Finally, some challenges with the performance of novel technologies for isolating and detecting exosomal microRNAs are addressed.

Cross flow coupled with inertial focusing for separation of human sperm cells from semen and simulated TESE samples.

A triplet spiral channel coupled with cross-flow filtration has been designed and fabricated in an effort to separate sperm cells from either semen or simulated testicular sperm extraction (TESE) samples. This device separates a fraction of cells from the sample by taking advantage of inertial focusing combined with hydrodynamic filtration in multiple micro-slits. Compared to the conventional swim-up technique, the proposed microfluidic device is capable of efficiently separating sperm cells without any tedious semen sample processing and centrifugation steps with a lower level of reactive oxygen species and DNA fragmentation. The device processing capability on the simulated TESE samples confirmed its proficiency in retrieving sperm cells from the samples with an approximate yield of 76%. Conclusively, the introduced microfluidic device can pave the path to proficiently separate sperm cells in assisted reproductive treatment cycles.

A signal-on built in-marker electrochemical aptasensor for human prostate-specific antigen based on a hairbrush-like gold nanostructure.

A green electrodeposition method was firstly employed for the synthesis of round hairbrush-like gold nanostructure in the presence of cadaverine as a size and shape directing additive. The nanostructure which comprised of arrays of nanospindles was then applied as a transducer to fabricate a signal-on built in-marker electrochemical aptasensor for the detection of human prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The aptasensor detected PSA with a linear concentration range of 0.125 to 128 ng mL-1 and a limit of detection of 50 pg mL-1. The aptasensor was then successfully applied to detect PSA in the blood serum samples of healthy and patient persons.

Zepto-molar electrochemical detection of Brucella genome based on gold nanoribbons covered by gold nanoblooms.

Gold nanoribbons covered by gold nanoblooms were sonoelectrodeposited on a polycrystalline gold surface at -1800 mV (vs. AgCl) with the assistance of ultrasound and co-occurrence of the hydrogen evolution reaction. The nanostructure, as a transducer, was utilized to immobilize a Brucella-specific probe and fabrication of a genosensor, and the process of immobilization and hybridization was detected by electrochemical methods, using methylene blue as a redox marker. The proposed method for detection of the complementary sequence, sequences with base-mismatched (one-, two- and three-base mismatches), and the sequence of non-complementary sequence was assayed. The fabricated genosensor was evaluated for the assay of the bacteria in the cultured and human samples without polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The genosensor could detect the complementary sequence with a calibration sensitivity of 0.40 µA dm(3) mol(-1), a linear concentration range of 10 zmol dm(-3) to 10 pmol dm(-3), and a detection limit of 1.71 zmol dm(-3).