Suchergebnisse

FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia- for financial support in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2019 and under projects PTDC/EEISII/5582/2014, PTDC/BTM-MAT/28237/2017 and PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017. R.B-P. acknowledges also support from FCT (SFRH/BD/140698/2018). Finally, the authors acknowledge funding The authors thank funding by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERFD) through the project PID2019-106099RBC43 / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 and from the Basque Government Industry and Education Department under the ELKARTEK, HAZITEK and PIBA (PIBA-2018-06) programs, respectively. Funding from European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme for Research, ICT-02-2018 - Flexible and Wearable Electronics. Grant agreement no. 824339 – WEARPLEX is acknowledged. Technical and human support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU, MICINN, GV/EJ, EGEF and ESF ...

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are increasingly taking advantage of active materials, allowing to provide specific clues to the cells. In particular, the use of electroactive polymers that deliver an electrical signal to the cells upon mechanical solicitation, open new scientific and technological opportunities, as they in fact mimic signals and effects that occur in living tissues, allowing the development of suitable microenvironments for tissue regeneration. Thus, a novel overall strategy for bone and muscle tissue engineering was developed based on the fact that these cells type are subjected to mechano-electrical stimuli in their in vivo microenvironment and that piezo- and magnetoelectric polymers, used as scaffolds, are suitable for delivering those cues. The processing and functional characterizations of piezoelectric and magnetoelectric polymers based on poly(vinylindene fluoride) and poly-L-lactic acid in a variety of shapes, from microspheres to electrospun mats and three dimensional scaffolds, are shown as well as their performance in the development of novel bone and muscle tissue engineering. ; The authors thank the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support under Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013 and project PTDC/EEI-SII/5582/2014, including FEDER funds, UE. The authors also thank the FCT for financial support under grants SFRH/BPD/90870/2012 (CR), SFRH/BPD/121526/2016 (DMC), SFRH/BD/111478/2015 (SR) and SFRH/BPD/121464/2016 (MMF). Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) (including the FEDER financial support) and from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK Program is also acknowledged. ...

Biomimetic bioreactor systems are increasingly being developed for tissue engineering applications, due to their ability to recreate the native cell/tissue microenvironment. Regarding bone-related diseases and considering the piezoelectric nature of bone, piezoelectric scaffolds electromechanically stimulated by a bioreactor, providing the stimuli to the cells, allows a biomimetic approach and thus, mimicking the required microenvironment for effective growth and differentiation of bone cells. In this work, a bioreactor has been designed and built allowing to magnetically stimulate magnetoelectric scaffolds and therefore provide mechanical and electrical stimuli to the cells through magnetomechanical or magnetoelectrical effects, depending on the piezoelectric nature of the scaffold. While mechanical bioreactors need direct application of the stimuli on the scaffolds, the herein proposed magnetic bioreactors allow for a remote stimulation without direct contact with the material. Thus, the stimuli application (23 mT at a frequency of 0.3 Hz) to cells seeded on the magnetoelectric, leads to an increase in cell viability of almost 30% with respect to cell culture under static conditions. This could be valuable to mimic what occurs in the human body and for application in immobilized patients. Thus, special emphasis has been placed on the control, design and modeling parameters governing the bioreactor as well as its functional mechanism. ; FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia: UID/FIS/04650/2020; PTDC/BTM-MAT/28237/2017; PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017 and SFRH/BPD/121464/2016. Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO): MAT2016–76039-C4–3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE). Basque Government Industry and Education Department: ELKARTEK, PIB and PIBA (PIBA−2018–06) programs, respectively. ...

Fluorinated polymers constitute a unique class of materials that exhibit a combination of suitable properties for a wide range of applications, which mainly arise from their outstanding chemical resistance, thermal stability, low friction coefficients and electrical properties. Furthermore, those presenting stimuli-responsive properties have found widespread industrial and commercial applications, based on their ability to change in a controlled fashion one or more of their physicochemical properties, in response to single or multiple external stimuli such as light, temperature, electrical and magnetic fields, pH and/or biological signals. In particular, some fluorinated polymers have been intensively investigated and applied due to their piezoelectric, pyroelectric and ferroelectric properties in biomedical applications including controlled drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, microfluidic and artificial muscle actuators, among others. This review summarizes the main characteristics, microstructures and biomedical applications of electroactive fluorinated polymers. ; The authors thank the FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia—For financial support under framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013, project PTDC/EEI-SII/5582/2014 and project UID/EEA/04436/2013 by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020—Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização(POCI)withthereferenceprojectPOCI-01-0145-FEDER-006941. Funds provided by FCT in the framework of EuroNanoMed 2016 call, Project LungChek ENMed/0049/2016 are also gratefully acknowledged. VFC, DMC, CR and MMF also thank the FCT for the grants SFRH/BPD/98109/2013, SFRH/BPD/121526/2016, SFRH/BPD/90870/2012 and SFRH/BPD/121464/2016, respectively. Finally, the authors acknowledge funding by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) and from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK program. ...

