Submit to Applied Sciences Review for Applied Sciences Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Application of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2022) | Viewed by 14853

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carlo Galli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università di Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy
Interests: biomaterials–tissue interactions; resorbable scaffolds for bone regeneration; bone tissue; implantable devices; cell responses to surface topography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tissue engineering aims at restoring organs and tissues that have been damaged by trauma or disease without replacing them with a prosthesis, but by adopting specific approaches that can promote the regeneration of new sound tissue. Biomaterials are central tools to many such approaches, as they can provide scaffolds to support, stimulate, and guide cells and tissue during regeneration, or even just act as delivery agents for bioactive molecules.

Tissue engineering relies on acquisitions from many different areas of science, including but not limited to cell and molecular biology, genetics, material science, bioengineering and nanotechnology, and these all are key to the design, enrichment, and development of biomaterials. A close cooperation of all these different areas is necessary to identify and optimize the best strategies and best biomaterials to treat patients, overcoming the limits of overspecialized competence. Therefore, exchanging ideas is the best way to foster a multidisciplinary culture that is able to set differences aside and find a common ground to pursue real innovation, i.e., innovation that can benefit society. This Special Issue of Applied Sciences aims to contribute to this global effort by providing a platform to science, in all its diversity, with the common goal of promoting and engineering tissue health and regeneration and highlighting the role that biomaterials have in this endeavor.

Dr. Carlo Galli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biomaterials
tissue engineering
regeneration
healing
repair

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Other

9 pages, 1128 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Biomimetic Polynucleotides–Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Promotes the Growth of 3D Spheroid Cultures of Gingival Fibroblasts

by Maria Teresa Colangelo, Maria Luisa Vicedomini, Silvana Belletti, Paolo Govoni, Stefano Guizzardi and Carlo Galli

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 743; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13020743 - 05 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1636

Abstract

(1) Background: Three-dimensional cultures are useful tools to evaluate regenerative approaches in vitro, as they may mimic the spatial arrangement of cells more closely to natural tissues than routine 2D culture methods. (2) Methods: We investigated the effects of a polynucleotide, hyaluronic acid (PN, HA) compound on 3D spheroid cultures of primary gingival fibroblasts, by measuring their morphology over time, cell viability with Calcein-AM, a fluorescent marker, and cell growth potential by re-plating spheroids in attachment-permissive regular culture plates under routine conditions and following them up for 15 days. (3) Results: PN + HA induced an increase in spheroid size and perimeter and a decrease in spheroid circularity, as cells tended to grow and form small peripheral stacks around the spheroid. Levels of cell viability were also higher in this group. After re-plating, only the spheroids previously stimulated with PN + HA dissolved completely during the second week of culture and colonized the plate, thus indicating the retention of a higher level of viability by the cells forming the whole spheroid with this stimulus. (4) Conclusions: Taken together, our data support the idea that the combination of PN and HA has synergic effects on primary fibroblasts and promotes their viability, the growth of 3D cellular constructs, and the retention of a remarkable proliferative potential over the course of the experimental period, making it a promising compound for further investigations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3713 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Mg,Sr-Cosubstituted Hydroxyapatite with Improved Structural Properties

by Elena Landi, Stefano Guizzardi, Elettra Papa and Carlo Galli

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4930; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114930 - 27 May 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1763

Abstract

Bone substitute materials require specific properties to make them suitable for implantation, such as biocompatibility and resistance to mechanical loads. Mg,Sr-cosubstituted hydroxyapatite (MgSr-HA) is a promising bone scaffold candidate because its structure is similar to the native bone matrix. However, MgSr-HA materials do not typically withstand thermal treatments over 800 °C, because Mg promotes HA degradation to less stable tricalcium phosphate, a compound that, albeit biocompatible, is not found in bone. We, therefore, designed an ion-exchange process to enrich sintered Sr-HA with Mg and obtain MgSr-HA porous constructs. These materials contained a 0.04–0.08 Mg/Ca molar ratio and a 0.12–0.13 Sr/Ca molar ratio, and had up to 20 MPa of compressive strength, suitable for use as bone fillers or scaffolds. Unlike previous synthetic Mg,Sr-substituted apatite powders, the proposed process did not degrade HA and thus preserved its similarity to bone structure. The obtained material thus combines the presence of bioactive Mg and Sr ions in the HA lattice with a 3D morphological/structural organization that can be customized in pore size and distribution, as well as in mechanical strength, thus potentially covering a wide range of clinical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 2373 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Biomimetic Polynucleotides–Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Promotes Wound Healing in a Primary Gingival Fibroblast Model

by Maria Teresa Colangelo, Silvana Belletti, Paolo Govoni, Stefano Guizzardi and Carlo Galli

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(10), 4405; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104405 - 12 May 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3929

