Fabricating gradient hydrogel scaffolds for 3D cell culture

Optimizing cell-material interactions is critical for maximizing regeneration in tissue engineering. Combinatorial and high-throughput (CHT) methods can be used to systematically screen tissue scaffolds to identify optimal biomaterial properties. Previous CHT platforms in tissue engineering have involved a two-dimensional (2D) cell culture format where cells were cultured on material surfaces. However, these platforms are inadequate to predict cellular response in a three-dimensional (3D) tissue scaffold. We have developed a simple CHT platform to screen cell-material interactions in 3D culture format that can be applied to screen hydrogel scaffolds. Herein we provide detailed instructions on a method to prepare gradients in elastic modulus of photopolymerizable hydrogels.     

3D inverted opal hydrogel scaffolds with oxygen sensing capability

The measurement of local oxygen level in 3D cell culture is desired but remains as a challenge problem. We developed a 3D cell scaffold with luminescence-based oxygen sensing capability that opens the possibility of 3D mapping of oxygen level during cell growth. Hydrogel inverted opal scaffold was prepared by photo-polymerization of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (pHEMA) and poly(methacryloyloxy)ethyl-trimethylammonium chloride (pMEATAC) monomer using close-packed bead assembly as template. Tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium chloride (Ru(dpp)(3)), was coated on the pHEMA-pMEATAC 3D scaffolds by layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly. pHEMA-pMEATAC copolymer was coated on top of the Ru(dpp)(3) layer as a protection layer. The fluorescence emission of Ru(dpp)(3) can be dynamically quenched by oxygen. By measuring the emission intensity of the scaffold, the local oxygen level can be monitored. The hydrogel scaffolds are transparent, and thus 3D fluorescence intensity can be mapped by confocal microscopy. Human bone marrow stromal cells HS-5 were successfully cultured on the oxygen sensing scaffold, and the observed Ru(dpp)(3) emission intensity from the scaffold was stronger in cell rich area, which indicates a lower oxygen level due to the consumption of the cells.     

Incorporation of nanohydroxyapatite and vitamin D3 into electrospun PCL/Gelatin scaffolds: The influence on the physical and chemical properties and cell behavior for bone tissue engineering

Scaffold, an essential element of tissue engineering, should provide proper physical and chemical properties and evolve suitable cell behavior for tissue regeneration. Polycaprolactone/Gelatin (PCL/Gel)‐based nanocomposite scaffolds containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHA) and vitamin D3 (Vit D3) were fabricated using the electrospinning method. Structural and mechanical properties of the scaffold were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile measurement. In this study, smooth and bead‐free morphology with a uniform fiber diameter and optimal porosity level with appropriate pore size was observed for PCL/Gel/nHA nanocomposite scaffold. The results indicated that adding nHA to PCL/Gel caused an increase of the mechanical properties of scaffold. In addition, chemical interactions between PCL, gelatin, and nHA molecules were shown with XRD and FT‐IR in the composite scaffolds. MG‐63 cell line has been cultured on the fabricated composite scaffolds; the results of viability and adhesion of cells on the scaffolds have been confirmed using MTT and SEM analysis methods. Here in this study, the culture of the osteoblast cells on the scaffolds showed that the addition of Vit D3 to PCL/Gel/nHA scaffold caused further attachment and proliferation of the cells. Moreover, DAPI staining results showed that the presence and viability of the cells were greater in PCL/Gel/nHA/Vit D3 scaffold than in PCL/Gel/nHA and PCL/Gel scaffolds. The results also approved increasing cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity for MG‐63 cells cultured on PCL/Gel/nHA/Vit D3 scaffold. The results indicated superior properties of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and vitamin D3 incorporated in PCL/Gel scaffold for use in bone tissue engineering.     

Aligned Poly(ε‐caprolactone) Nanofibers Guide the Orientation and Migration of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell‐Derived Neurons,Astrocytes, and Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells In Vitro

Stem cell transplantations for spinal cord injury (SCI) have been studied extensively for the past decade in order to replace the damaged tissue with human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)‐derived neural cells. Transplanted cells may, however, benefit from supporting and guiding structures or scaffolds in order to remain viable and integrate into the host tissue. Biomaterials can be used as supporting scaffolds, as they mimic the characteristics of the natural cellular environment. In this study, hPSC‐derived neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are cultured on aligned poly(ε‐caprolactone) nanofiber platforms, which guide cell orientation to resemble that of spinal cord in vivo. All cell types are shown to efficiently spread over the nanofiber platform and orient according to the fiber alignment. Human neurons and astrocytes require extracellular matrix molecule coating for the nanofibers, but OPCs grow on nanofibers without additional treatment. Furthermore, the nanofiber platform is combined with a 3D hydrogel scaffold with controlled thickness, and nanofiber‐mediated orientation of hPSC‐derived neurons is also demonstrated in a 3D environment. In this work, clinically relevant materials and substrates for nanofibers, fiber coatings, and hydrogel scaffolds are used and combined with cells suitable for developing functional cell grafts for SCI repair.

