Hybrid nanocomposite films for laser-activated tissue bonding

Reconstruction of Soft Biological Tissues Using Laser Soldering Technology with Temperature Control and Biopolymer Nanocomposites

Laser soldering is a current biophotonic technique for the surgical recovery of the integrity of soft tissues. This technology involves the use of a device providing laser exposure to the cut edges of the wound with a solder applied. The proposed solder consisted of an aqueous dispersion of biopolymer albumin (25 wt.%), single-walled carbon nanotubes (0.1 wt.%) and exogenous indocyanine green chromophore (0.1 wt.%). Under laser exposure, the dispersion transforms into a nanocomposite due to the absorption of radiation and its conversion into heat. The nanocomposite is a frame structure of carbon nanotubes in a biopolymer matrix, which provides adhesion of the wound edges and the formation of a strong laser weld. A new laser device based on a diode laser (808 nm) has been developed to implement the method. The device has a temperature feedback system based on a bolometric infrared matrix sensor. The system determines the hottest area of the laser weld and adjusts the current supplied to the diode laser to maintain the preset laser heating temperature. The laser soldering technology made it possible to heal linear defects (cuts) in the skin of laboratory animals (rabbits) without the formation of a fibrotic scar compared to the control (suture material). The combined use of a biopolymer nanocomposite solder and a laser device made it possible to achieve a tensile strength of the laser welds of 4 ± 0.4 MPa. The results of the experiment demonstrated that the addition of single-walled carbon nanotubes to the solder composition leads to an increase in the ultimate tensile strength of the laser welds by 80%. The analysis of regenerative and morphological features in the early stages (1-3 days) after surgery revealed small wound gaps, a decrease in inflammation, the absence of microcirculatory disorders and an earlier epithelization of laser welds compared to the control. On the 10th day after the surgical operation, the laser weld was characterized by a thin cosmetic scar and a continuous epidermis covering the defect. An immunohistochemical analysis proved the absence of myofibroblasts in the area of the laser welds.

Cyanine-Doped Nanofiber Mats for Laser Tissue Bonding

In spite of an extensive body of academic initiatives and innovative products, the toolkit of wound dressing has always revolved around a few common concepts such as adhesive patches and stitches and their variants. Our work aims at an alternative solution for an immediate restitutio ad integrum of the mechanical functionality in cutaneous repairs. We describe the fabrication and the application of electrospun mats of bioactive nanofibers all made of biocompatible components such as a natural polysaccharide and a cyanine dye for use as laser-activatable plasters, resembling the ultrastructure of human dermis. In particular, we investigate their morphological features and mechanical moduli under conditions of physiological relevance, and we test their use to bind a frequent benchmark of connective tissue as rabbit tendon and a significant case of clinical relevance as human dermis. Altogether, our results point to the feasibility of a new material for wound dressing combining translational potential, strength close to human dermis, extensibility exceeding 15% and state-of-art adhesive properties.

Fabrication and Comparative Quantitative Analysis of Plasmonic-Polymer Nanocomposites as Optical Platforms

Plasmonic-polymer nanocomposites can serve as a multifunctional platform for a wide range of applications such as biochemical sensing and photothermal treatments, where they synergistically benefit from the extraordinary optical properties of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) and biocompatible characteristics of biopolymers. The field translation of plasmonic-polymer nanocomposites requires design rules for scalable and reproducible fabrication with tunable and predictable optical properties and achieving the best performance. The optical properties of NPs and the optimal analytical performance of nanocomposites could be affected by many fabrication parameters, but a fundamental understanding of such parameters is still minimal. Herein, we systematically investigated the NP distribution and their optical properties in gold nanostar (GNS)-polymer nanocomposites as a function of GNS concentration, polymer identity, and the method of GNS incorporation into a polymer matrix. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the single-particle scattering spectra of GNS incorporated into agarose gel and chitosan hydrogels via embedding and surface deposition, using dark-field spectroscopy. While relative GNS concentration affects the GNS scattering property distribution in both polymer matrices, chemical interactions between a polymer matrix and GNS is the key determinant of the GNS stability and homogenous distribution in nanocomposites. When GNS are embedded in a polymer matrix and there are stronger chemical interactions between GNS and a polymer, significantly less aggregation and a more homogenous distribution of GNS, which leads to a larger percentage of GNS optical property preservation, were observed at all the concentrations. In a proof-of-concept surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) study, we observed that the SERS detection efficiency is dictated by the analyte accessibility of GNS, which is governed by the polymer matrix porosity, polymer-GNS interactions, and other polymer physical characteristics. This work presents the interplay between key fabrication parameters and foundational design parameters for more predictable and reliable fabrication of plasmonic-polymer nanocomposites as an optical platform.

