Artificial
skin substitute made of polymeric films are of great
demand in the field of skin tissue engineering. We report here the
fabrication of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and poly(ethylene glycol)
(PEG) blend films by solution casting method for wound healing applications.
The physicochemical characteristics and the thermal stability of the
films were analyzed. The surface morphology shows crystalline structures
with large hexagonal-like platelet crystals of CMC on the surface
of the films. Pure CMC films exhibited higher tensile strength than
the CMC/PEG blend films. The swelling ratio (SR) of the films was
influenced by the pH of Tris–HCL buffer (2.0, 5.0, and 7.0),
which increased with increase in pH. The hemocompatibility assay and
cytotoxicity test using NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells showed that the films
were biocompatible. To evaluate the wound healing efficacy, the films
were applied in full-thickness wounds created in normal and diabetic
Wistar albino rats. The wounds healed faster with pure CMC film compared
to blend films in both normal and diabetic rats, evidenced by intensive
collagen formation in histopathological analysis. Thus, the films
have potential application in skin regeneration, thereby to restore
the structural and functional characteristics of the skin.
Injectable biomaterials scaffolds play a pivotal role for dental tissue regeneration, as such materials are highly applicable in the dental field, particularly when compared to pre-formed scaffolds. The defects in the maxilla-oral area are normally small, confined and sometimes hard to access. This narrative review describes different types of biomaterials for dental tissue regeneration, and also discusses the potential use of nanofibers for dental tissues. Various studies suggest that tissue engineering approaches involving the use of injectable biomaterials have the potential of restoring not only dental tissue function but also their biological purposes.
The mechanisms of NASH development in the context of age and genetics are not fully elucidated. This study investigates the age-dependent liver defects during NASH development in mice with heterozygous deletion of Pcyt2 (Pcyt2+/−), the rate limiting enzyme in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) synthesis. Further, the therapeutic potential of Pcyt2 substrate, phosphoethanolamine (PEtn), is examined. Pcyt2+/− were investigated at 2 and 6–8 months (mo) of age and in addition, 6-mo old Pcyt2+/− with developed NASH were supplemented with PEtn for 8 weeks and glucose and fatty acid metabolism, insulin signaling, and inflammation were examined. Heterozygous ablation of Pcyt2 causes changes in liver metabolic regulators from young age, prior to the development of liver disease which does not occur until adulthood. Only older Pcyt2+/− experiences perturbed glucose and fatty acid metabolism. Older Pcyt2+/− liver develops NASH characterized by increased glucose production, accumulation of TAG and glycogen, and increased inflammation. Supplementation with PEtn reverses Pcyt2+/− steatosis, inflammation, and other aspects of NASH, showing that was directly caused by Pcyt2 deficiency. Pcyt2 deficiency is a novel mechanism of metabolic dysregulation due to reduced membrane ethanolamine phospholipid synthesis, and the metabolite PEtn offers therapeutic potential for NASH reversion.
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