Mineral phase deposition on pectin microspheres

Recent progress and treatment strategy of pectin polysaccharide based tissue engineering scaffolds in cancer therapy, wound healing and cartilage regeneration

Natural polymers and its mixtures in the form of films, sponges and hydrogels are playing a major role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Hydrogels have been extensively investigated as standalone materials for drug delivery purposes as they enable effective encapsulation and sustained release of drugs. Biopolymers are widely utilised in the fabrication of hydrogels due to their safety, biocompatibility, low toxicity, and regulated breakdown by human enzymes. Among all the biopolymers, polysaccharide-based polymer is well suited to overcome the limitations of traditional wound dressing materials. Pectin is a polysaccharide which can be extracted from different plant sources and is used in various pharmaceutical and biomedical applications including cartilage regeneration. Pectin itself cannot be employed as scaffolds for tissue engineering since it decomposes quickly. This article discusses recent research and developments on pectin polysaccharide, including its types, origins, applications, and potential demands for use in AI-mediated scaffolds. It also covers the materials-design process, strategy for implementation to material selection and fabrication methods for evaluation. Finally, we discuss unmet requirements and current obstacles in the development of optimal materials for wound healing and bone-tissue regeneration, as well as emerging strategies in the field.

Development of Gelatin-Coated Hydrogel Microspheres for Novel Bioink Design: A Crosslinker Study

The development of vascularized tissue is a substantial challenge within the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Studies have shown that positively-charged microspheres exhibit dual-functions: (1) facilitation of vascularization and (2) controlled release of bioactive compounds. In this study, gelatin-coated microspheres were produced and processed with either EDC or transglutaminase, two crosslinkers. The results indicated that the processing stages did not significantly impact the size of the microspheres. EDC and transglutaminase had different effects on surface morphology and microsphere stability in a simulated colonic environment. Incorporation of EGM and TGM into bioink did not negatively impact bioprintability (as indicated by density and kinematic viscosity), and the microspheres had a uniform distribution within the scaffold. These microspheres show great potential for tissue engineering applications.

Pectin Microspheres: Synthesis Methods, Properties, and Their Multidisciplinary Applications

There is great contemporary interest in using cleaner technologies through green chemistry and utilizing biopolymers as raw material. Pectin is found on plant cell walls, and it is commonly extracted from fruit shells, mostly apples or citrus fruits. Pectin has applications in many areas of commercial relevance; for this reason, it is possible to find available information about novel methods to transform pectin and pursuing enhanced features, with the structuring of biopolymer microspheres being highly cited to enhance its activity. The structuring of polymers is a technique that has been growing in recent decades, due to its potential for diverse applications in various fields of science and technology. Several techniques are used for the synthesis of microspheres, such as ionotropic gelation, extrusion, aerosol drying, or emulsions, with the latter being the most commonly used method based on its reproducibility and simplicity. The most cited applications are in drug delivery, especially for the treatment of colon diseases and digestive-tract-related issues. In the industrial field, it is used for protecting encapsulated compounds; moreover, the environmental applications mainly include the bioremediation of toxic substances. However, there are still many possibilities for expanding the use of this biopolymer in the environmental field.

Assessment of the in vivo biofunctionality of a biomimetic hybrid scaffold for osteochondral tissue regeneration

Chondral and osteochondral lesions represent one of the most challenging problems in the orthopedic field, as these types of injuries lead to disability and worsened quality of life for patients and have an economic impact on the healthcare system. The aim of this in vivo study was to develop a new tissue engineering approach through a hybrid scaffold for osteochondral tissue regeneration made of porous polyurethane foam (PU) coated under vacuum with calcium phosphates (PU/VAC). Scaffold characterization showed a highly porous and interconnected structure. Human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSCs) were loaded into scaffolds using pectin (PECT) as a carrier. Osteochondral defects in medial femoral condyles of rabbits were created and randomly allocated in one of the following groups: plain scaffold (PU/VAC), scaffold with hAMSCs injected in the implant site (PU/VAC/hAMSC), scaffold with hAMSCs loaded in pectin (PU/VAC/PECT/hAMSC), and no treated defects (untreated). The therapeutic efficacy was assessed by macroscopic, histological, histomorphometric, microtomographic, and ultrastructural analyses at 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks. Histological results showed that the scaffold was permissive to tissue growth and penetration, an immature osteocartilaginous tissue was observed at early experimental times, with a more accentuated bone regeneration in comparison with the cartilage layer in the absence of any inflammatory reaction.

Dissipation and strain-stiffening behavior of pectin-Ca gels under LAOS

Non-linear mechanical responses observed in networks of many biopolymers such as pectin are important for their functioning as biological systems. Additionally, pectins derived from plant sources are also used for several food and biomedical applications. In the present work, the possible contributions of egg-box bundles in the large deformation response of calcium crosslinked gels of low methoxy pectin are explored using large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS). The gels exhibit a significant overshoot in the loss modulus (G'') and intra-cycle strain-stiffening, more prominent at greater extents of egg-box bundling. This observation signifies the dissipation characteristics of the egg-box bundles in pectin gels, hitherto not reported. The observed non-linear signatures diminish when the extent of bundling as well as the bundle radius decreases below a critical value. We identify different pectin/Ca concentration regimes based on the semi-flexible/flexible nature of the gel network and the non-linear signatures. Monovalent salt addition prior to crosslinking is shown to modify the extent of bundling, thereby influencing the magnitude of G'' overshoot and strain-stiffening. The intensity of the G'' overshoot and the extent of strain-stiffening are correlated with the radius of the egg-box bundles obtained from small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data. However, analysis using strain-stiffening models indicates the possible contributions from the semi-flexible nature of egg-box bundles and single chains.