     

Enhanced Cell Penetration and Pluripotency Maintenance of hiPSCs in 3D Natural Chitosan Scaffolds

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) cultured in 3D matrices hold great promise in disease modeling, drug discovery, and tissue regeneration. Uniform cell distribution in a 3D structure is critical to the growth and function of hiPSCs, yet cell seeding in 3D matrices often remains superficial, leading to limited cell proliferation and compromised pluripotency. Here, an approach to improve cell penetration depth of hiPSCs in 3D scaffolds modified with hiPSCs conditioned medium (CM) is reported. It is shown that extracellular matrix components are successfully deposited onto the scaffold wall surface after CM treatment and promoted homogeneous cell adhesion during initial seeding. Compared to plain, unmodified scaffolds, the CM treated scaffold improves spatial cell distribution uniformity and upregulates pluripotency markers. Notably, the expression of 29 genes associated with 11 signaling pathways participated in the pluripotency maintenance of hiPSCs exhibits >2-fold change in hiPSCs grown in the CM treated scaffolds than 2D counterparts, demonstrating that CM treated scaffolds can support a more primitive and undifferentiated phenotype of hiPSCs. This study introduces a simple and effective method to enhance cell penetration and maintain cell pluripotency in 3D matrices.     

Effects of Laminin For Osteogenesis in Porous Hydroxyapatite

Summery: As a tooth is composed of hard tissue covering pulp, it may be suitable for tooth regeneration to use porous cylindrical hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds with a hollow center. Generally, in vivo examination, bone marrow cell suspension for osteogenesis in cell/HA composite scaffold without subculture is prepared at a density of 1 × 10⁷ cells/ml or higher. In dentistry, stem cells would be obtained from tooth pulp. For dentine formation, a smaller number of stem cells must be used. In this study, a suspension of rat bone marrow cells at 1 × 10⁶ cells/ml of density was prepared to estimate the adhesive effect of laminin. After immersion of HA scaffold in laminin solution, bone marrow cells were seeded in the pores of the HA scaffolds by immersion in the cell suspension for preparing the cell/HA composite scaffolds. The specimens were respectively implanted in the dorsal subcutis of 7-week-old male Fischer 344 rats for 4 weeks for histological examination. Comparing with the results of in vivo examination, alkaline phosphatase activity of bone marrow cells on laminin-coated plate with and without dexamethasone cultured for 2 weeks was measured in vitro. It was considered that laminin contributed to bone formation in pores of a scaffold.     

Optimization of fibrin gelation for enhanced cell seeding and proliferation in regenerative medicine applications

In order to improve the cell seeding efficiency and cell compatibility inside porous tissue scaffolds, a method of fibrin gel‐mediated cell encapsulation inside the scaffold was optimized. Disc‐type poly(d ,l ‐glycolic‐co‐lactic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds without a dense surface skin layer were fabricated using an established solvent casting and particulate leaching method as a model porous scaffold, which showed high porosity ranging from 90 ± 2% to 96 ± 2%. The thrombin and fibrinogen concentration as precursors of fibrin gel was varied to control the gelation kinetics as measured by rheology analysis, and optimized conditions were developed for a uniform fibrin gel formation with the target cells inside the porous PLGA scaffold. The fibroblast cell seeding accompanied by a uniform fibrin gel formation at an optimized gelation condition inside the PLGA scaffold resulted in an increase in cell seeding efficiency, a better cell proliferation, and an increase in final cell density inside the scaffold. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that cells were better spread and grown by fibrin gel encapsulation inside scaffold compared with the case of bare PLGA scaffold. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3D Plotted PCL Scaffolds for Stem Cell Based Bone Tissue Engineering

