Hepatic Tumor Cell Morphology Plasticity under Physical Constraints in 3D Cultures Driven by YAP-mTOR Axis.

Recent studies undoubtedly show that the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the Hippo-Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) pathways are important mediators of mechanical cues. The crosstalk between these pathways as well as de-regulation of their signaling has been implicated in multiple tumor types, including liver tumors. Additionally, physical cues from 3D microenvironments have been identified to alter gene expression and differentiation of different cell lineages.

Creating a 3D microenvironment for monocyte cultivation: ECM-mimicking hydrogels based on gelatine and hyaluronic acid derivatives.

Macrophages play a critical role in the initial response to foreign materials in the body. As most biomaterial-based implantable devices would be treated as a foreign body by the immune system, there is a need for systems that can establish a favourable interaction between the implanted biomaterial and the host. Herein, we describe such a system that can be used as an ECM-like microenvironment for macrophage polarization.

Injectable hydroxyphenyl derivative of hyaluronic acid hydrogel modified with RGD as scaffold for spinal cord injury repair.

Hydrogel scaffolds which bridge the lesion, together with stem cell therapy represent a promising approach for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. In this study, a hydroxyphenyl derivative of hyaluronic acid (HA-PH) was modified with the integrin-binding peptide arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD), and enzymatically crosslinked to obtain a soft injectable hydrogel. Moreover, addition of fibrinogen was used to enhance proliferation of human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) on HA-PH-RGD hydrogel.

Auxiliary Biomembranes as a Directional Delivery System To Control Biological Events in Cell-Laden Tissue-Engineering Scaffolds.

Delivery of growth factors is an indispensable part of tissue engineering. Here, we describe a detachable membrane-based release system composed of extracellular matrix components that can be attached to hydrogels to achieve directional release of bioactive molecules. This way, the release of cytokines/growth factors can be started at a desired point of tissue maturation or directly in vivo.

A novel photopolymerizable derivative of hyaluronan for designed hydrogel formation.

A new photopolymerizable derivative of hyaluronan (methacrylhydrazide-HA, MAHA) was prepared by carbodiimide chemistry. The reaction conditions were optimized for molecular weight (M), reaction time and amount of reagents with a degree of methacrylation (DM) ranging from 2% to 58%. Methacrylhydrazide-HA was hydrolytically stable (PBS, 7days, 37°C) in contrast to commonly used methacrylester analoque (23% hydrolyzed).

Hyaluronic Acid and Its Derivatives in Coating and Delivery Systems: Applications in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Immunomodulation.

As an Extracellular Matrix (ECM) component, Hyaluronic acid (HA) plays a multi-faceted role in cell migration, proliferation and differentiation at micro level and system level events such as tissue water homeostasis. Among its biological functions, it is known to interact with cytokines and contribute to their retention in ECM microenvironment. In addition to its biological functions, it has advantageous physical properties which result in the industrial endeavors in the synthesis and extraction of HA for variety of applications ranging from medical to cosmetic.

Immunomodulation with Self-Crosslinked Polyelectrolyte Multilayer-Based Coatings.

This study aims to design an optimal polyelectrolyte multilayer film of poly-l-lysine (PLL) and hyaluronic acid (HA) as an anti-inflammatory cytokine release system in order to decrease the implant failure due to any immune reactions. The chemical modification of the HA with aldehyde moieties allows self-cross-linking of the film and an improvement in the mechanical properties of the film. The cross-linking of the film and the release of immunomodulatory cytokine (IL-4) stimulate the differentiation of primary human monocytes seeded on the films into pro-healing macrophages phenotype.

α,β-Unsaturated aldehyde of hyaluronan--Synthesis, analysis and applications.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) modified with an aldehyde group (HA-CHO or HA-aldehyde) has been extensively used for various biomedical applications. The main advantage of the aldehyde moieties is the ability to react with a wide range of amino compounds under physiological conditions. Reactions of aldehydes with primary amines in water are reversible and equilibrium is thoroughly shifted towards starting aldehyde and amine.