Rapid Prototyping Method for 3D Printed Biomaterial Constructs with Vascular Structures

This paper presents a fabrication method for rapid prototyping of 3D biomaterial constructs with vascular structures. The method relies on poloxamer fugitive ink, which is over casted with a custom-made alginate based model extracellular matrix (ECM). The presented method is simple to implement and compatible with standard cell culture workflows used in biomedical research and pharmaceutical development. We present the material preparation, gelation properties and printing methods in detail. First experiments demonstrate the suitability of the ECM constructs for 3D tissue culture.

Preparation and optimization of calcium fluoride particles for dental applications

Fluorides are used in dental care due to their beneficial effect in tooth enamel de-/remineralization cycles. To achieve a desired constant supply of soluble fluorides in the oral cavity, different approaches have been followed. Here we present results on the preparation of CaF2 particles and their characterization with respect to a potential application as enamel associated fluoride releasing reservoirs. CaF2 particles were synthesized by precipitation from soluble NaF and CaCl2 salt solutions of defined concentrations and their morphology analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. CaF2 particles with defined sizes and shapes could be synthesized by adjusting the concentrations of the precursor salt solutions. Such particles interacted with enamel surfaces when applied at fluoride concentrations correlating to typical dental care products. Fluoride release from the synthesized CaF2 particles was observed to be largely influenced by the concentration of phosphate in the solution. Physiological solutions with phosphate concentration similar to saliva (3.5 mM) reduced the fluoride release from pure CaF2 particles by a factor of 10-20 × as compared to phosphate free buffer solutions. Fluoride release was even lower in human saliva. The fluoride release could be increased by the addition of phosphate in substoichiometric amounts during CaF2 particle synthesis. The presented results demonstrate that the morphology and fluoride release characteristics of CaF2 particles can be tuned and provide evidence of the suitability of synthetic CaF2 particles as enamel associated fluoride reservoirs.

Nanomechanical cantilever sensors as a novel tool for real-time monitoring and characterization of surface layer formation

Nanomechanical cantilevers are small and thin, microfabricated silicon beams. They serve as extremely sensitive mechanical sensors, which transform processes occurring at their surface into a mechanical response. This unique signal transduction principle allows to measure surface stress occurring at the cantilever surface by monitoring the bending of the cantilever (static mode) while at the same time observing changes in the oscillation properties of the cantilever related to changes in mass load on the cantilever (dynamic mode). The suitability of nanomechanical cantilevers for chemical sensing, e.g., the extremely sensitive detection of heavy metals, and as biosensors, e.g., for DNA and protein detection, are well established. Arrays of cantilever sensors can be employed for the parallel detection of multiple molecules of interest. This publication will focus on more recent applications of cantilever sensors in surface and materials sciences using a commercially available cantilever sensor platform. Examples for the real-time monitoring of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formation, the detection of cholesterol interaction with hydrophobic surface layers and the use of cantilever sensors to study layer-by-layer (LbL) build-up processes in real-time are presented.

De novo formation of desmosomes in cultured cells upon transfection of genes encoding specific desmosomal components

Desmosomes are cell junctions and cytoskeleton-anchoring structures of epithelia, the myocardium, and dendritic reticulum cells of lymphatic follicles whose major components are known. Using cultured HT-1080 SL-1 fibrosarcoma-derived cells and transfection of cDNAs encoding specific desmosomal components, we have determined a minimum ensemble of proteins sufficient to introduce de novo structures, which, by morphology and functional competence, are indistinguishable from authentic desmosomes. In a more refined analysis, the influence of the desmosomal proteins desmoplakin (Dp), plakoglobin (Pg), and plakophilin 2 (Pp2) on the lateral clustering of the desmosomal transmembrane-glycoprotein desmoglein 2 (Dsg) was examined. We found that for efficient clustering of desmoglein 2 and desmosome structure formation, all three major plaque proteins-desmoplakin, plakoglobin, and plakophilin 2- were necessary. Furthermore, in this cell model, plakophilin 2 was capable of directing desmoplakin to adhaerens junctions (AJ), whereas plakoglobin was crucial for the segregation of desmosomal and AJ components. These results are discussed with respect to the variability in cell junction composition observed in various nonepithelial tissues.