Influence of Molecular Weight and Grafting Density of PEG on the Surface Properties of Polyurethanes and Their Effect on the Viability and Morphology of Fibroblasts and Osteoblasts.

Grafting polyethylene glycol (PEG) onto a polymer's surface is widely used to improve biocompatibility by reducing protein and cell adhesion. Although PEG is considered to be bioinert, its incorporation onto biomaterials has shown to improve cell viability depending on the amount and molecular weight (MW) used. This phenomenon was studied here by grafting PEG of three MW onto polyurethane (PU) substrata at three molar concentrations to assess their effect on PU surface properties and on the viability of osteoblasts and fibroblasts.

Silanized graphene oxide as a reinforcing agent for acrylic bone cements: physicochemical, mechanical and biological characterization.

Recently, different carbon-based nanomaterials have been used as reinforcing agents in acrylic bone cement formulations. Among them, graphene oxide (GO) has attracted the attention of scientific community since it could improve not only the mechanical properties but also the biocompatibility characteristics of these materials. However, using GO presents some drawbacks, such as its poor dispersion and lack of interaction with polymeric matrices, which should be prior resolved to achieve its optimal performance in acrylic bone cement.

Cell-free scaffold from jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda (Cnidaria; Scyphozoa) for skin tissue engineering.

Disruption of the continuous cutaneous membrane in the integumentary system is considered a health problem of high cost for any nation. Several attempts have been made for developing skin substitutes in order to restore injured tissue including autologous implants and the use of scaffolds based on synthetic and natural materials. Current biomaterials used for skin tissue repair include several scaffold matrices types, synthetic or natural, absorbable, degradable or non-degradable polymers, porous or dense scaffolds, and cells capsulated in hydrogels or spheroids systems so forth.

Electrospun polycaprolactone/chitosan scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering: physicochemical characterization and Schwann cell biocompatibility.

Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)/chitosan (CH) blend scaffolds with different CH weight ratios were prepared to study the effect of scaffold composition on its physicochemical and biological properties. Scanning electron microscopy showed bead-free homogeneous randomly arranged nanofibers whose average diameter decreased from 240 to 110 nm with increasing CH content. The infrared spectra of the PCL/CH blends were very similar to the neat PCL scaffold.

Towards optimization of the silanization process of hydroxyapatite for its use in bone cement formulations.

The aim of this work was to provide some fundamental information for optimization of silanization of hydroxyapatite intended for bone cement formulations. The effect of 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (MPS) concentration and solvent system (acetone/water or methanol/water mixtures) during HA silanization was monitored by X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectroscopy and EDX analysis. The effect of silanized HA on the mechanical properties of acrylic bone cements is also reported.

Comparative study on the mechanical and fracture properties of acrylic bone cements prepared with monomers containing amine groups.

In this work, the effect of the incorporation of comonomers containing amine groups on the mechanical and fracture properties of acrylic bone cements was studied. Cements were prepared with either diethyl amino ethyl acrylate (DEAEA), dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate (DMAEM) or diethyl amino ethyl methacrylate (DEAEM) as comonomer in the liquid phase. It was found that strength and modulus decreased with increasing comonomer content in the bending and compressive tests.