Bovine osteoblasts cultured on polyanionic collagen scaffolds: an ultrastructural and immunocytochemical study.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is also the most important component of the extracellular matrix. Collagen has several advantages as a biomaterial such as lack of toxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and easy reabsorption. In this study, we examined bovine osteoblasts cultured on native or anionic collagen scaffolds prepared from bovine pericardium after selective hydrolysis of glutamine and asparagine side chain amides for periods from 24 (BP24) and 48 h (BP48).

Effects of chitosan solution concentration and incorporation of chitin and glycerol on dense chitosan membrane properties.

The aim of this work was to perform a systematic study about the effects induced by chitosan solution concentration and by chitin or glycerol incorporation on dense chitosan membranes with potential use as burn dressings. The membrane properties analyzed were total raw material cost, thickness, morphology, swelling ratio, tensile strength, percentage of strain at break, crystallinity, in vitro enzymatic degradation with lysozyme, and in vitro Vero cells adhesion. While the use of the most concentrated chitosan solution (2.

Effects of different sterilization methods on the morphology, mechanical properties, and cytotoxicity of chitosan membranes used as wound dressings.

The aim of this work was to compare the effects induced by two different sterilization methods (exposure to gamma radiation or ethylene oxide) and an antiseptic technique (immersion in 70% ethanol aqueous solution) on the morphology, tensile strength, percentage of strain at break, and in vitro cytotoxicity to Vero cells on chitosan membranes designed for wound healing. Four distinct membrane compositions were evaluated, with chitosan, glycerol, and chitin used as components. Gamma radiation, in spite of being one of the most commonly employed sterilizing agents, negatively affected the morphology of membranes composed solely by chitosan as well as the percentage of strain at break of the chitosan-membranes containing glycerol on their composition.

Analysis of cellular morphology, adhesion, and proliferation on uncoated and differently coated PVC tubes used in extracorporeal circulation (ECC).

The biggest challenge to improve extracorporeal circulation (ECC) circuits lays on avoiding platelet adhesion to their surfaces, because this contributes to thrombus formation, resulting in the activation of blood coagulation. One approach to minimize this effect is to improve the biocompatibility of ECC circuits by modifying their surfaces. This can be achieved by coating them with heparin or phospholipids.