Biomaterials and controlled release strategy for epithelial wound healing

The skin and cornea are tissues that provide protective functions. Trauma and other environmental threats often cause injuries, infections and damage to these tissues, where the degree of injury is directly correlated to the recovery time. For example, a superficial skin or corneal wound may recover within days; however, more severe injuries can last up to several months and may leave scarring. Thus, therapeutic strategies have been introduced to enhance the wound healing efficiency and quality. Although the skin and cornea share similar anatomic structures and wound healing process, therapeutic agents and formulations for skin and cornea wound healing differ in accordance with the tissue and wound type. In this review, we describe the anatomy and epithelial wound healing processes of the skin and cornea, and summarize the therapeutic molecules that are beneficial to the respective regeneration process. In addition, biomaterial scaffolds that inherently possess bioactive properties or modified with therapeutic molecules for topical controlled release and enhanced wound healing efficiency are also discussed.

Luminal Plasma Treatment for Small Diameter Polyvinyl Alcohol Tubular Scaffolds

Plasma-based surface modification is recognized as an effective way to activate biomaterial surfaces, and modulate their interactions with cells, extracellular matrix proteins, and other materials. However, treatment of a luminal surface of a tubular scaffold remains non-trivial to perform in small diameter tubes. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel, which has been widely used for medical applications, lacks functional groups to mediate cell attachment. This poses an issue for vascular applications, as endothelialization in a vascular graft lumen is crucial to maintain long term graft patency. In this study, a Radio Frequency Glow Discharges (RFGD) treatment in the presence of NH₃ was used to modify the luminal surface of 3-mm diameter dehydrated PVA vascular grafts. The grafted nitrogen containing functional groups demonstrated stability, and in vitro endothelialization was successfully maintained for at least 30 days. The plasma-modified PVA displayed a higher percentage of carbonyl groups over the untreated PVA control. Plasma treatment on PVA patterned with microtopographies was also studied, with only the concave microlenses topography demonstrating a significant increase in platelet adhesion. Thus, the study has shown the possibility of modifying a small diameter hydrogel tubular scaffold with the RFGD plasma treatment technique and demonstrated stability in ambient storage conditions for up to 30 days.

High specific activity [samarium-153] EDTA for imaging of experimental tumor models

Enriched samarium oxide (98.2% 152Sm2O3) was irradiated in low neutron flux and high neutron flux reactors to produce 153Sm with specific activities of 14.3 GBq and 22.1 TBq mmol-1 Sm, respectively, at the time of use. Formulation of 153Sm as [153Sm]EDTA, with a 1:10 molar ratio of SM:EDTA, provided a stable radiotracer in vitro and in vivo. High specific activity [153Sm]EDTA showed superior uptake in cell culture (20.8 +/- 0.9% vs. 5.5 +/- 0.1% for 6 and 600 pmol Sm per 10(6) cells, respectively) and better tumor index values (51 vs. 37 at 10.9 nmol and 1.09 mumol Sm kg-1, respectively) in the BDF1 mouse/Lewis lung tumor model. High specific activity [153Sm]EDTA scintigrams of Copenhagen x Fisher rats bearing transplanted Dunning R3327 tumors clearly delineated the tumors within 6 hr, with moderate liver and bone uptake and low soft-tissue background. The injected radiotracer underwent rapid central compartment clearance and whole-body elimination. The absence of observed adverse histopathological toxicity combines with high image quality within 6 hr, to support the clinical tumor-imaging potential of this agent. Comparative studies with [67Ga]citrate at molar-equivalent doses indicated that high specific activity [153Sm]EDTA was a superior radiotracer in these in vitro and in vivo models.