In Vitro Feasibility Analysis of a New Sutureless Wound-Closure System Based on a Temperature-Regulated Laser and a Transparent Collagen Membrane for Laser Tissue Soldering (LTS)

For the post-surgical treatment of oral wounds and mucosal defects beyond a certain size, the gold standard is still an autologous skin or mucosal graft in combination with complex suturing techniques. A variety of techniques and biomaterials has been developed for sutureless wound closure including different tissue glues or collagen patches. However, no wound covering that enables for sutureless fixation has yet been introduced. Thus, a new system was developed that allows for sutureless wound covering including a transparent collagen membrane, which can be attached to the mucosa using a specially modified 2λ laser beam with integrated temperature sensors and serum albumin as bio-adhesive. The sutureless wound closure system was tested for its applicability and its cytocompatibility by an established in vitro model in the present study. The feasibility of the laser system was tested ex vivo on a porcine palate. The in vitro cytocompatibility tests excluded the potential release of toxic substances from the laser-irradiated collagen membrane and the bio-adhesive. The results of the ex vivo feasibility study using a porcine palate revealed satisfactory mean tensile strength of 1.2–1.5 N for the bonding of the membrane to the tissue fixed with laser of 980 nm. The results suggest that our newly developed laser-assisted wound closure system is a feasible approach and could be a first step on the way towards a laser based sutureless clinical application in tissue repair and oral surgery.

Optically activated and interrogated plasmonic hydrogels for applications in wound healing

We disclose the use of hybrid materials featuring Au/Ag core/shell nanorods in porous chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol scaffolds for applications in tissue engineering and wound healing. The combination of Au and Ag in a single construct provides synergistic opportunities for optical activation of functions as near infrared laser tissue bonding, and remote interrogation to return parameters of prognostic relevance in wound healing monitoring. In particular, the bimetallic component ensures optical tunability, enhanced shelf life and photothermal stability, serves as a reservoir of germicidal silver cations, and changes in near-infrared and visible color according to the environmental level of oxidative stress. At the same time, the polymeric blend is ideal to bind connective tissue upon photothermal activation, and to support fabrication processes that provide high porosity, such as electrospinning, thus putting all the premises for cellular repopulation and antimicrobial protection.

Gold Nanoparticle-Integrated Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

The development of scaffolding materials that recapitulate the cellular microenvironment and provide cells with physicochemical cues is crucial for successfully engineering functional tissues that can aid in repairing damaged organs. The use of gold nanoparticles for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has raised great interest in recent years. In this mini review, we describe the shape-dependent properties of gold nanoparticles, and their versatile use in creating tunable nanocomposite scaffolds with improved mechanical and electrical properties for tissue engineering. We further describe using gold nanoparticle-integrated scaffolds to achieve improved stem cells proliferation and differentiation. Finally, we discuss the main challenges and prospects for clinical translation of gold nanoparticles-hybrid scaffolds.

Robot-assisted laser tissue soldering system

Fast and reliable incision closure is critical in any surgical intervention. Common solutions are sutures and clips or adhesives, but they all present difficulties. These difficulties are especially pronounced in classical and robot-assisted minimally-invasive interventions. Laser soldering methods present a promising alternative, but their reproducibility is limited. We present a system that combines a previously reported laser soldering system with a robotic system, and demonstrate its feasibility on the incision-closure of ex-vivo mice skins. In this demonstration, we measured tearing forces of ~2.5N, 73% of the tearing force of a mouse skin without an incision. This robot-assisted laser soldering technique has the potential to make laser tissue soldering more reproducible and revolutionize surgical tissue bonding.

Preparation and Photoacoustic Analysis of Cellular Vehicles Containing Gold Nanorods

Gold nanorods are attractive for a range of biomedical applications, such as the photothermal ablation and the photoacoustic imaging of cancer, thanks to their intense optical absorbance in the near-infrared window, low cytotoxicity and potential to home into tumors. However, their delivery to tumors still remains an issue. An innovative approach consists of the exploitation of the tropism of tumor-associated macrophages that may be loaded with gold nanorods in vitro. Here, we describe the preparation and the photoacoustic inspection of cellular vehicles containing gold nanorods. PEGylated gold nanorods are modified with quaternary ammonium compounds, in order to achieve a cationic profile. On contact with murine macrophages in ordinary Petri dishes, these particles are found to undergo massive uptake into endocytic vesicles. Then these cells are embedded in biopolymeric hydrogels, which are used to verify that the stability of photoacoustic conversion of the particles is retained in their inclusion into cellular vehicles. We are confident that these results may provide new inspiration for the development of novel strategies to deliver plasmonic particles to tumors.

Micro- and Nanostructured Biomaterials for Sutureless Tissue Repair

Sutureless procedures for wound repair and closure have recently integrated nanostructured devices to improve their effectiveness and clinical outcome. This review highlights the major advances in gecko-inspired bioadhesives that relies mostly on van der Waals bonding forces. These are challenged by the moist environment of surgical settings that weaken adherence to tissue. The incorporation of nanoparticles in biomatrices and their role in tissue repair and drug delivery is also reviewed with an emphasis on procedures involving adhesives that are laser-activated. Nanostructured adhesive devices have the advantage of being minimally invasive to tissue, can seal wounds, and deliver drugs in situ. All these tasks are very difficult to accomplish by sutures or staples that are invasive to host organs and often cause scarring.