Butyl stearate prolongs the drug release period of isoperidone‑loaded poly (lactic‑co‑glycolic acid) microspheres: In vitro and in vivo investigation

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of butyl stearate on t-butoxyl paliperidone derivative (isoperidone)-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres. The mechanism of drug release rate delay by butyl stearate was examined by accelerated testing, morphological observation, thermal and fluorescence analyses. In vivo pharmacokinetic study was conducted on female beagle dogs. Spherical microspheres with smooth surfaces, small internal pores and shell structures were initially prepared. It was found that 3% (w/w) butyl stearate prolonged the in vitro drug release period from 46 to 82 days, and in vivo release period from 20 to 27 days. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the green fluorescence imaging of isoperidone approaching the cores of microspheres with 3% butyl stearate was brighter than in microspheres without additives. In conclusion, it was shown that butyl stearate affected the microsphere structure, isoperidone microsphere distribution and isoperidone crystallinity. The results of the present study thus provide a potential method to develop sustained-release preparations.

Polysaccharide-based hydrogels with tunable composition as 3D cell culture systems

Background:

To date, cell cultures have been created either on 2-dimensional (2D) polystyrene surfaces or in 3-dimensional (3D) systems, which do not offer a controlled chemical composition, and which lack the soft environment encountered in vivo and the chemical stimuli that promote cell proliferation and allow complex cellular behavior. In this study, pectin-based hydrogels were developed and are proposed as versatile cell culture systems.

Methods:

Pectin-based hydrogels were produced by internally crosslinking pectin with calcium carbonate at different initial pH, aiming to control crosslinking kinetics and degree. Additionally, glucose and glutamine were added as additives, and their effects on the viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels and on cell viability were investigated.

Results:

Pectin hydrogels showed in high cell viability and shear-thinning behavior. Independently of hydrogel composition, an initial swelling was observed, followed by a low percentage of weight variation and a steady-state stage. The addition of glucose and glutamine to pectin-based hydrogels rendered higher cell viability up to 90%-98% after 1 hour of incubation, and these hydrogels were maintained for up to 7 days of culture, yet no effect on viscoelastic properties was detected.

Conclusions:

Pectin-based hydrogels that offer tunable composition were developed successfully. They are envisioned as synthetic extracellular matrix (ECM) either to study complex cellular behaviors or to be applied as tissue engineering substitutes.

Immunological and Differentiation Properties of Amniotic Cells Are Retained After Immobilization in Pectin Gel

Mesenchymal stromal cells from the human amniotic membrane (i.e., human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells [hAMSCs]) of term placenta are increasingly attracting attention for their applications in regenerative medicine. Osteochondral defects represent a major clinical problem with lifelong chronic pain and compromised quality of life. Great promise for osteochondral regeneration is held in hydrogel-based constructs that have a flexible composition and mimic the physiological structure of cartilage. Cell loading within a hydrogel represents an advantage for regenerative purposes, but the encapsulation steps can modify cell properties. As pectin gels have also been explored as cell vehicles on 3D scaffolds, the aim of this study was to explore the possibility to include hAMSCs in pectin gel. Immobilization of hAMSCs into pectin gels could expand their application in cell-based bioengineering strategies. hAMSCs were analyzed for their viability and recovery from the pectin gel and for their ability to differentiate toward the osteogenic lineage and to maintain their immunological characteristics. When treated with a purposely designed pectin/hydroxyapatite gel biocomposite, hAMSCs retained their ability to differentiate toward the osteogenic lineage, did not induce an immune response, and retained their ability to reduce T cell proliferation. Taken together, these results suggest that hAMSCs could be used in combination to pectin gels for the study of novel osteochondral regeneration strategies.

New perspectives in cell delivery systems for tissue regeneration: natural-derived injectable hydrogels

Natural polymers, because of their biocompatibility, availability, and physico-chemical properties have been the materials of choice for the fabrication of injectable hydrogels for regenerative medicine. In particular, they are appealing materials for delivery systems and provide sustained and controlled release of drugs, proteins, gene, cells, and other active biomolecules immobilized.In this work, the use of hydrogels obtained from natural source polymers as cell delivery systems is discussed. These materials were investigated for the repair of cartilage, bone, adipose tissue, intervertebral disc, neural, and cardiac tissue. Papers from the last ten years were considered, with a particular focus on the advances of the last five years. A critical discussion is centered on new perspectives and challenges in the regeneration of specific tissues, with the aim of highlighting the limits of current systems and possible future advancements.

Porous calcium alginate-gelatin interpenetrated matrix and its biomineralization potential

Artificial bone composites exhibit distinctive features by comparison to natural tissues, due to a lack of self-organization and intimate interaction apatite-matrix. This explains the need of "bio-inspired materials", in which hydroxyapatite grows in contact with self-assembling natural polymers. The present work investigates the function of a rational design in the hydroxyapatite-forming potential of a common biopolymer. Gelatin modified through intrinsic interactions with calcium alginate led through freeze-drying to porous hydrogels, whose architecture, constitutive features and chemistry were investigated with respect to their role on biomineralization. The apatite-forming ability was enhanced by the porosity of the materials, while the presence of alginate-reinforced Gel elastic chains, definitely favored this phenomenon. Depending on the concentration, polysaccharide chains act as "ionic pumps" enhancing the biomineralization. The mineralization-promoting effect of the peptide-polysaccharide network strictly depends on the hydrogels structural, compositional and morphological features derived from the interaction between the above mentioned two components.