Search

Designing and synthesizing one-dimensional porous Pt nanocrystals with unique optical, electrocatalytic, and theranostic properties are gaining lots of attention, especially to overcome the challenges of tumor recurrence and resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Herein, we represented an interesting report of a one-step and facile strategy for synthesizing multifunctional one-dimensional (1D) porous Pt nanoribbons (PtNRBs) with highly efficient therapeutic effects on cancer cells based on inherent electrocatalytic activity. The critical point in the formation of luminescent porous PtNRBs was the use of human hemoglobin (Hb) as a shape-regulating, stabilizing, and reducing agent with facet-specific domains on which fluorescent platinum nanoclusters at first are aggregated by aggregation-induced emission phenomena (AIE) and then crystallized into contact and penetration twins, as intermediate products, followed by shaping of the final luminescent porous ribbon nanomaterials, owing to oriented attachment association viathe Ostwald ripening mechanism. From a medical point of view, the key strategy for effective cancer therapy occured viausing low-dosage ethanol in the presence of electroactive porous PtNRBs based on intracellular ethanol oxidation-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The role of heme groups of Hb, as electrocatalytically active centers, was successfully demonstrated in both kinetically controlled anisotropic growth of NRBs for slowing down the reduction of Pt(II) followed by oligomerization of Pt(II)–Hb complexes viaplatinophilic interactions as well as electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation for therapy. Interestingly, hyaluronic acid-targeted (HA) Hb-PtNRB in the presence of low-dose ethanol caused extraordinary arrest of tumor growth and metastasis with no recurrence even after the treatment course stopped, which caused elongation of tumor-bearing mice survival. HA/Hb-PtNRB was completely biocompatible and exhibited high tumor-targeting efficacy for fluorescent imaging of breast tumors. Therefore, the synergistic electrocatalytic activity of PtNRBs is presented as an efficient and safe cancer theranostic method for the first time.

Natural bone constitutes a complex and organized structure of organic and inorganic components with limited ability to regenerate and restore injured tissues, especially in large bone defects. To improve the reconstruction of the damaged bones, tissue engineering has been introduced as a promising alternative approach to the conventional therapeutic methods including surgical interventions using allograft and autograft implants. Bioengineered composite scaffolds consisting of multifunctional biomaterials in combination with the cells and bioactive therapeutic agents have great promise for bone repair and regeneration. Cellulose and its derivatives are renewable and biodegradable natural polymers that have shown promising potential in bone tissue engineering applications. Cellulose-based scaffolds possess numerous advantages attributed to their excellent properties of non-toxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, availability through renewable resources, and the low cost of preparation and processing. Furthermore, cellulose and its derivatives have been extensively used for delivering growth factors and antibiotics directly to the site of the impaired bone tissue to promote tissue repair. This review focuses on the various classifications of cellulose-based composite scaffolds utilized in localized bone drug delivery systems and bone regeneration, including cellulose-organic composites, cellulose-inorganic composites, cellulose-organic/inorganic composites. We will also highlight the physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties of the different cellulose-based scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.

Emerging bioengineering approaches such as three-dimensional (3D) cell culture methods have opened new avenues for scaffolds combined with various therapeutic agents in bone tissue regeneration. In this regard, bioceramic nanocomposite compounds have been prominently studied in bone and dental tissue engineering, due to their potential for diseased bone regeneration. We synthesized in situ bioceramic nanocomposite using a combination of sol–gel and mechanical activation that the nanocomposite contained Akermanite as a major phase, and Monticellite as a minor phase. After physicochemical characterization (crystallite size of Ak and Mon were 58 and 48 nm respectively), cell viability and pertinent biological studies of the nanocomposite powder showed 1.5 times the control value. The results reported the enhanced cell viability in 2D conditions, and 3D culture with bone tissue spheroids (viability was almost 150%). Furthermore, alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) was tested in both monolayer and spheroid conditions, and the results indicated a boosted ALP activity in 2D and 3D condition (4 and 2 times the control value respectively). Additionally, nanocomposite powder extracts promoted the expression of both the COL1 and VEGF genes in 3D cultures (5 and 1.5 times the first day value respectively), showing the extract capability in accelerating bone spheroid formation. The current proof-of-concept study showed that 3D culture technology could provide a valuable way to understand the potential of tissue engineering before undertaking costly and harsh animal studies.

