In scaffold aided regeneration of muscular tissue, composite materials are currently utilized as a temporary substrate to stimulate tissue formation by controlled electrochemical signals as well as continuous mechanical stimulation until the regeneration processes are completed. Among them, composites from the blending of conductive (CPs) and biocompatible polymers are powerfully emerging as a successful strategy for the regeneration of myocardium due to their unique conductive and biological recognition properties able to assure a more efficient electroactive stimulation of cells. Here, different composite substrates made of synthesized polyaniline (sPANi) and polycaprolactone (PCL) were investigated as platforms for cardiac tissue regeneration. Preliminary, a comparative analysis of substrates conductivity performed on casted films endowed with synthesized polyaniline (sPANi) short fibres or blended with emeraldine base polyaniline (EBPANi) allows to study the attitude of charge transport, depending on the conducting filler amount, shape and spatial distribution. In particular, conducibility tests indicated that sPANi short fibres provide a more efficient transfer of electric signal due to the spatial organization of electroactive needle-like phases up to form a percolative network. On the basis of this characterization, sPANi/PCL electrospun membranes have been also optimized to mimic either the morphological and functional features of the cardiac muscle ECM. The presence of sPANi does not relevantly affect the fibre architecture as confirmed by SEM/image analysis investigation which shows a broader distribution of fibres with only a slight reduction of the average fibre diameter from 7.1 to 6.4 μm. Meanwhile, biological assays--evaluation of cell survival rate by MTT assay and immunostaining of sarcomeric α-actinin of cardiomyocites-like cells--clearly indicate that conductive signals offered by PANi needles, promote the cardiogenic differentiation of hMSC into cardiomyocite-like cells. These preliminary results concur to promise the development of electroactive biodegradable substrates able to efficiently stimulate the basic cell mechanisms, paving the way towards a new generation of synthetic patches for the support of the regeneration of damaged myocardium.
The controlled delivery of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory agents, or chemotherapeutic agents to the periodontal site is a recognized strategy to improve the efficiency of regenerative processes of hard tissues. A novel approach based on the trapping of tetracycline hydrochloride-loaded particles in polycaprolactone nanofibers was used to guide the regeneration processes of periodontal tissue at the gum interface. Chitosan nanoparticles loaded with different levels of tetracycline hydrochloride (up to 5% wt) were prepared by solution nebulization induced by electrical forces (i.e. electrospraying). The fine tuning of process parameters allows to obtain nanoparticles with tailored sizes ranging from 0.485 ± 0.147 µm to 0.639 ± 0.154 µm. The tetracycline hydrochloride release profile had a predominant burst effect for the first 70% of release followed by a relatively slow release over 24 h, which is promising for oral drug delivery. We also demonstrated that trapping tetracycline hydrochloride-loaded particles with submicrometer diameters into a polycaprolactone fiber network contributed to slowing the release of tetracycline hydrochloride from the nanoparticles, thus providing a more prolonged release in the periodontal pocket during clinical therapy. Preliminary studies on human mesenchymal stem cells confirm the viability of cells up to 5 days after culture, and thereby, validate the use of nanoparticle-/nanofiber-integrated systems in periodontal therapies.
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