The ability to control the architecture and strength of a bone tissue engineering scaffold is critical to achieve a harmony between the scaffold and the host tissue. Rapid prototyping (RP) technique is applied to tissue engineering to satisfy this need and to create a scaffold directly from the scanned and digitized image of the defect site. Design and construction of complex structures with different shapes and sizes, at micro and macro scale, with fully interconnected pore structure and appropriate mechanical properties are possible by using RP techniques. In this study, RP was used for the production of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds. Scaffolds with four different architectures were produced by using different configurations of the fibers (basic, basic-offset, crossed and crossed-offset) within the architecture of the scaffold. The structure of the prepared scaffolds were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), porosity and its distribution were analyzed by micro-computed tomography (µ-CT), stiffness and modulus values were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It was observed that the scaffolds had very ordered structures with mean porosities about 60%, and having storage modulus values about 1 × 10⁷ Pa. These structures were then seeded with rat bone marrow origin mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in order to investigate the effect of scaffold structure on the cell behavior; the proliferation and differentiation of the cells on the scaffolds were studied. It was observed that cell proliferation was higher on offset scaffolds (262000 vs 235000 for basic, 287000 vs 222000 for crossed structure) and stainings for actin filaments of the cells reveal successful attachment and spreading at the surfaces of the fibers. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity results were higher for the samples with lower cell proliferation, as expected. Highest MSC differentiation was observed for crossed scaffolds indicating the influence of scaffold structure on cellular activities.     

Cell(MC3T3‐E1)‐Printed Poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)/Alginate Hybrid Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration

A new cell‐printed scaffold consisting of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) and cell‐embedded alginate struts is designed. The PCL and alginate struts are stacked in an interdigitated pattern in successive layers to acquire a three‐dimensional (3D) shape. The hybrid scaffold exhibits a two‐phase structure consisting of cell (MC3T3‐E1)‐laden alginate struts able to support biological activity and PCL struts able to provide controllable mechanical support of the cell‐laden alginate struts. The hybrid scaffolds exhibit an impressive increase in tensile modulus and maximum strength compared to pure alginate scaffolds. Laden cells are homogeneously distributed throughout the alginate struts and the entire scaffold, resulting in cell viability of approximately 84%.     

Direct measurements of the high temperature rate constants of the reactions NCN + O, NCN + NCN, and NCN + M

The rate constant of the reaction NCN + O has been directly measured for the first time. According to the revised Fenimore mechanism, which is initiated by the NCN forming reaction CH + N(2)→ NCN + H, this reaction plays a key role for prompt NO(x) formation in flames. NCN radicals and O atoms have been quantitatively generated by the pyrolysis of NCN(3) and N(2)O, respectively. NCN concentration-time profiles have been monitored behind shock waves using narrow-bandwidth laser absorption at a wavelength of λ = 329.1302 nm. Whereas no pressure dependence was discernible at pressures between 709 mbar < p < 1861 mbar, a barely significant temperature dependence corresponding to an activation energy of 5.8 ± 6.0 kJ mol(-1) was found. Overall, at temperatures of 1826 K < T < 2783 K, the rate constant can be expressed as k(NCN + O) = 9.6 × 10(13)× exp(-5.8 kJ mol(-1)/RT) cm(3) mol(-1) s(-1) (±40%). As a requirement for accurate high temperature rate constant measurements, a consistent NCN background mechanism has been derived from pyrolysis experiments of pure NCN(3)/Ar gas mixtures, beforehand. Presumably, the bimolecular secondary reaction NCN + NCN yields CN radicals hence triggering a chain reaction cycle that efficiently removes NCN. A temperature independent value of k(NCN + NCN) = (3.7 ± 1.5) × 10(12) cm(3) mol(-1) s(-1) has been determined from measurements at pressures ranging from 143 mbar to 1884 mbar and temperatures ranging from 966 K to 1900 K. At higher temperatures, the unimolecular decomposition of NCN, NCN + M → C + N(2) + M, prevails. Measurements at temperatures of 2012 K < T < 3248 K and at total pressures of 703 mbar < p < 2204 mbar reveal a unimolecular decomposition close to its low pressure limit. The corresponding rate constants can be expressed as k(NCN + M) = 8.9 × 10(14)× exp(-260 kJ mol(-1)/RT) cm(3) mol(-1) s(-1)(±20%).     

