An in vitro evaluation of fibrinogen and gelatin containing cryogels as dermal regeneration scaffolds.

Macroporous cryogels containing mixtures of two key components of the dermal extracellular matrix, fibrinogen and collagen-derived gelatin, were evaluated for use as dermal tissue regeneration scaffolds. The infiltration of human dermal fibroblasts into these matrices was quantitatively assessed in vitro using a combination of cell culture and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The extent of cellular infiltration, as measured by the number of cells per distance travelled versus time, was found to be positively correlated with the fibrinogen concentration of the cryogel scaffolds; a known potentiator of cell migration and angiogenesis within regenerating tissue.

Affinity based and molecularly imprinted cryogels: Applications in biomacromolecule purification.

The publications in macro-molecularly imprinted polymers have increased drastically in recent years with the development of water-based polymer systems. The macroporous structure of cryogels has allowed the use of these materials within different applications, particularly in affinity purification and molecular imprinting based methods. Due to their high selectivity, specificity, efficient mass transfer and good reproducibility, molecularly imprinted cryogels (MICs) have become attractive for researchers in the separation and purification of proteins.

Molecularly imprinted cryogels for human serum albumin depletion.

Molecularly imprinted polymers can be used for the selective capture of a target molecule from complex medium. Cryogels novel matrices, which characterized by their supermacropores that makes their use advantageous when studying with biological samples. By combining high selectivity of the molecular imprinting approach with using cryogel as a base polymer, in this protocol, preparation of the albumin-imprinted cryogels is described.

Molecularly imprinted poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) based cryogel for albumin depletion from human serum.

Macroporous cryogels imprinted with human serum albumin (HSA) have been prepared by copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with a functional co-monomer of N-methacryloyl-L-phenylalanine. The cryogels were used for the depletion of HSA from human serum. HSA-imprinted cryogels were prepared with gel fraction yields up to 90%, and their chemical structure, morphology and porosity were characterized by FTIR-spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, swelling studies and flow dynamics.

Enzyme-catalyzed crosslinking in a partly frozen state: a new way to produce supermacroporous protein structures.

In this study a new way to produce supermacroporous protein structures was investigated. Enzyme-mediated crosslinking of gelatin or casein was performed in a partly frozen state, which yielded stable, protein-based cryogels. The reaction kinetics for the formation of cryogels were found to be fairly slow, most likely due to the low temperature (-12 °C) used or due to an increased viscosity owing to the cryo-concentration taking place.