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Wound management is essential to provide an appropriate environment for healing or avoiding wound or postsurgery contamination, which remains a serious clinical issue. In this study, we developed a novel wound dressing by using the electrospinning technique to draw continuous polymeric fibers from either a polymer solution or polymer melt to fabricate wound dressings with good medicinal properties. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biomaterial with good properties that was utilized in this work to produce PCL electrospun mats. Given their hydrophobic properties, however, PCL electrospun mats were hydrolyzed by alkali hydrolysis to permit antibacterial agent attachment. To confer antibacterial properties, pexiganan, an antimicrobial peptide (AMP), was employed as the active agent at various concentrations. The results indicate that PCL electrospun mats treated with pexiganan exhibited efficient bacterial inhibition of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. To assess in vitro cytotoxicity, the viability of human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells following application of the treated mats was measured and found to be significantly decreased at 1 day depending on the amount of deposited agent; nevertheless, the PCL electrospun mats were validated according to ISO 10993–5:2009.

Large critical-size bone defects in the oral and craniofacial region are difficult to regenerate. We evaluated the effectiveness of mRNA encoding bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) in enhancing bone regeneration using a rat calvarial defect model. Two delivery approaches were investigated: (1) in vivo application of BMP-2 mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles incorporated in a scaffold, and (2) application of ex vivo BMP-2 mRNA-transfected rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs), loaded on a scaffold and implanted into calvarial defects. The direct application of BMP-2 mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles improved bone regeneration as indicated by micro-computed tomography analysis. The enhancement was even more pronounced with ex vivo transfected rBMSCs. rBMSCs transfected with FGF-2 mRNA did not improve bone regeneration, either alone or combined with BMP-2 mRNA-transfected rBMSCs. Similarly, PDGF-BB mRNA-transfected rBMSCs failed to enhance bone regeneration alone and notably suppressed BMP-2 mRNA-transfected rBMSCs’ effects. Interestingly, BMP-2 mRNA-transfected rat fibroblasts showed comparable bone regeneration to transfected rBMSCs. Osteogenic differentiation was absent in BMP-2 mRNA-transfected rBMSCs, implying that they may primarily serve as a source of translated BMP-2 for bone regeneration rather than undergoing osteogenic differentiation. These findings highlight the translational potential of BMP-2 mRNA for bone regeneration, particularly in oral and craniofacial applications.

This study explores the fabrication and characterization of porous ceramic scaffolds using the polyurethane sponge replication technique with commercial hydroxyapatite (SA-P) and Nile Tilapia bone-derived (FB-P) powders. Scaffolds sintered at 1300 °C and 1400 °C for 5 h exhibited high porosity (70–90%) with interconnected pores. SA scaffolds exhibited greater shrinkage due to differences in particle size and morphology. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed hydroxyapatite (HAp), β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), and α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) phases, with compositions influenced by sintering temperature. FB scaffolds developed a distinct blue coloration attributed to hydroxyl (OH − ) and oxygen (O v –PO 4 ) vacancies within the HAp, while SA scaffolds appeared lighter. UV–vis and XANES analyses validated these compositional differences. In vitro cytotoxicity assays confirmed the biocompatibility of all scaffolds, with SA scaffolds exhibiting higher cell viability and proliferation than FB scaffolds, likely due to their optimized microstructure and phase composition. While FB scaffolds showed slightly lower cell proliferation, their bioactivity remained sufficient for bone tissue engineering applications. These findings suggest a promising strategy for selectively enhancing the OH − vacancy within the HAp structure and refining the HAp/β-TCP composition, thereby improving the biological performance of calcium phosphate scaffolds for biomedical applications.