Acceleration of osteogenic differentiation by sustained release of BMP2 in PLLA/graphene oxide nanofibrous scaffold

After about three decades of experience, tissue engineering has become one of the most important approaches in reconstructive medical research to treat non‐self‐healing bone injuries and lesions. Herein, nanofibrous composite scaffolds fabricated by electrospinning, which containing of poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA), graphene oxide (GO), and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) for bone tissue engineering applications. After structural evaluations, adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT‐MSCs) were applied to monitor scaffold's biological behavior and osteoinductivity properties. All fabricated scaffolds had nanofibrous structure with interconnected pores, bead free, and well mechanical properties. But the best biological behavior including cell attachment, protein adsorption, and support cells proliferation was detected by PLLA‐GO‐BMP2 nanofibrous scaffold compared to the PLLA and PLLA‐GO. Moreover, detected ALP activity, calcium content and expression level of bone‐related gene markers in AT‐MSCs grown on PLLA‐GO‐BMP2 nanofibrous scaffold was also significantly promoted in compression with the cells grown on other scaffolds. In fact, the simultaneous presence of two factors, GO and BMP2, in the PLLA nanofibrous scaffold structure has a synergistic effect and therefore has a promising potential for tissue engineering applications in the repair of bone lesions.     

Biodegradable highly porous interconnected poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) scaffolds by supercritical foaming for small-diameter vascular tissue engineering

Biodegradable ?4 mm tubular porous poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PCL/PLCL) scaffolds are fabricated successfully via one-step microcellular supercritical carbon dioxide foaming process. The effect of blending ratio on the rheology, pore structures, mechanical property, wettability, and biocompatibility of PCL/PLCL blends tubular scaffold are reported. Rheological results show that PCL matrix and PLCL dispersed phase has good compatibility. The melt strength of PCL can be enhanced obviously by adding PLCL. With an increase of PLCL content from 10 to 30 wt%, the pore size increases from 7.6 to 24.9 μm due to the homogeneous nucleation effect. The maximum open-cell content can reach 77% for PCL/PLCL foamed sample. Cyclical tensile and compliance tests show that few content of dispersed PLCL (10–20 wt%) improves the flexibility and recoverability. Cell viability results demonstrate that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured on all PCL/PLCL porous scaffolds exhibit a typical spindle-like cell morphology. Moreover, HUVECs have a higher density and spreading areas on surface of 10% PLCL scaffold. The results gathered in this paper may open a new perspective for the fabrication of small-diameter vascular tissue engineering scaffold.     

3D Microfibrous Scaffolds Selectively Promotes Proliferation and Glial Differentiation of Adult Neural Stem Cells: A Platform to Tune Cellular Behavior in Neural Tissue Engineering

Biomaterials are essential for the development of innovative biomedical and therapeutic applications. Biomaterials‐based scaffolds can influence directed cell differentiation to improve cell‐based strategies. Using a novel microfluidics approach, poly (ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), is used to fabricate microfibers with varying diameters (3–40 µm) and topographies (straight and wavy). Multipotent adult rat hippocampal stem/progenitor cells (AHPCs) are cultured on 3D aligned PCL microfibrous scaffolds to investigate their ability to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The results indicate that the PCL microfibers significantly enhance proliferation of the AHPCs compared to control, 2D planar substrates. While the AHPCs maintained their multipotent differentiation capacity when cultured on the PCL scaffolds, there is a significant and dramatic increase in immunolabeling for astrocyte and oligodendrocyte differentiation when compared with growth on planar surfaces. Our results show a 3.5‐fold increase in proliferation and 23.4‐fold increase in astrocyte differentiation for cells on microfibers. Transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells within a PCL microfiber scaffold may provide important biological and topographic cues that facilitate the survival, selective differentiation, and integration of transplanted cells to improve therapeutic strategies.     

Quenching of singlet molecular oxygen (1O2) by azide anion in solvent mixtures.

