Decellularised porcine peritoneum as a tendon protector sheet.

Tissue grafts achieve high levels of compositional and mechanical integrity biomimicry and are often considered as the gold standard in clinical practice. Herein, we assessed the potential of decellularised porcine peritoneum (XenoMEM) as a tendon protector sheet and correlated its properties to a commercially available product (TenoGlide). XenoMEM presented lower cross-linking ratio (p < 0.

Scaffold-Based Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics for Enhanced Bone and Cartilage Repair.

Recent advances in tissue engineering have made progress toward the development of biomaterials capable of the delivery of growth factors, such as bone morphogenetic proteins, in order to promote enhanced tissue repair. However, controlling the release of these growth factors on demand and within the desired localized area is a significant challenge and the associated high costs and side effects of uncontrolled delivery have proven increasingly problematic in clinical orthopedics. Gene therapy may be a valuable tool to avoid the limitations of local delivery of growth factors.

Carrageenan enhances chondrogenesis and osteogenesis in human bone marrow stem cell culture.

The extracellular matrix is a dynamic and active component of the mesenchymal stem cell niche, which controls their differentiation and self-renewal. Traditional in vitro culture systems are not able to mimic matrix-cell interactions due to the small amount of extracellular matrix present. Macromolecular crowding, a biophysical phenomenon based on the excluded-volume effect, dramatically accelerates and increases tissue-specific extracellular matrix deposition during in vitro culture.

Halogenated Tyrosine Derivatives from the Tropical Eastern Pacific Zoantharians Antipathozoanthus hickmani and Parazoanthus darwini.

In the search for bioactive marine natural products from zoantharians of the Tropical Eastern Pacific, four new tyrosine dipeptides, named valdiviamides A-D (1-4), were isolated from Antipathozoanthus hickmani, and two new tyramine derivatives, 5 and 6, from Parazoanthus darwini. The phenols of all six tyrosine derivatives are substituted by bromine and/or iodine atoms at the ortho positions of the hydroxyl. The planar structures of these aromatic alkaloids were elucidated from 1D and 2D NMR experiments in combination with HRESIMS data, and the absolute configurations of 1-4 were deduced from comparison between experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra.

Metabolomic variability of four macroalgal species of the genus Lobophora using diverse approaches.

Among comparative metabolomic studies used in marine sciences, only few of them are dedicated to macroalgae despite their ecological importance in marine ecosystems. Therefore, experimental data are needed to assess the scopes and limitations of different metabolomic techniques applied to macroalgal models. Species of the genus Lobophora belong to marine brown algae (Family: Dictyotaceae) and are widely distributed, especially in tropical coral reefs.

Structure Revision of Microginins 674 and 690 from the Cultured Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa.

The structures of the commercially available microginins 674 and 690 isolated from a cultured strain of Microcystis aeruginosa and only recently characterized have been revisited. Using NMR and HRMS/MS data, an inversion of two amino acids, N-methylmethionine and tyrosine, in the structure of these metabolites is unambiguously demonstrated. These results highlight the importance of careful examination of spectroscopic data for the proposition of structures of natural products, especially when they are of commercial value.

Production and Characterization of Chemically Cross-Linked Collagen Scaffolds.

Chemical cross-linking of collagen-based devices is used as a means of increasing the mechanical stability and control the degradation rate upon implantation. Herein, we describe techniques to produce cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GTA; amine terminal cross-linker), 4-arm polyethylene glycol succinimidyl glutarate (4SP; amine terminal cross-linker), diphenyl phosphoryl azide (DPPA; carboxyl terminal cross-linker), and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC; carboxyl terminal cross-linker) collagen films. In addition, we provide protocols to characterize the biophysical (swelling), biomechanical (tensile), and biological (metabolic activity, proliferation and viability using human dermal fibroblasts and THP-1 macrophages) properties of the cross-linked collagen scaffolds.