In vitro assessment of antibody-conjugated gold nanorods for systemic injections

BACKGROUND

The interest for gold nanorods in biomedical optics is driven by their intense absorbance of near infrared light, their biocompatibility and their potential to reach tumors after systemic administration. Examples of applications include the photoacoustic imaging and the photothermal ablation of cancer. In spite of great current efforts, the selective delivery of gold nanorods to tumors through the bloodstream remains a formidable challenge. Their bio-conjugation with targeting units, and in particular with antibodies, is perceived as a hopeful solution, but the complexity of living organisms complicates the identification of possible obstacles along the way to tumors.

RESULTS

Here, we present a new model of gold nanorods conjugated with anti-cancer antigen 125 (CA125) antibodies, which exhibit high specificity for ovarian cancer cells. We implement a battery of tests in vitro, in order to simulate major nuisances and predict the feasibility of these particles for intravenous injections. We show that parameters like the competition of free CA125 in the bloodstream, which could saturate the probe before arriving at the tumors, the matrix effect and the interference with erythrocytes and phagocytes are uncritical.

CONCLUSIONS

Although some deterioration is detectable, anti-CA125-conjugated gold nanorods retain their functional features after interaction with blood tissue and so represent a powerful candidate to hit ovarian cancer cells.

Tissue repair strength using chitosan adhesives with different physical-chemical characteristics

A range of chitosan-based biomaterials have recently been used to perform sutureless, laser-activated tissue repair. Laser-activation has the advantage of bonding to tissue through a non-contact, aseptic mechanism. Chitosan adhesive films have also been shown to adhere to sheep intestine strongly without any chemical modification to chitosan. In this study, we continue to investigate chitosan adhesive films and explore the impact on the tissue repair strength and tensile strength characteristics of four types of adhesive film based on chitosan with different molecular weight and degree of deacetylation. Results showed that adhesives based on chitosan with medium molecular weight achieved the highest bonding strength, tensile strength and E-modulus when compared to the other adhesives.

Graphene as a photothermal switch for controlled drug release

Graphene has recently emerged as a novel material in the biomedical field owing to its optical properties, biocompatibility, large specific surface area and low cost. In this paper, we provide the first demonstration of the possibility of using light to remotely trigger the release of drugs from graphene in a highly controlled manner. Different drugs including chemotherapeutics and proteins are firmly adsorbed onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets dispersed in a biopolymer film and then released by individual millisecond-long light pulses generated by a near infrared (NIR) laser. Here graphene plays the dual role of a versatile substrate for temporary storage of drugs and an effective transducer of NIR-light into heat. Drug release appears to be narrowly confined within the size of the laser spot under noninvasive conditions and can be precisely dosed depending on the number of pulses. The approach proposed paves the way for tailor-made pharmacological treatments of chronic diseases, including cancer, anaemia and diabetes.

Surface chemistry and entrapment of magnesium nanoparticles into polymeric micelles: a highly biocompatible tool for photothermal therapy

A novel highly biocompatible nanosystem containing Mg nanoparticles is reported, characterized and tested as a suitable and non-toxic tool for photothermal therapy.

Laser-activated adhesive films for sutureless median nerve anastomosis

A novel chitosan adhesive film that incorporates the dye 'Rose Bengal' (RB) was used in conjunction with a green laser to repair transected rat median nerves in vivo. Histology and electrophysiological recording assessed the impact of the laser-adhesive technique on nerves. One week post-operatively, the sham-control group (laser-adhesive technique applied on un-transected nerves) conserved the average number and size of myelinated fibres in comparison to its contralateral side and electrophysiological recordings demonstrated no significant difference with un-operated nerves. Twelve weeks after the laser-adhesive anastomoses, nerves were in continuity with regenerated axons that crossed the anastomotic site.

Nanomaterials for photo-based diagnostic and therapeutic applications

Photo-based diagnosis and treatment methods are gaining prominence due to increased spatial imaging resolution, minimally invasive modalities involved as well as localized treatment. Recently, nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed and used in photo-based therapeutic applications. While some nanomaterials have inherent photo-based imaging capabilities, others including polymeric NPs act as nanocarriers to deliver various fluorescent dyes or photosensitizers for photoimaging and therapeutic applications. These applications can vary from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and optical imaging to photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy. Materials commonly used for development of photo-based NPs ranges from metal-based (gold, silver and silica) to polymer-based (chitosan, dextran, poly ethylene glycol (PEG) and poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)). Recent research has paved the way for multi-modal 'theranostic' (a combination of therapy and diagnosis) nano-carriers capable of active targeting using cell-specific ligands and carrying multiple therapeutic and imaging agents for accurate diagnosis and controlled drug delivery. This review summarizes the different materials used today to synthesize photo-based NPs, their diagnostic and therapeutic applications as well as the current challenges faced in bringing these novel nano-carriers into clinical practices.