The morphological clues of scaffolds can determine cell behavior and, therefore, the patterning of electroactive polymers can be a suitable strategy for bone tissue engineering. In this way, this work reports on the influence of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) electroactive micropatterned scaffolds on the proliferation and differentiation of bone cells. For that, micropatterned P(VDF-TrFE) scaffolds were produced by lithography in the form of arrays of lines and hexagons and then tested for cell proliferation and differentiation of pre-osteoblast cell line. Results show that more anisotropic surface microstructures promote bone differentiation without the need of further biochemical stimulation. Thus, the combination of specific patterns with the inherent electroactivity of materials provides a promising platform for bone regeneration. ; This work was supported by national funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and by ERDF through COMPETE2020—Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) in the framework of the Strategic Programs UID/FIS/04650/2020 and UIDB/04436/2020 and projects PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017 and PTDC/BTM-MAT/28237/2017. TA thank FCT for the grant SFRH/BD/141136/2018 and CR thanks the FCT for the contract under the Stimulus of Scientific Employment (DL57/2016 junior researcher contract). Finally, the authors acknowledge funding by Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERFD) through the project PID2019-106099RB-C43/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and from the Basque Government Industry and Education Departments under the ELKARTEK and PIBA (PIBA-2018-06) programs, ...

[EN] Poly(L-lactide) electrospun mats have been produced with random and aligned fiber orientation and degrees of crystallinity from 0 up to nearly 50%. These two factors, fiber alignment and degree of crystallinity, strongly affect the hydrophobicity of the samples, this being larger for the aligned fiber mats and for the fibers with a higher degree of crystallinity. Whereas, the first effect can be associated with a decrease in the degree of porosity, the second should be related to an increase in fiber stiffness as the observed fiber roughness variations do not show strong differences between the samples. Proliferation of human chondrocytes cultured in a monolayer on these substrates is similar in both aligned and non-aligned amorphous mats. Crystallization of the aligned mats, on the other hand, nearly suppresses proliferation and the cells produce higher amounts of aggrecan, characteristic of the extracellular matrix of hyaline cartilage. ; This work is funded by FEDER funds through the "Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade - COMPETE'' and by national funds by FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, project references PTDC/CTM/69316/2006, PTDC/CTM-NAN/112574/2009, and NANO/NMed-SD/0156/2007). V.S. thanks the FCT for the SFRH/BPD/63148/2009 grant. C. R. thanks the IINL for the financial support via a PhD grant. NG thanks Red Tematica de Investigacion Cooperativa en Envejecimiento y Fragilidad (RETICEF), which is an initiative of the ISCIII and the Catalan Government (2009SGR00848). JLGR acknowledges the support of the Spanish Ministry of Education through project No. MAT2010-21611-C03-01 (including the FEDER financial support). The authors thank the support from the COST Action MP1003, 2010, 'European Scientific Network for Artificial Muscles' (ESNAM). ; Areias, A.; Ribeiro, C.; Sencadas, V.; Garcia Giralt, N.; Diez Perez, A.; Gómez Ribelles, JL.; Lanceros Mendez, S. (2012). Influence of crystallinity and fiber orientation on hydrophobicity and biological response of poly(L-lactide) ...

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been extensively explored and implemented in different areas, ranging from sensors and actuators to the biomedical field. The increasing attention devoted to ILs centers on their unique properties and possible combination of different cations and anions, allowing the development of materials with specific functionalities and requirements for applications. Particularly for biomedical applications, ILs have been used for biomaterials preparation, improving dissolution and processability, and have been combined with natural and synthetic polymer matrixes to develop IL-polymer hybrid materials to be employed in different fields of the biomedical area. This review focus on recent advances concerning the role of ILs in the development of biomaterials and their combination with natural and synthetic polymers for different biomedical areas, including drug delivery, cancer therapy, tissue engineering, antimicrobial and antifungal agents, and biosensing. ; The authors thank the FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) for financial support under the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2019 and pro-jects PTDC/BTM-MAT/28237/2017, PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017, and PTDC/FIS-MAC/28157/2017. Funds provided by FCT in the framework of EuroNano-Med 2016 call, Project LungChek ENMed/0049/2016 are also gratefully acknowledged. D.M.C., L.C.F., R.M.M., and M.M.F. also thank the FCT for the grants SFRH/BPD/121526/2016, SFRH/BD/145345/2019, and FRH/BD/148655/2019, SFRH/BPD/121464/2016, respectively and CR thanks the FCT for the contract under the Stimulus of Scientific Employment (2020.04163.CEECIND). S.L.M. and J.R. acknowledge the funding support from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) through the project PID2019-106099RB-C43/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK program. ...