Comparative studies of radiotracer citrates in oncological models--2. 153Sm-citrate and 67Ga-citrate

153Sm-citrate solutions were prepared from enriched 152Sm2O3 which had been irradiated at 10(12)n cm-2 s-1 in the University of Alberta Slowpoke reactor. 153Sm was rapidly bound (93% in 2 h) by Melanoma 2AB cells in tissue culture upon incubation in the presence of 153Sm-citrate (1.9 nmol 10(6) cells). In vitro ultracentrifugation studies of 153Sm-citrate solutions showed that colloid formation under incubation conditions could have been responsible in part for the uptake by cultured cells. Low uptakes (less than 1% in 2h) of 67Ga-citrate were seen under similar conditions. 153Sm-citrate injected into BDF1 mice (Lewis lung carcinoma) and Copenhagen x Fisher rats (Dunning R3327-H prostatic tumors) was concentrated mainly in the liver, with some tumor and bone uptake. The percent of injected dose per organ for 153Sm and 67Ga in the murine and rat models respectively, 24 h after i.v. dosing, was 17.2 +/- 4.7 and 2.0 +/- 0.6 (tumor), 63.9 +/- 7.9 and 14.4 +/- 1.4 (liver) and 0.6 +/- 0.1 and 1.3 +/- 0.1 (blood); % injected dose g-1 femur was 6.2 +/- 2.7 and 12.9 +/- 2.7, respectively. Scintigrams of rats showed qualitative biodistributions similar to the quantitative mouse data obtained by dissection studies. The high hepatic uptake detracted from the otherwise superior tumor localization of 153Sm-citrate when compared to 67Ga-citrate in these models. The murine Lewis lung tumor index (% injected dose g-1 tumor x tumor: blood) was 303.6 for 153Sm-citrate and 48.9 for 67Ga-citrate, 24 h after injection.

Comparative studies of radiocitrates in oncological models--I. 99mTc citrate and 67Ga citrate uptake by EMT-6 tumors in mice

67Ga citrate and 99mTc citrate (Solcocitran) were injected sequentially, with an interval of 48 h, into Balb/c mice bearing transplanted EMT-6 tumors. Tissue distributions of 67Ga and 99mTc were measured simultaneously at intervals of 1, 3, 5 and 8 h after injection of the 99mTc citrate (49, 51, 53 and 56 h after 67Ga citrate). Maximal tumor:blood ratios for 67Ga and 99mTc were 13.8 +/- 3.2 and 4.0 +/- 1.0 respectively, both occurring at the final period. The maximum tumor index (T.I. = T:B X % dose/g) for 67Ga was 71 +/- 23% 56 h after injection, and for 99mTc was 13 +/- 12% 1 h after injection. Liver, kidney and spleen had equal or higher concentrations of radioactivity than tumor for either radiotracer. The somewhat higher tumor:blood ratio for 67Ga citrate was offset by the time required for this optimum to be reached. Alternatively, the best 99mTc citrate tumor:blood ratios were attained within 8 h, with less liver and gut radioactivity. These data fall within the range of results from other clinical and animal model studies of 67Ga citrate and 99mTc citrate. In view of the radiation dose, the inconvenience of the 48-72 h wait, and the cost of 67Ga, and because neither radiopharmaceutical is tumor specific, 99mTc citrate may have a place in early oncological screening. The results are discussed as part of a comprehensive review of the 99mTc citrate literature.

Hepatic reticuloendothelial function in the sub-totally nephrectomized rat model of chronic uremia

The chronic uremic condition was induced in male Wistar rats by long term maintenance of the animals following sequential sub-total and contralateral nephrectomies. Hepatic reticuloendothelial (RES) activity was estimated by non-invasive measurement of blood clearance rates and hepatic uptake of 99Tcm sulfur colloid administered intravenously. The blood half-time, and the blood clearance rate constants for normals and chronic uremics were 78 +/- 10 s and 49.5 +/- 5 s, and 7.51 +/- 1.04 x 10(-3) s-1 and 10.81 +/- 1.17 x 10(-3) s-1 respectively. The normal hepatic uptake rate constant was 9.03 +/- 1.25 x 10(-3) s-1, compared with a uremic uptake rate constant of 14.34 +/- 1.51 s-1. Measurement of total liver radioactivity upon termination, 15 min after injection, showed significantly increased total uptake in uremia, whereas no change in spleen radioactivity was observed. The clinical implications of these data are discussed.