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Polymers for Medical Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 12611

Special Issue Editor

School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
Interests: cell and tissue engineering; nanomaterials for therapeutic applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Synthetic polymers and nanomaterials have raised increasing interest in recent years due to their potential application in the biomedical field. Novel synthetic polymers and nanomaterials with specially designed physical or chemical properties have been developed as biopolymers, nano-scale materials, imaging tools, stimuli-responsive materials, cell culture supporting materials, and systems for drug delivery and drug depots. Such advances drive their future application in the biomedical field. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles with a focus on the synthesis and functionalization of newly synthesized biopolymer, nanomaterials, imaging tools, stimuli-responsive materials, cell culture supporting materials, and drug delivery systems for future biomedical applications.

Prof. Suk Ho Bhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • pH-sensitive polymer
  • cell detachment
  • cell viability
  • angiogenesis

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1577 KiB  
Article
Stem Cell-Engineered Nanovesicles Exert Proangiogenic and Neuroprotective Effects
by Han Young Kim and Suk Ho Bhang
Materials 2021, 14(5), 1078; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14051078 - 25 Feb 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2673
Abstract
As a tissue regeneration strategy, the utilization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has drawn considerable attention. Comprehensive research using MSCs has led to significant preclinical or clinical outcomes; however, improving the survival rate, engraftment efficacy, and immunogenicity of implanted MSCs remains challenging. Although [...] Read more.
As a tissue regeneration strategy, the utilization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has drawn considerable attention. Comprehensive research using MSCs has led to significant preclinical or clinical outcomes; however, improving the survival rate, engraftment efficacy, and immunogenicity of implanted MSCs remains challenging. Although MSC-derived exosomes were recently introduced and reported to have great potential to replace conventional MSC-based therapeutics, the poor production yield and heterogeneity of exosomes are critical hurdles for their further applications. Herein, we report the fabrication of exosome-mimetic MSC-engineered nanovesicles (MSC-NVs) by subjecting cells to serial extrusion through filters. The fabricated MSC-NVs exhibit a hydrodynamic size of ~120 nm, which is considerably smaller than the size of MSCs (~30 μm). MSC-NVs contain both MSC markers and exosome markers. Importantly, various therapeutic growth factors originating from parent MSCs are encapsulated in the MSC-NVs. The MSC-NVs exerted various therapeutic effects comparable to those of MSCs. They also significantly induced the angiogenesis of endothelial cells and showed neuroprotective effects in damaged neuronal cells. The results collectively demonstrate that the fabricated MSC-NVs can serve as a nanosized therapeutic agent for tissue regeneration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Medical Applications)
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13 pages, 2454 KiB  
Article
Development of pH-Responsive Polymer Coating as an Alternative to Enzyme-Based Stem Cell Dissociation for Cell Therapy
by Yu-Jin Kim, Tae-Jin Lee, Gun-Jae Jeong, Jihun Song, Taekyung Yu, Doo Sung Lee and Suk Ho Bhang
Materials 2021, 14(3), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14030491 - 20 Jan 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1969
Abstract
Cell therapy usually accompanies cell detachment as an essential process in cell culture and cell collection for transplantation. However, conventional methods based on enzymatic cell detachment can cause cellular damage including cell death and senescence during the routine cell detaching step due to [...] Read more.
Cell therapy usually accompanies cell detachment as an essential process in cell culture and cell collection for transplantation. However, conventional methods based on enzymatic cell detachment can cause cellular damage including cell death and senescence during the routine cell detaching step due to an inappropriate handing. The aim of the current study is to apply the pH-responsive degradation property of poly (amino ester) to the surface of a cell culture dish to provide a simple and easy alternative method for cell detachment that can substitute the conventional enzyme treatment. In this study, poly (amino ester) was modified (cell detachable polymer, CDP) to show appropriate pH-responsive degradation under mild acidic conditions (0.05% (w/v) CDP, pH 6.0) to detach stem cells (human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hADSCs)) perfectly within a short period (less than 10 min). Compared to conventional enzymatic cell detachment, hADSCs cultured on and detached from a CDP-coated cell culture dish showed similar cellular properties. We further performed in vivo experiments on a mouse hindlimb ischemia model (1.0 × 106 cells per limb). The in vivo results indicated that hADSCs retrieved from normal cell culture dishes and CDP-coated cell culture dishes showed analogous therapeutic angiogenesis. In conclusion, CDP could be applied to a pH-responsive cell detachment system as a simple and easy nonenzymatic method for stem cell culture and various cell therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Medical Applications)
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11 pages, 8054 KiB  
Article
Dual Ion Releasing Nanoparticles for Modulating Osteogenic Cellular Microenvironment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
by Yu-Jin Kim, Jaeyoung Lee, Gwang-Bum Im, Jihun Song, Jiwoo Song, Jiyong Chung, Taekyung Yu and Suk Ho Bhang
