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Collagen-based membranes are class III-medical devices widely used in dental surgical procedures to favour bone regeneration. Here, we aimed to provide biophysical and biochemical data on this type of devices to support their optimal use and design/manufacturing. To the purpose, four commercial, non-crosslinked collagen-based-membranes, obtained from various sources (equine tendon, pericardium or cortical bone tissues, and porcine skin), were characterized in vitro. The main chemical, biophysical and biochemical properties, that have significant clinical implications, were evaluated. Membranes showed similar chemical features. They greatly differed in morphology as well as in porosity and density and showed a diverse ranking in relation to these latter two parameters. Samples highly hydrated in physiological medium (swelling-ratio values in the 2.5-6.0 range) and, for some membranes, an anisotropic expansion during hydration was, for the first time, highlighted. Rheological analyses revealed great differences in deformability (150-1500kPa G') also alerting about the marked variation in membrane mechanical behaviour upon hydration. Samples proved diverse sensitivity to collagenase, with the cortical-derived membrane showing the highest stability. Biological studies, using human-bone-derived cells, supported sample ability to allow cell proliferation and to prompt bone regeneration, while no relevant differences among membranes were recorded. Prediction of relative performance based on the findings was discussed. Overall, results represent a first wide panel of chemical/biophysical/biochemical data on collagen-based-membranes that 1) enhances our knowledge of these products, 2) aids their optimal use by providing clinicians with scientific basis for selecting products based on the specific clinical situation and 3) represents a valuable reference for optimizing their manufacturing., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Barrino et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Hyaluronan (HA) is a nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan that has been widely used for biomedical applications. Here, we have analyzed the effect of HA on the rescue of primary cells under stress as well as its potential to recover muscle atrophy and validated the developed model in vitro using primary muscle cells derived from rats. The potentials of different HAs were elucidated through comparative analyses using pharmaceutical grade a) high (HHA) and b) low molecular weight (LHA) hyaluronans, c) hybrid cooperative complexes (HCC) of HA in three experimental set-ups. The cells were characterized based on the expression of myogenin, a muscle-specific biomarker, and the proliferation was analyzed using Time-Lapse Video Microscopy (TLVM). Cell viability in response to H2O2 challenge was evaluated by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and the expression of the superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD-2) was assessed by western blotting. Additionally, in order to establish an in vitro model of atrophy, muscle cells were treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), along with hyaluronans. The expression of Atrogin, MuRF-1, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B-cells (NF-kB), and Forkhead-box-(Fox)-O-3 (FoxO3a) was evaluated by western blotting to elucidate the molecular mechanism of atrophy. The results showed that HCC and HHA increased cell proliferation by 1.15 and 2.3 folds in comparison to un-treated cells (control), respectively. Moreover, both pre- and post-treatments of HAs restored the cell viability, and the SOD-2 expression was found to be reduced by 1.5 fold in HA-treated cells as compared to the stressed condition. Specifically in atrophic stressed cells, HCC revealed a noteworthy beneficial effect on the myogenic biomarkers indicating that it could be used as a promising platform for tissue regeneration with specific attention to muscle cell protection against stressful agents., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exists.

Interstitial cystitis and/or bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) are characterized by discomfort, abdominal pain, and pelvic pain, and they are often associated with chronic diseases. Pathological conditions related to IC/BPS can occur due to a defect in the integrity of the bladder lining. This defect has been ascribed to damage to the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer of the urinary epithelium. In addition, the incipient cascade of inflammation events might prompt extracellular matrix degradation. Several medical devices based on GAG instillation were proposed to re-establish epithelial integrity by GAGs binding to proteoglycans or interacting with structural urothelium. However, to date, only in vitro studies have investigated the GAG, hyaluronic acid (HA). In the present study, TNFα treatment was used to mimic IC/BPS-induced damage in bladder cells in an in vitro model. Highly purified fermentative HA and pharmaceutical grade bovine chondroitin sulfate (CSb), alone or in combination, were evaluated for the ability to counteract bladder cell damage. We evaluated NF-κB with western blots, and we analyzed interleukin 6 and 8 expression at the transcriptional and protein levels with quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting, and ELISA. We also evaluated the expression of an antibacterial peptide, human β-defensin-2. We confirmed our results in a 3D bladder epithelium model. Our results demonstrated that inflammatory status was reduced in the presence of HA, CSb, and the combination of both (HA/CSb 1.6%/2% w/v). This result suggested that these GAGs might be suitable for treating IC/BPS. All the assayed biomarkers showed that HA/CSb treatment modulated cells towards a more physiological status. Finally, we compared two commercial products suggested for the IC/BPS treatments and found that the product with more Ca++, showed enhanced anti-inflammatory activity and provided superior mucoadhesivity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exists.

Introduction: Patients with chronic liver diseases are usually thin as a result of hypermetabolism and malnutrition expressed by reduced levels of leptin and impairment of other adyponectins such as visfatin., Aims: We evaluated the metabolic and inflammatory effects of intravenous high-dose furosemide plus hypertonic saline solutions (HSS) compared with repeated paracentesis and a standard oral diuretic schedule, in patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites., Methods: 59 consecutive cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites unresponsive to outpatient treatment. Enrolled subjects were randomized to treatment with intravenous infusion of furosemide (125-250mg⁄bid) plus small volumes of HSS from the first day after admission until 3 days before discharge (Group A, n:38), or repeated paracentesis from the first day after admission until 3 days before discharge (Group B, n: 21). Plasma levels of ANP, BNP, Leptin, visfatin, IL-1β, TNF-a, IL-6 were measured before and after the two type of treatment., Results: Subjects in group A were observed to have a significant reduction of serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, ANP, BNP, and visfatin, thus regarding primary efficacy endpoints, in Group A vs. Group B we observed higher Δ-TNF-α, Δ-IL-1β, Δ-IL-6, Δ-ANP, Δ-BNP, Δ-visfatin, Δ-Leptin at discharge., Discussion: Our findings underline the possible inflammatory and metabolic effect of saline overload correction in treatment of cirrhosis complications such as refractory ascites, suggesting a possible role of inflammatory and metabolic-nutritional variables as severity markers in these patients., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.