IntroductionHard-setting calcium hydroxide-based materials, e.g., Dycal and Life, have been widely used for direct pulp capping. However, various studies have shown undesirable effects such as high solubility and unpredictable dentine bridge formation. Bioceramic, mainly composed of tricalcium and dicalcium silicates, e.g., mineral trioxide aggregate and Biodentine, have provided more desirable physical and biological properties. This study aims to measure the physical properties, chemical properties, and biological response of human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) on three dental pulp-capping materials, Dycal, Life, and cockle shell-derived tricalcium silicate pulp capping material (C-Cap).MethodsC-Cap was prepared from cockle shells and rice husk ash. Its chemical composition was identified using X-ray diffractometry. The setting time, flow, solubility, and radiopacity tests were performed following the International Organization for Standardization 6876:2012. pH and calcium ion release were measured. The materials were subjected to an extraction medium at various concentrations and subsequently measured for cytotoxicity and migration on HDPCs, from three healthy, mature permanent teeth from different donors. Osteogenic differentiation was assessed by examining alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity and alizarin red staining assay. The data were tested for a normal distribution. The differences among groups were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparison test (p < 0.05).ResultsThe setting time of each material was approximately 1–2 min. C-Cap showed the lowest solubility (10.27% ± 1.02%) compared to Dycal (12.67% ± 0.94%) and Life (12.74% ± 1.33%), with a significant difference (p < 0.05). All materials exhibited radiopacity ranging from 2.4 to 2.9 mm of aluminum. C-Cap had the highest flow, alkalinity, and calcium ion release. C-Cap was significantly less cytotoxic than Dycal and Life (p < 0.05). The migration of HDPCs cultured in C-Cap extraction medium (27.74% ± 0.12%) was comparable to that in serum-free medium (27.09% ± 0.08%) with a significant difference (p < 0.05). The mineralization by HDPCs maintained in C-Cap extraction medium was significantly higher than those in Dycal and Life extraction mediums with a significant difference (p < 0.05).ConclusionsC-Cap, a tricalcium silicate-based pulp capping material has potential for further development. C-Cap exhibited comparable physical properties and superior biological properties when compared to Dycal and Life.

Bone tissue engineering is a complicated field requiring concerted participation of cells, scaffolds, and osteoactive molecules to replace damaged bone. This study synthesized a chitosan-based (CS) scaffold incorporated with trichostatin A (TSA), an epigenetic modifier molecule, to achieve promising bone regeneration potential. The scaffolds with various biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) proportions: 0%, 10%, 20%, and 40% were fabricated. The addition of BCP improved the scaffolds’ mechanical properties and delayed the degradation rate, whereas 20% BCP scaffold matched the appropriate scaffold requirements. The proper concentration of TSA was also validated. Our developed scaffold released TSA and sustained them for up to three days. The scaffold with 800 nM of TSA showed excellent biocompatibility and induced robust osteoblast-related gene expression in the primary human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs). To evaluate in vivo bone regeneration potential, the scaffolds were implanted in the mice calvarial defect model. The excellent bone regeneration ability was further demonstrated in the micro-CT and histology sections compared to both negative control and commercial bone graft product. New bone formed in the CS/BCP/TSA group revealed a trabeculae-liked characteristic of the mature bone as early as six weeks. The CS/BCP/TSA scaffold is an up-and-coming candidate for the bone tissue engineering scaffold.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is highly valued for biomedical and industrial applications due to its exceptional biocompatibility, strength, and biodegradability. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) exhibits favorable characteristics, making it an ideal candidate for hydrogel formulation. In this study, BC–PVA composite hydrogels were synthesized by dissolving 1% w/w BC in ZnCl2 3H2O and 10% w/w PVA in ZnCl2nH2O, n = 6, 9, 12, and 15. These solutions were combined at BC:PVA weight ratios of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3, then crosslinking using a glutaraldehyde–acetone solution before immersion in deionized water. The resulting hydrogels exhibited a dense, tightly packed structure with mild to moderate porosity. FTIR analysis confirmed molecular interactions via a broad, reduced O–H stretching band and the appearance of C-H bending vibrations. The water content and swelling ratio ranged from 88.13% to 94.67% and 437.93% to 997.22%, respectively. At a compressive strain of 30%, the compressive strength ranged from 62.28 kPa to 93.16 kPa. This work introduces a novel and efficient method for preparing BC-PVA hydrogels using ZnCl2 hydrate solvents. Both the ZnCl2 hydration level and the BC:PVA ratio significantly influenced the structural, water content, swelling, and mechanical properties, offering tunable materials for biomedical or industrial applications.

The aim of this study is to synthesize Titania nanotubes (TNTs) on the 3D-printed Ti-6Al-4V surface and investigate the loading of antibacterial vancomycin drug dose of 200 ppm for local drug treatment application for 24 h. The antibacterial drug release from synthesized nanotubes evaluated via the chemical surface measurement and the linear fitting of Korsmeyer–Peppas model was also assessed. The TNTs were synthesized on the Ti-6Al-4V surface through the anodization process at different anodization time. The TNTs morphology was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The wettability and the chemical composition of the Ti-6Al-4V surface and the TNTs were assessed using the contact angle meter, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The vancomycin of 200 ppm release behavior under controlled atmosphere was measured by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and hence, the position for retention time at 2.5 min was ascertained. The FESEM analysis confirmed the formation of nanostructured TNTs with vertically oriented, closely packed, smooth and unperforated walls. The maximum cumulative vancomycin release of 34.7% (69.5 ppm) was recorded at 24 h. The wetting angle of both Ti-6Al-4V implant and the TNTs were found below 90 degrees. This confirmed their excellent wettability.