Materials 2021, 14(2), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14020412 - 15 Jan 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2051
Abstract
In this study we developed a dual therapeutic metal ion-releasing nanoparticle for advanced osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. In order to enhance the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and induce angiogenesis, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) were synthesized together into [...] Read more.
In this study we developed a dual therapeutic metal ion-releasing nanoparticle for advanced osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. In order to enhance the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and induce angiogenesis, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) were synthesized together into a nanoparticle with a pH-sensitive degradation property. Zn and Fe were loaded within the nanoparticles to promote early osteogenic gene expression and to induce angiogenic paracrine factor secretion for hMSCs. In vitro studies revealed that treating an optimized concentration of our zinc-based iron oxide nanoparticles to hMSCs delivered Zn and Fe ion in a controlled release manner and supported osteogenic gene expression (RUNX2 and alkaline phosphatase) with improved vascular endothelial growth factor secretion. Simultaneous intracellular release of Zn and Fe ions through the endocytosis of the nanoparticles further modulated the mild reactive oxygen species generation level in hMSCs without cytotoxicity and thus improved the osteogenic capacity of the stem cells. Current results suggest that our dual ion releasing nanoparticles might provide a promising platform for future biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Medical Applications)
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13 pages, 3597 KiB  
Article
Facile Tailoring of Contact Layer Characteristics of the Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Portable Imprinting Device
by Sumin Cho, Sunmin Jang, Moonwoo La, Yeongcheol Yun, Taekyung Yu, Sung Jea Park and Dongwhi Choi
Materials 2020, 13(4), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13040872 - 15 Feb 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2566
Abstract
Renewable energy harvesting technologies have been actively studied in recent years for replacing rapidly depleting energies, such as coal and oil energy. Among these technologies, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which is operated by contact-electrification, is attracting close attention due to its high accessibility, [...] Read more.
Renewable energy harvesting technologies have been actively studied in recent years for replacing rapidly depleting energies, such as coal and oil energy. Among these technologies, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which is operated by contact-electrification, is attracting close attention due to its high accessibility, light weight, high shape adaptability, and broad applications. The characteristics of the contact layer, where contact electrification phenomenon occurs, should be tailored to enhance the electrical output performance of TENG. In this study, a portable imprinting device is developed to fabricate TENG in one step by easily tailoring the characteristics of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) contact layer, such as thickness and morphology of the surface structure. These characteristics are critical to determine the electrical output performance. All parts of the proposed device are 3D printed with high-strength polylactic acid. Thus, it has lightweight and easy customizable characteristics, which make the designed system portable. Furthermore, the finger tapping-driven TENG of tailored PDMS contact layer with microstructures is fabricated and easily generates 350 V of output voltage and 30 μA of output current with a simple finger tapping motion-related biomechanical energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Medical Applications)
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11 pages, 3895 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Sub 3 nm-Sized Uniform Magnetite Nanoparticles Using Reverse Micelle Method for Biomedical Application
by Euiyoung Jung, Sung-Won Kim, Ahyoung Cho, Yu-Jin Kim, Gun-Jae Jeong, Jinheung Kim, Suk Ho Bhang and Taekyung Yu
Materials 2019, 12(23), 3850; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12233850 - 22 Nov 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2739
Abstract
We report a synthetic method for small and uniform Fe3O4 (magnetite) nanoparticles under mild conditions. Spherical sub-3 nm-sized magnetite nanoparticles were prepared via reverse micelles composed of oleylamine, F127, xylene, and water for the reaction of iron(III) stearate with hydrazine [...] Read more.
We report a synthetic method for small and uniform Fe3O4 (magnetite) nanoparticles under mild conditions. Spherical sub-3 nm-sized magnetite nanoparticles were prepared via reverse micelles composed of oleylamine, F127, xylene, and water for the reaction of iron(III) stearate with hydrazine at a reaction temperature of 90 °C in air atmosphere. These synthesized magnetite nanoparticles exhibited good size uniformity. By controlling experimental conditions, we could easily control both size and size uniformity of these magnetite nanoparticles. We further investigated whether Fe3O4 could be used in biomedical applications. Cytotoxicity of Fe3O4 was evaluated with human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). Our results showed that the number of hADSCs did not significantly decrease when these cells were treated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles at a concentration of up to 9 μg/mL. Apoptotic activity and cell proliferation of hADSCs treated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles were similar to those of hADSCs without any treatment. This novel method could be used for synthesizing uniform and biocompatible Fe3O4 nanoparticles with further biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Medical Applications)
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