The azide ion is a strong physical quencher of singlet molecular oxygen (1O2) and is frequently employed to show involvement of 1O2 in oxidation processes. Rate constants (k(q)) for the quenching of 1O2 by azide are routinely used as standards to calculate k(q) values for quenching by other substrates. We have measured k(q) for azide in solvent mixtures containing deuterium oxide (D2O), acetonitrile (MeCN), 1,4-dioxane, ethanol (EtOH), propylene carbonate (PC), or ethylene carbonate (EC), mixtures commonly used for many experimental studies. The rate constants were calculated directly from 1O2 phosphorescence lifetimes observed after laser pulse excitation of rose bengal (RB), used to generate 1O2. In aqueous mixtures with MeCN and carbonates, the rate constant increased nonlinearly with increasing volume of organic solvent in the mixtures. k(q) was 4.78 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) in D2O and increased to 26.7 x 10(8) and 27.7 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) in 96% MeCN and 97.7% EC/PC, respectively. However, in EtOH/D2O mixtures, k(q) decreased with increasing alcohol concentration. This shows that a higher solvent polarity increases the quenching efficiency, which is unexpectedly decreased by the proticity of aqueous and alcohol solvent mixtures. The rate constant values increased with increasing temperature, yielding a quenching activation energy of 11.3 kJ mol(-1) in D2O. Our results show that rate constants in most solvent mixtures cannot be derived reliably from k(q) values measured in pure solvents by using a simple additivity rule. We have measured the rate constants with high accuracy, and they may serve as a reliable reference to calculate unknown k(q) values.     

Preparation,Characterization, and In Vitro Biological Evaluation of PLGA/Nano-Fluorohydroxyapatite (FHA) Microsphere-Sintered Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications

In this research, the novel three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds made of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/nano-fluorohydroxyapatite (FHA) composite microspheres was prepared and characterize for potential bone repair applications. We employed a microsphere sintering method to produce 3D PLGA/nano-FHA scaffolds composite microspheres. The mechanical properties, pore size, and porosity of the composite scaffolds were controlled by varying parameters, such as sintering temperature, sintering time, and PLGA/nano-FHA ratio. The experimental results showed that the PLGA/nano-FHA (4:1) scaffold sintered at 90 °C for 2 h demonstrated the highest mechanical properties and an appropriate pore structure for bone tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, MTT assay and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP activity) results ascertained that a general trend of increasing in cell viability was seen for PLGA/nano-FHA (4:1) scaffold sintered at 90 °C for 2 h by time with compared to control group. Eventually, obtained experimental results demonstrated PLGA/nano-FHA microsphere-sintered scaffold deserve attention utilizing for bone tissue engineering.     

催化荧光光度法测定痕量过氧化氢

在pH 7.0的磷酸氢二钠-磷酸二氢钾缓冲溶液中,四羧基铁酞菁(FeTCPc)能催化过氧化氢氧化L-酪氨酸,形成荧光二聚体,据此提出了荧光光度法测定水中过氧化氢的方法。在激发波长(λex)320nm与发射波长(λem)410nm处,反应体系的ΔF(F-F0)与过氧化氢的浓度在7.6×10-7～2.7×10-5 mol.L-1之间呈线性关系,方法的检出限(3s/k)为5.2×10-8 mol.L-1。以此方法对两种水样进行分析,测得回收率在96.5%～96.9%之间,测定值的相对标准偏差(n=5)在1.0%～2.8%之间。     

UO22+对某些细胞毒性的初探

建立了由多种金属离子和小分子配体组成的多相细胞液热力学平衡模型,模拟研究了UO22+在组织液和细胞液的形态。体外培养了SD大鼠成骨细胞和人肾小管上皮细胞,通过体外细胞生长抑制实验探索了UO22+对成骨细胞及肾小管上皮细胞的毒性。研究表明,在细胞液中,当各形态UO22+物质总浓度[U]=8.4×10-6mol/L时,当pH为6.0～6.5时,UO22+主要以固相(UO2)3(PO4)2存在,当pH为6.8～7.5时,UO22+主要以水溶性[UO2(CO3)3]4-存在;当[U]=1.3×10-3mol/L时,在整个细胞液pH范围内,固相(UO2)3(PO4)2占主导地位。体外细胞生长抑制实验表明,UO22+对成骨细胞的生长具有抑制作用,能显著降低肾小管上皮细胞的存活率,具有明显的细胞毒性。     