Polydispersity and negative charge are key modulators of extracellular matrix deposition under macromolecular crowding conditions.

Macromolecular crowding is a biophysical phenomenon that stems from the volume excluded by macromolecules, as they undergo steric repulsion and electrostatic interactions. The excluded volume depends on the shape, size, charge and polydispersity of the molecules. Although theoretical/computational models have been used to assess the influence of macromolecular crowding in biological media, real-time experiments are scarce.

Metabolome variability for two Mediterranean sponge species of the genus Haliclona: specificity, time, and space.

Introduction: The study of natural variation of metabolites brings valuable information on the physiological state of the organisms as well as their phenotypic traits. In marine organisms, metabolome variability has mostly been addressed through targeted studies on metabolites of ecological or pharmaceutical interest. However, comparative metabolomics has demonstrated its potential to address the overall and complex metabolic variability of organisms.

Preparation and Characterization of Tissue Surrogates Rich in Extracellular Matrix Using the Principles of Macromolecular Crowding.

Tissue engineering by self-assembly allows for the fabrication of living tissue surrogates by taking advantage of the cell's inherent ability to produce and deposit tissue-specific extracellular matrix. However, the long culture periods required to build a tissue substitute in conducive to phenotypic drift in vitro microenvironments result in phenotype and function losses. Although several biophysical microenvironmental modulators (e.

Battling adhesions: from understanding to prevention.

Adhesions represent a major burden in clinical practice, particularly following abdominal, intrauterine, pericardial and tendon surgical procedures. Adhesions are initiated by a disruption in the epithelial or mesothelial layer of tissue, which leads to fibrin adhesion sites due to the downregulation of fibrinolytic activity and an increase in fibrin deposition. Hence, the metabolic events involved in tissue healing, coagulation, inflammation, fibrinolysis and angiogenesis play a pivotal role in adhesion formation.

Structure Elucidation and Biological Evaluation of Maitotoxin-3, a Homologue of Gambierone, from .

species are the producers of the marine toxins ciguatoxins and maitotoxins which cause worldwide human intoxications recognized as Ciguatera Fish Poisoning. A deep chemical investigation of a cultured strain of , collected in the Caribbean Sea, led to the identification of a structural homologue of the recently described gambierone isolated from the same strain. The structure was elucidated mainly by comparison of NMR and MS data with those of gambierone and ascertained by 2D NMR data analyses.

High metabolic variation for seaweeds in response to environmental changes: a case study of the brown algae Lobophora in coral reefs.

In the marine environment, macroalgae face changing environmental conditions and some species are known for their high capacity to adapt to the new factors of their ecological niche. Some macroalgal metabolites play diverse ecological functions and belong to the adaptive traits of such species. Because algal metabolites are involved in many processes that shape marine biodiversity, understanding their sources of variation and regulation is therefore of utmost relevance.

BMC Biomedical Engineering: a home for all biomedical engineering research.

This editorial accompanies the launch of , a new open access, peer-reviewed journal within the BMC series, which seeks to publish articles on all aspects of biomedical engineering. As one of the first engineering journals within the BMC series portfolio, it will support and complement existing biomedical communities, but at the same time, it will provide an open access home for engineering research. By publishing original research, methodology, database, software and review articles, will disseminate quality research, with a focus on studies that further the understanding of human disease and that contribute towards the improvement of human health.

Comparative Analyses of Metabolomic Fingerprints and Cytotoxic Activities of Soft Corals from the Colombian Caribbean.

Soft corals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia) are a diverse group of marine invertebrates that inhabit various marine environments in tropical and subtropical areas. Several species are recognized as prolific sources of compounds with a wide array of biological activities. Recent advances in analytical techniques, supported by robust statistical analyses, have allowed the analysis and characterization of the metabolome present in a single living organism.

Treasures from the Deep: Characellides as Anti-Inflammatory Lipoglycotripeptides from the Sponge Characella pachastrelloides.

