A bilayered tissue engineered in vitro model simulating the tooth periodontium.

Due to the complexity of the structure of the tooth periodontium, regeneration of the full tooth attachment is not a trivial task. There is also a gap in models that can represent human tooth attachment in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to develop a bilayered in vitro construct that simulated the tooth periodontal ligament and attached alveolar bone, for the purpose of tissue regeneration and investigation of physiological and orthodontic loading. Two types of materials were used to develop this construct: sol-gel 60S10Mg derived scaffold, representing the hard tissue component of the periodontium, and commercially available Geistlich Bio-Gide® collagen membrane, representing the soft tissue component of the tooth attachment. Each scaffold was dynamically seeded with human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLCs). Scaffolds were either cultured separately, or combined in a bilayered construct, for 2 weeks. Characterisation of the individual scaffolds and the bilayered constructs included biological characterisation (cell viability, scanning electron microscopy to confirm cell attachment, gene expression of periodontium regeneration markers), and mechanical characterisation of scaffolds and constructs. HPDLCs enjoyed a biocompatible 3-dimensional environment within the bilayered construct components. There was no drop in cellular gene expression in the bilayered construct, compared to the separate scaffolds.

Injectable osteogenic and angiogenic nanocomposite hydrogels for irregular bone defects.

Injectable hydrogels with their 3D structure and good moldability serve as excellent scaffolding material for regenerating irregular non load-bearing bone defects. Most of the bone defects do not heal completely due to the lack of vasculature required for the transport of nutrients and oxygen to the regenerating tissues. To enhance vasculature, we developed an injectable hydrogel system made of chitin and poly (butylene succinate) (PBSu) loaded with 250 ± 20 nm sized fibrin nanoparticles (FNPs) and magnesium-doped bioglass (MBG). FNPs were expected to enhance vascularisation and MBG was expected to help induce early osteogenesis. Composite hydrogels were analysed using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and rheology. Hydrogels with MBG showed a slightly rougher morphology upon SEM analysis. Composites containing 5% MBG and 2% FNPs showed good rheological properties, injectability, temperature stability, biomineralization and protein adsorption. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and rabbit-adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (rASCs) were used for cyto-compatibility studies. Composite gels with 2% FNPs and 2% MBG (composite 1) were considered to be non-toxic to both the cells and were taken for further in vitro studies. Aortic ring assay was carried out to study the angiogenic potential of the hydrogels. The aorta placed with composite hydrogels showed enhanced sprouting of blood vessels. rASCs too showed good spreading on the composite hydrogels. Hydrogels containing MBG showed early initiation of differentiation and higher expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin confirming the osteoinductive property of MBG. These studies indicate that this composite hydrogel can be used for regenerating irregular bone defects.

Electrophoretic deposition of ZnO/alginate and ZnO-bioactive glass/alginate composite coatings for antimicrobial applications.

Two organic/inorganic composite coatings based on alginate, as organic matrix, and zinc oxide nanoparticles (n-ZnO) with and without bioactive glass (BG), as inorganic components, intended for biomedical applications, were developed by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Different n-ZnO (1-10 g/L) and BG (1-1.5 g/L) contents were studied for a fixed alginate concentration (2 g/L). The presence of n-ZnO was confirmed to impart antibacterial properties to the coatings against gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, while the BG induced the formation of hydroxyapatite on coating surfaces thereby imparting bioactivity, making the coating suitable for bone replacement applications. Coating composition was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to study both the surface and the cross section morphology of the coatings. Polarization curves of the coated substrates made in cell culture media at 37 °C confirmed the corrosion protection function of the novel organic/inorganic composite coatings.