与胶原特异性结合的BMP2模拟肽/PLGA 3D打印复合支架的制备及成骨诱导活性

将胶原绑定结构域(CBD)多肽序列与骨形态发生蛋白2模拟肽(BMP2-MP)序列连接制备具有胶原绑定能力的CBD-BMP2-MP, 再将CBD-BMP2-MP与聚丙交酯-乙交酯/胶原(PLGA/COL)3D打印支架相结合, 以支架表面的胶原成分为媒介, 将CBD-BMP2-MP更有效地固定于骨修复材料上, 达到对其进行改性的目的. 利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 电子万能试验机和接触角测量仪对复合支架表面形貌、 力学强度和亲水性等材料学性能进行评价. 用荧光成像法评测 CBD-BMP2-MP及BMP2-MP与支架材料的结合能力. 在各组支架材料表面接种MC3T3-E1细胞进行体外培养, 采用CCK-8、 鬼笔环肽荧光染色、 茜素红染色及qPCR综合评价细胞在材料表面的黏附、 增殖和成骨分化等细胞行为, 研究CBD-BMP2-MP修饰的3D多孔PLGA/COL复合支架的生物学性能. 研究结果表明, 利用3D打印技术制备的多孔支架具有形貌可控的孔隙结构, 为细胞生长创造更有利的细胞微环境, 支架表面胶原成分的加入提高了支架材料的亲水性, 同时对支架材料本身的力学性能无任何影响, 提高了复合支架本身的生物相容性. 与普通BMP2-MP相比, CBD-BMP2-MP具有更好的胶原绑定能力, 与复合支架的结合更稳定, 提高了PLGA/COL复合支架对BMP2-MP的负载能力. 支架表面负载CBD-BMP2-MP后具有极强的促细胞成骨分化能力. MC3T3-E1细胞表现出更高的钙沉积能力, 并且成骨分化相关基因Runx2, ALP, COL-I及OPN等水平也有了明显提升. 表明CBD-BMP2-MP多孔复合支架具有良好的生物相容性和成骨诱导活性, 在骨组织修复领域具有良好的应用前景.     

One‐Step Labeling of Collagen Hydrogels with Polydopamine and Manganese Porphyrin for Non‐Invasive Scaffold Tracking on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Biomaterial scaffolds are the cornerstone to supporting 3D tissue growth. Optimized scaffold design is critical to successful regeneration, and this optimization requires accurate knowledge of the scaffold's interaction with living tissue in the dynamic in vivo milieu. Unfortunately, non‐invasive methods that can probe scaffolds in the intact living subject are largely underexplored, with imaging‐based assessment relying on either imaging cells seeded on the scaffold or imaging scaffolds that have been chemically altered. In this work, the authors develop a broadly applicable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method to image scaffolds directly. A positive‐contrast “bright” manganese porphyrin (MnP) agent for labeling scaffolds is used to achieve high sensitivity and specificity, and polydopamine, a biologically derived universal adhesive, is employed for adhering the MnP. The technique was optimized in vitro on a prototypic collagen gel, and in vivo assessment was performed in rats. The results demonstrate superior in vivo scaffold visualization and the potential for quantitative tracking of degradation over time. Designed with ease of synthesis in mind and general applicability for the continuing expansion of available biomaterials, the proposed method will allow tissue engineers to assess and fine‐tune the in vivo behavior of their scaffolds for optimal regeneration.     

Biopolymer/Glycopolypeptide‐Blended Scaffolds: Synthesis,Characterization and Cellular Interactions

Three‐dimensional (3D) scaffolds formed from natural biopolymers gelatin and chitosan that are chemically modified by galactose have shown improved hepatocyte adhesion, spheroid geometry and functions of the hepatocytes. Galactose specifically binds to the hepatocytes via the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) and an increase in galactose density further improves the hepatocyte proliferation and functions. In this work, we aimed to increase the galactose density within the biopolymeric scaffold by physically blending the biopolymers chitosan and gelatin with an amphiphlic β‐galactose polypeptide (PPO‐GP). PPO‐GP, is a di‐block copolymer with PPO and β‐galactose polypeptide, exhibits lower critical solution temperature and is entrapped within the scaffold through hydrophobic interactions. The uniform distribution of PPO‐GP within the scaffold was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. SEM and mechanical testing of the hybrid scaffolds indicated pore size, inter connectivity and compression modulus similar to the scaffolds made from 100 % biopolymer. The presence of the PPO‐GP on the surface of the scaffold was tested monitoring the interaction of an analogous mannose containing PPO‐GP scaffold and the mannose binding lectin Con‐A. In vitro cell culture experiments with HepG2 cells were performed on GLN‐GP and CTS‐GP and their cellular response was compared with GLN and CTS scaffolds for a period of seven days. Within three days of culture the Hep G2 cells formed multicellular spheroids on GLN‐GP and CTS‐GP more efficiently than on the GLN and CTS scaffolds. The multicellular spheroids were also found to infiltrate more in GLN‐GP and CTS‐GP scaffolds and able to maintain their round morphology as observed by live/dead and SEM imaging.