Biomaterial scaffolds are a key part of cardiac tissue engineering therapies. The group has recently synthesized a novel polycaprolactone based polyurethane‐urea copolymer that showed improved mechanical properties compared with its previously published counterparts. The aim of this study was to explore whether indirect three‐dimensional (3D) printing could provide a means to fabricate this novel, biodegradable polymer into a scaffold suitable for cardiac tissue engineering. Indirect 3D printing was carried out through printing water dissolvable poly(vinyl alcohol) porogens in three different sizes based on a wood‐stack model, into which a polyurethane‐urea solution was pressure injected. The porogens were removed, leading to soft polyurethane‐urea scaffolds with regular tubular pores. The scaffolds were characterized for their compressive and tensile mechanical behavior; and their degradation was monitored for 12 months under simulated physiological conditions. Their compatibility with cardiac myocytes and performance in novel cardiac engineering‐related techniques, such as aggregate seeding and bi‐directional perfusion, was also assessed. The scaffolds were found to have mechanical properties similar to cardiac tissue, and good biocompatibility with cardiac myocytes. Furthermore, the incorporated cells preserved their phenotype with no signs of de‐differentiation. The constructs worked well in perfusion experiments, showing enhanced seeding efficiency. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1912–1921, 2016.

Brosimum alicastrum is a native tree widely distributed in the Yucatan peninsula where is called Ramon. Some studies have reported that Ramon seeds contain high starch content, recently used in developing novel and sustainable biomaterials. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of the extractive solution on the starch isolation Ramon seed flour; for that, distilled water (S1) and NaOH solution (S2) were used. The Ramon starch yield was 28.0 ± 1.4% and 31.9 ± 1.7% for S1 and S2. The morphology of starches was observed with scanning electronic microscopy, the functional groups were determined through Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy and crystallinity was calculated by X-ray diffraction analysis. The results indicate that both types of starch presented spherical morphology, similar functional groups and crystallinity values, suggesting that both extraction methods are suitable. The starches isolated exhibited similar thermal behavior assessed by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.

No abstract

During the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) pandemic, scientists from different areas are looking for alternatives to fight it. SARS‐CoV‐2, the cause of the infectious respiratory disease COVID‐19, is mainly transmitted through direct or indirect contact with infected respiratory droplets. The integrity of the virus structure is crucial for its viability to attack human cells. Quaternary ammonium salts are characterized by having antiviral capabilities which alter or destroy the structure of the viral capsid. In this work, polypropylene (PP)/(1‐Hexadecyl) trimethyl‐ammonium bromide (CTAB) composites have been prepared in order to create an antiviral material. The composites were melt processed and blown to produce thin films. The CTAB content on the antiviral effect was evaluated using antibodies and serum from infected patients with the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. In addition, the mechanical and thermal properties of blown films were investigated, and CTAB release kinetics from the films was followed by UV–Vis. The results indicate that the virus tends to remain less on the polymer surface by increasing the amount of CTAB in the PP matrix.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) are polymers with unique individual features, but their mixing can produce a new biodegradable material with well-balanced properties, although with a disadvantage that both are highly hydrophobic materials. To improve this drawback, electrospun PCL/PLA blends with various weight ratios were superficially modified by air plasma. The changes undergone by the nanofibers were characterized using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques; water contact angle (WCA) was also determined. We demonstrated that the electrospun PCL/PLA blends did not suffer morphological changes, although it was observed an increase in the roughness and the O/C ratio (by XPS analysis) and, decrease in WCA values, when the PCL content dominates in the blend after the treatment. The surface characteristics of the scaffolds PCL/PLA blends can be improved after modification with plasma and by tuning the content of its components.