Over the past century, viral respiratory pandemics have been a leading cause of infectious disease worldwide. A deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the viral interactions with host cells at the target sites is necessary for a rapid response to such pandemics. To meet this aim, various testing platforms are required to recapitulate the pathophysiological behavior of the virus within the respiratory tract. These bioengineered platforms can effectively be used for the development of different therapeutics and vaccines. This paper briefly reviews the progress in the areas of biomaterial use for pulmonary tissue regeneration and integration with current bioengineered platforms including engineered tissues, organoids, and organs-on-a-chip platforms for viral respiratory disease studies. Finally, a brief overview of the opportunities presented by organ-on-a-chip systems for studying COVID-19 and subsequent drug development is introduced.

3D printing is an additive manufacturing method that involves successive deposition of layers of materials to create a construct from a digital model. 3D-printing technologies have widespread applications in medicine and are increasingly used for solving a wide variety of medical problems. In this review, we summarize existing 3D-printing technologies and explore recent advances in the development and characterization of bioinks and biomaterial inks. We will then explain characterization methods for determining the rheological and mechanical properties of printing inks and 3D-printed constructs using invasive and noninvasive methods. Lastly, four core uses in recent innovations in medicine, including tissue and organoid engineering, disease modeling, drug delivery, biosensing, patient-specific implants and challenges along with future prospects will be discussed.

Circulating tumor cells are of utmost importance among various biomarkers in liquid biopsies as a prognosis indicator of metastasis as well as in chemotherapeutic monitoring. This study introduces an efficient tool composed of soft nano/hybrid immune microgels for magnetic isolation of targeted tumor cells. The development process involves the in situ synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles within the three-dimensional matrix of thermoresponsive microgels. Surface modification and anti-EpCAM conjugation are adjusted by changing the temperature, and a conjugation efficiency of around 70% is achieved by using a protein G linker. Anti-EpCAM-conjugated nano/hybrid magnetic microgels are used to isolate EpCAM-expressing breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells from culture media and whole blood with an efficiency of 75 and 70%, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of the hybrid microgels to isolate cancer cells with a purity of 65% and culture the cells post-isolation for further drug studies. The multifunctional hybrid microcarriers reported in this work can be potentially used for continuous monitoring of cancers and in personalized medicine.

Magnetic nanomaterials have drawn ample attention in the field of biotechnology due to their excellent magnetic properties and biocompatibility. These materials have been widely used for exosome isolation, DNA separation, magnetic resonance imaging, and drug delivery. However, their application in cell isolation has been limited due to the lack of efficient antibody conjugation and instability in aqueous solutions. In this study, we produced hybrid maghemite nanorod/immuno-microgels with high capturing capacity for cell isolation and enumeration. Lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanorods with controlled morphology are synthesized using hydrolysis method. The effects of the different synthesis conditions on morphology, phase composition, and magnetic properties of lepidocrocite are studied to determine the best synthesis conditions. We coat the nanorods with chitosan and attach them to the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PNIPAM-AA) microgel through chemical bonding to form a nano/hybrid microstructure. Our results suggest that the hybrid magnetic microgels have more antibody binding capacity and higher cancer cell capturing rate compared to pristine maghemite nanorods. In addition, new cell magnetometery method was applied for cancer cell quantification after capturing step in which different magnetized labelled cells were correlated to the saturation magnetization. In this method, higher concentrations of the primary cell suspension resulted in more binding of the magnetic immuno-microgels to the cells which was shown as saturation magnetization drop in the microgel-cell complex.

