Fabrication of inhalable spore like pharmaceutical particles for deep lung deposition.

An innovative strategy of fabricating uniform spore like drug particles to improve pulmonary drug delivery efficiency was disclosed in the present study. Spore like particles were prepared through combination of high gravity controlled precipitation and spray drying process with insulin as model drug first, showing rough surface and hollow core. The shell of such spore-like particle was composed of nanoparticles in loose agglomerate and could form nanosuspension upon contacting antisolvent.

Biomimetic control of vascular smooth muscle cell morphology and phenotype for functional tissue-engineered small-diameter blood vessels.

Small-diameter blood vessel substitutes are urgently needed for patients requiring replacements of their coronary and below-the-knee vessels and for better arteriovenous dialysis shunts. Circulatory diseases, especially those arising from atherosclerosis, are the predominant cause of mortality and morbidity in the developed world. Current therapies include the use of autologous vessels or synthetic materials as vessel replacements.

Three-dimensional microchannels in biodegradable polymeric films for control orientation and phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells.

The poor mechanical strength and vasoactivity of current small-diameter tissue engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) remain unsolved problems. Given the plasticity of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), 1 of the main limitations of current scaffolding techniques is the difficulty in controlling SMC phenotype shifts in vitro. A synthetic phenotype allows the cells to rapidly proliferate and produce extracellular matrix (ECM), whereas a shift to contractile phenotype with organized ECM ultimately provides a functional blood vessel.

UV-embossed microchannel in biocompatible polymeric film: application to control of cell shape and orientation of muscle cells.

This article shows that ultra violet (UV) micro-embossing can be successfully used for fabricating biocompatible micropatterned films with microchannels separated by high aspect ratio microwalls. Eight series of micropatterns were investigated; the width of the microwall was either 10 or 25 microm and that of the microchannel either 40, 80, 120, or 160 microm. The material investigated was principally polyurethane diacrylate.