Polymer-based piezoelectric biomaterials have already proven their relevance for tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, the morphology of the scaffolds plays also an important role in cell proliferation and differentiation. The present work reports on poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), a biocompatible, biodegradable, and piezoelectric biopolymer that has been processed in different morphologies, including films, fibers, microspheres, and 3D scaffolds. The corresponding magnetically active PHBV-based composites were also produced. The effect of the morphology on physico-chemical, thermal, magnetic, and mechanical properties of pristine and composite samples was evaluated, as well as their cytotoxicity. It was observed that the morphology does not strongly affect the properties of the pristine samples but the introduction of cobalt ferrites induces changes in the degree of crystallinity that could affect the applicability of prepared biomaterials. Young's modulus is dependent of the morphology and also increases with the addition of cobalt ferrites. Both pristine and PHBV/cobalt ferrite composite samples are not cytotoxic, indicating their suitability for tissue engineering applications. ; The authors thank the FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) for financial support under the framework of strategic funding UID/FIS/04650/2013, UID/QUI/00686/2013, and UID/QUI/0686/2016; project PTDC/EEI-SII/5582/2014;andprojectPOCI-01-0145-FEDER-028237. FundsprovidedbyFCTintheframeworkof EuroNanoMed2016call,ProjectLungChekENMed/0049/2016arealsogratefullyacknowledged. D.M.C.andC.R. alsothanktheFCTforthegrantsSFRH/BPD/121526/2016andSFRH/BPD/90870/2012,respectively. Finally,the authors acknowledge funding by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) and from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK and HAZITEK program. ...

A poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers are polymers that, in specific crystalline phases, show high dielectric and piezoelectric values, excellent mechanical behavior and good thermal and chemical stability, suitable for many applications from the biomedical area to energy devices. This chapter introduces the main properties, processability and polymorphism of PVDF. Further, the recent advances in the applications based on those materials are presented and discussed. Thus, it shown the key role of PVDF and its copolymers as smart and multifunctional material, expanding the limits of polymer-based technologies. ; FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) for financial support under the framework of Strategic Funding grants UID/FIS/04650/2019, and UID/QUI/0686/2019 and project PTDC/FIS-MAC/28157/2017, PTDC/BTMMAT/28237/2017, PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017. The author also thanks the FCT for financial support under grant SFRH/BPD/112547/2015 (C.M.C.), SFRH/BPD/98109/2013 (V.F.C.), SFRH/BD/140698/2018 (R.B.P.), SFRH/BPD/96227/2013 (P.M.), SFRH/BPD/121526/2016 (D.M.C.), SFRH/BPD/97739/2013 (V. C.), SFRH/BPD/90870/2012 (C.R.). Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) (including FEDER financial support) and from the Basque Government Industry and Education Departments under the ELKARTEK, HAZITEK and PIBA ...

The aim of this work was to determine the influence of the biomaterial environment on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) fate when cultured in supports with varying topography. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) culture supports were prepared with structures ranging between 2D and 3D, based on PVDF films on which PVDF microspheres were deposited with varying surface density. Maintenance of multipotentiality when cultured in expansion medium was studied by flow cytometry monitoring the expression of characteristic hMSCs markers, and revealed that cells were losing their characteristic surface markers on these supports. Cell morphology was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Alkaline phosphatase activity was also assessed after seven days of culture on expansion medium. On the other hand, osteoblastic differentiation was monitored while culturing in osteogenic medium after cells reached confluence. Osteocalcin immunocytochemistry and alizarin red assays were performed. We show that flow cytometry is a suitable technique for the study of the differentiation of hMSC seeded onto biomaterials, giving a quantitative reliable analysis of hMSC-associated markers. We also show that electrosprayed piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) is a suitable support for tissue engineering purposes, as hMSCs can proliferate, be viable and undergo osteogenic differentiation when chemically stimulated. ; The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support under project PTDC/EEI-SII/5582/2014, Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013 and grants SFRH/BPD/90870/2012 (C.R.) and SFRH/BPD/121526/2016 (D.M.C). The authors acknowledge funding by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) and from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK program. JLGR, LC, RSS and AS acknowledge funding by the Conselleria de Educación, Investigación, Cultura y Deporte of the Generalitat Valenciana through ...