Hydrogels, a class of materials with a 3D network structure, are widely used in various applications of therapeutic delivery, particularly cancer therapy. Micro and nanogels as miniaturized structures of the bioengineered hydrogels may provide extensive benefits over the common hydrogels in encapsulation and controlled release of small molecular drugs, macromolecular therapeutics, and even cells. Cancer immunotherapy is rapidly developing, and micro/nanostructured hydrogels have gained wide attention regarding their engineered payload release properties that enhance systemic anticancer immunity. Additionally, they are a great candidate due to their local administration properties with a focus on local immune cell manipulation in favor of active and passive immunotherapies. Although applied locally, such micro/nanostructured can also activate systemic antitumor immune responses by releasing nanovaccines safely and effectively inhibiting tumor metastasis and recurrence. However, such hydrogels are mostly used as locally administered carriers to stimulate the immune cells by releasing tumor lysate, drugs, or nanovaccines. In this review, the latest developments in cancer immunotherapy are summarized using micro/nanostructured hydrogels with a particular emphasis on their function depending on the administration route. Moreover, the potential for clinical translation of these hydrogel‐based cancer immunotherapies is also discussed. This review has focused on the physicochemical properties of various hydrogels, focusing on the application of cancer immunotherapy. Immune cells, monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and drugs that modify the immune system are crucial to the biological aspect of this story, which is based on physicochemical characteristics. Nanogels same as implantable scaffolds and injectable hydrogels have drug‐delivery properties that can be used as important mediators for tumor microenvironment conversion.

The effects of adding Al2O3nanoparticles on the microstructure, tribological, magnetic, and corrosion properties of CuFe-Al2O3nanocomposites were investigated in this work. The mixture of Cu-25 wt.% Fe powder with 5 vol.% Al2O3was mechanically milled. X-ray diffraction results revealed that after 60 h of mechanical alloying, CuFe solid solution was formed. Magnetic hysteresis loops of the mechanically alloyed powders were extracted at room temperature. The morphology and elemental analysis of the sintered specimens were studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was observed that uniform distribution and embedding of Al2O3nanoparticles in the CuFe alloy matrix in nanocomposites were achieved, which exhibited excellent performances. Tribological properties were evaluated through a pin-on-disk wear test, and it was found that by the addition of Al2O3nanoparticles to CuFe alloy, the weight loss rate was reduced by 30%. The existence of Al2O3nanoparticles in the matrix of CuFe alloy causes the wear mechanism change from adhesive to abrasive, which means a considerable wear resistance was obtained in nanocomposites. The corrosion properties of the sintered samples in a solution of 3.5% NaCl were studied by potentiodynamic polarization. With the addition of Al2O3nanoparticles, the corrosion rate of the alloy was reduced by 75%.

Hyperthermia treatment of different cancers based on magnetic nanoparticles has gained significant attention in recent years. In this work, biocompatible maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanorods were synthesized by dehydroxylation of lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) nanorods, using hydrolysis of ferrous salts in the presence of urea followed by calcination at 300 °C for 3 h. Maghemite nanospheres were also synthesized by oxidation of co-precipitated magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, followed by heat treatment at 250 °C for 3 h. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry, and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques. Cell viability of nanorods and nanospheres before and after applying a magnetic field was studied by MTT assay on G292 cell lines as a candidate of osteosarcoma 2D-cultured model. The heating capacity of the rod-like and spherical magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) was evaluated under a magnetic field using a solid state induction heating equipment. Moreover, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) antibacterial activity of magnetic nanorods and nanospheres was investigated. The results showed that cell proliferation gradually increased in the presence of both maghemite nanorods and nanospheres compared to the control sample. However, cell viability decreased after applying hyperthermia treatment as indicative of cell apoptosis. Quantification of antibacterial properties also showed the MIC behavior of both nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.078 mg/ml.

ABSTRACTBacterial infections particularly osteomyelitis have become one of the most prominent challenges for orthopaedic surgeries. The treatment of osteomyelitis requires the sequence of debridement, foreign body removal and antibiotic therapy. In this regard, to develop an appropriate drug delivery system a novel calcium phosphate nanocomposite cement was synthesised and loaded with cloxacillin drug against an osteomyelitis agent. Chemical and structural properties of the cement were analysed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Antibiotic release assay was conducted to obtain the rate and total time of release in different primary doses. The results showed that by increasing the amount of drug dose in the structure of the cement the release rate is reduced and subsequently sustain drug release with the effective concentration is obtained. Generally, effective bacterial growth inhibition and sustain release is indicative of the suitability of this nanocomposite cement for treating osteomyelitis.