Abstract

Polynucleotides (PN) have long been known as an effective supportive therapy for wound healing. The present study investigated whether a hydrogel formulation containing PN and hyaluronic acid (PN + HA) could promote wound healing in an in vitro model of gingival fibroblasts. PN promoted cell growth and viability as assessed by different assays, and PN + HA, though not significantly further increasing cell growth as compared to PN, supported the formation of dense multilayered cell nodules. PN promoted fibroblasts’ clonogenic efficiency and PN + HA further enhanced the formation of more numerous dense colonies. PN + HA appeared to significantly increase the expression of collagen 1a1 and 3a1, while not affecting proteoglycans deposition. Interestingly, when tested in a scratch assay, PN + HA achieved gap closure after 48 h, while cells in the comparison groups had not completely bridged the scratch even after 96 h. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PN + HA is a promising candidate for a supportive therapy to promote soft tissue healing in the oral cavity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 6504 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preliminary Study on the Development of In Vitro Human Respiratory Epithelium Using Collagen Type I Scaffold as a Potential Model for Future Tracheal Tissue Engineering

by Yogeswaran Lokanathan, Mh Busra Fauzi, Rohaina Che Man, Zahra Rashidbenam, Aminuddin Bin Saim, Ruszymah Binti Hj Idrus and Mohd Heikal Mohd Yunus

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1787; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041787 - 18 Feb 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2698

Abstract

Pathological conditions of the tracheal epithelium, such as postoperative injuries and chronic conditions, often compromise the functionality of the respiratory epithelium. Although replacement of the respiratory epithelium using various types of tracheal transplantation has been attempted, there is no predictable and dependable replacement method that holds for safe and practicable long-term use. Therefore, we used a tissue engineering approach for ex vivo regeneration of the respiratory epithelium (RE) construct. Collagen type I was isolated from sheep tendon and it was fabricated in a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold format. Isolated human respiratory epithelial cells (RECs) and fibroblasts from nasal turbinate were co-cultured on the 3D scaffold for 48 h, and epithelium maturation was allowed for another 14 days in an air–liquid interface culture system. The scanning electron microscope results revealed a fabricated porous-structure 3D collagen scaffold. The scaffold was found to be biocompatible with RECs and fibroblasts and allows cells attachment, proliferation, and migration. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the seeded RECs and fibroblasts were positive for expression of cytokeratin 14 and collagen type I markers, respectively, indicating that the scaffold supports the native phenotype of seeded cells over a period of 14 days. Although a longer maturation period is needed for ciliogenesis to occur in RECs, the findings suggest that the tissue-engineered RE construct is a potential candidate for direct use in tracheal epithelium replacement or tracheal tube reengineering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 5660 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Study of Grass-Derived Nano-Cellulose and Polycaprolactone Composites for 3D Printing

by Chen Feng, Jiping Zhou, Xiaodong Xu, Yani Jiang, Hongcan Shi and Guoqi Zhao

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1273; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031273 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2244

Abstract

In recent years, 3D printing has received increasing attention from researchers. This technology overcomes the limitations of traditional technologies by printing precise and personalized scaffold with arbitrary shapes, pore structures, and porosities for the applications in various tissues. The cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) is extracted from Humulus Japonicus (HJS) and mixed with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) to prepare a series of CNC/PCL composites for printing. Based on the analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the series of the CNC/PCL composites, an optimal mass ratio of CNC to PCL was obtained. The Solidworks was used to simulate the stretching and compression process of the scaffolds with three different patterns under an external force. The flow of nutrient solution in the scaffolds with different patterns was simulated by ANSYS FLUENT, and then a new optimization scaffold pattern with a concave hexagon shape was advised based on the simulation results. Collectively, the mechanical test results of the material and scaffold confirmed that the optimal filling amount of the CNC was 5%, and the scaffold pattern with concave hexagon shape exhibited better mechanical properties and suitable for the transport of cells and nutrients, which is expected to be more widely used in 3D printing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

10 pages, 536 KiB

Open AccessHypothesis

Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Might Increase the Effect of Enamel Matrix Derivative on Periodontal Tissues

by Stefano Guizzardi, Giuseppe Pedrazzi and Carlo Galli

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(22), 10758; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112210758 - 15 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1716

Abstract

Periodontal regeneration is a complex goal, which is commonly pursued with a combination of surgical techniques, biomaterials, and bioactive compounds. One such compound is enamel matrix derivative (EMD), a medical substance that is extracted from porcine tooth germs and which contains several protein fractions with BMP- and TGF-β-like action. Activation of TGF-β signaling is required for EMD activity on cells and tissues, and a growing body of evidence indicates that EMD largely relies on this pathway. As low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have long been investigated as a tool to promote bone formation and osteoblast activity, and because recent studies have reported that the effects of EMFs on cells require primary cilia, by modulating the presence of membrane-bound receptors (e.g., for BMP) or signal mediators, it can be hypothesized that the application of EMFs may increase cell sensitivity to EMD: as TGFBR receptors have also been identified on primary cilia, EMFs could make cells more responsive to EMD by inducing the display of a higher number of receptors on the cellular membrane. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering)

► Show Figures