The chemical investigation of marine invertebrates from the deep Northeastern Atlantic revealed new lipoglycotripeptides named characellides isolated from the tetractinellid sponge Characella pachastrelloides. This new family of natural products features a central tripeptide linked to a rare sugar unit and a long alkyl chain ending with a 2,3-dimethyltetrahydropyran. The configurations of all 13 chiral centers were determined by extensive use of NMR data and circular dichroism spectra combined with calculations.

Development macro-porous electro-spun meshes with clinically relevant mechanical properties-a technical note.

The nano-fibrous architecture of electro-spun meshes favours their use in biomedicine, but their low mechanical properties prohibit their wide use in clinical practice. Introduction of porosity, essential of tissue integration, decreases further mechanical integrity. Herein, we hypothesised that macro-porous electro-spun meshes with adequate mechanical properties can be fabricated through layering and subsequent compression.

Macromolecular crowding as a means to assess the effectiveness of chondrogenic media.

Chondrocyte-based tissue engineering requires in vitro cell expansion, which is associated with phenotypic losses, decrease in Collagen Type II synthesis and increase in Collagen Type I synthesis. Another major obstacle in clinical translation of chondrocyte-based therapies is the lack of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the engineered cartilage substitutes. Various research and commercially available media claim that they can maintain chondrogenic phenotype, whereas macromolecular crowding (MMC) has been shown to increase tissue-specific ECM deposition and maintain cell phenotype in vitro.

Chasing Chimeras - The elusive stable chondrogenic phenotype.

The choice of the best-suited cell population for the regeneration of damaged or diseased cartilage depends on the effectiveness of culture conditions (e.g. media supplements, three-dimensional scaffolds, mechanical stimulation, oxygen tension, co-culture systems) to induce stable chondrogenic phenotype.

Insights into the Biosynthesis of Cyclic Guanidine Alkaloids from Crambeidae Marine Sponges.

Among the outstanding chemical diversity found in marine sponges, cyclic guanidine alkaloids, present in species of the family Crambeidae, are particularly attractive, not only because of their unique chemical features, but also due to a broad range of biological activities. Despite a growing interest in these natural products as therapeutic agents, their metabolic pathway has not been experimentally investigated. Ex situ feeding experiments using radiolabeled precursors performed on the Mediterranean sponge Crambe crambe suggest arginine and fatty acids as precursors in the metabolic pathway of crambescins.

Variations in Microbial Diversity and Metabolite Profiles of the Tropical Marine Sponge Xestospongia muta with Season and Depth.

Xestospongia muta is among the most emblematic sponge species inhabiting coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea. Besides being the largest sponge species growing in the Caribbean, it is also known to produce secondary metabolites. This study aimed to assess the effect of depth and season on the symbiotic bacterial dynamics and major metabolite profiles of specimens of X.

Callyspongidic Acids: Amphiphilic Diacids from the Tropical Eastern Pacific Sponge Callyspongia cf. californica.

The first chemical study of the marine sponge Callyspongia cf. californica widely distributed along the coasts of the Tropical Eastern Pacific led to the identification of a new family of amphiphilic derivatives called callyspongidic acids. The four isolated metabolites 1-4 feature a hydrophilic diacid end opposed to both an aromatic moiety and a long alkyl chain.

Current and upcoming therapies to modulate skin scarring and fibrosis.

Skin is the largest organ of the human body. Being the interface between the body and the outer environment, makes it susceptible to physical injury. To maintain life, nature has endowed skin with a fast healing response that invariably ends in the formation of scar at the wounded dermal area.

The Collagen Suprafamily: From Biosynthesis to Advanced Biomaterial Development.

Collagen is the oldest and most abundant extracellular matrix protein that has found many applications in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries. First, an overview of the family of collagens and their respective structures, conformation, and biosynthesis is provided. The advances and shortfalls of various collagen preparations (e.