Alumina nanoparticles were added to CuTiNi alloy to study their effect on microstructure, tribological properties, and corrosion behaviors of the fabricated alloy. A mixture of Cu–20 wt% Ti–10 wt% Ni powder with 0 and 5 wt% alumina was mixed in a high-energy ball mill. Results indicated that CuTiNi solid solution was formed after 40 h of mechanical alloying. Magnetic hysteresis loops of the mechanically alloyed powders were extracted at room temperature. The mechanically alloyed powders were compacted and then conventionally sintered. Tribological properties of sintered samples were evaluated by ball-on-disk wear test. Comparing the wear rate of the nanocomposite with that of CuTiNi alloy indicated that addition of alumina nanoparticles decreased the wear rate by about 40 %. Corrosion behavior of sintered samples studied using cyclic potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5 % NaCl solution revealed that corrosion current density of the nanocomposite was decreased by about 98 % compared to that of CuTiNi alloy.

Bacterial infections particularly osteomyelitis have become one of the most prominent challenges for orthopaedic surgeries. The treatment of osteomyelitis requires the sequence of debridement, foreign body removal and antibiotic therapy. In this regard, to develop an appropriate drug delivery system a novel calcium phosphate nanocomposite cement was synthesised and loaded with cloxacillin drug against an osteomyelitis agent. Chemical and structural properties of the cement were analysed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Antibiotic release assay was conducted to obtain the rate and total time of release in different primary doses. The results showed that by increasing the amount of drug dose in the structure of the cement the release rate is reduced and subsequently sustain drug release with the effective concentration is obtained. Generally, effective bacterial growth inhibition and sustain release is indicative of the suitability of this nanocomposite cement for treating osteomyelitis.

In this study, gelatin/beta tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) nanocomposite scaffolds were prepared by solvent casting method. The cross-linking method was carried out by adding formaldehyde to gelatin. The microparticles of sodium chloride were used as porogen agent. Characterization of nano β-TCP was performed using XRD, FTIR, and SEM. Results showed that the size of the particles is about 100 nm with spherical morphology. In addition, the scaffold characterization was carried out using FTIR and SEM techniques. Observations showed a porous texture with pore size between 100 and 400 μm. The biodegradability and bioactivity evaluations of the scaffolds were done by immersing them in a simulated body fluid solution for different time periods. The biodegradability studies demonstrated a reduction in the degradation rate of gelatin/β-TCP nanocomposite scaffolds due to the presence of β-TCP nanoparticles. The obtained results of bioactivity tests confirmed the formation of apatite layer on the surface of the scaffolds. Furthermore, the effects of porosity, cross-linking agent, and β-TCP nanoparticles on the bending and compressive properties of the composite scaffolds were examined. According to the mechanical examinations of the scaffolds, the best bending and compressive properties occurred in the presence of 10 and 20 wt% of β-TCP nanoparticles, respectively. The appropriate mechanical properties and biodegradation rate for tissue engineering applications obtained at 1 g of the formaldehyde solution.

Repairing and replacing of tumor tissues have been grown due to the genetic changes and environmental factors. Conventional cancer therapies apply the systemic approaches for delivery of anticancer agents in which normal and cancer cells are not discriminated. Therefore, the risk of cancer recurrence in the resection site increases. In this paper, we studied a graphene reinforced gelatin hydrogel for tissue engineering and local controlled release of chemotherapeutic agents. Protein-integrated graphene (PIG) synthesized by ultrasonic-supported technique was incorporated into gelatin matrix, where the swelling ratio of hydrogels decreased with increasing the PIG concentration. In hydrogels, doxorubicin (DOX) was released in a controlled and pH-sensitive manner and the release rate was controlled by PIG concentration. The effect of PIG on the controlled release system was detected in MCF-7 cell viability. Moreover, 3D tumor spheroid test studied the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell aggregation as an in vivomodel. Generally, we introduced a novel hydrogel nanocomposite, which is a suitable candidate for post-surgery treatment and localized therapy.