Sharif Digital Repository

This review covers the most recent developments of inorganic and organic-inorganic composite coatings for orthopedic implants, providing the interface with living tissue and with potential for drug delivery to combat infections. Conventional systemic delivery of drugs is an inefficient procedure that may cause toxicity and may require a patient's hospitalization for monitoring. Local delivery of antibiotics and other bioactive molecules maximizes their effect where they are required, reduces potential systemic toxicity and increases timeliness and cost efficiency. In addition, local delivery has broad applications in combating infection-related diseases. Polymeric coatings may present some... 

In this study, novel hydrogel nanoparticles with dual triggerable release properties based on fibrous structural proteins (keratin) and thermoresponsive copolymers (Pluronic) are introduced. Nanoparticles were used for curcumin delivery as effective and safe anticancer agents, the hydrophobicity of which has limited their clinical applications. A drug was loaded into hydrogel nanoparticles by a single-step nanoprecipitation method. The drug-loaded nanoparticles had an average diameter of 165 and 66 nm at 25 and 37 °C, respectively. It was shown that the drug loading efficiency could be enhanced through crosslinking of the disulfide bonds in keratin. Crosslinking provided a targeted release... 

In recent years, the amnion (AM) has emerged as a versatile tool for stimulating tissue regeneration and has been of immense interest for clinical applications. AM is an abundant and cost-effective tissue source that does not face strict ethical issues for biomedical applications. The outstanding biological attributes of AM, including side-dependent angiogenesis, low immunogenicity, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and antibacterial properties facilitate its usage for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, the clinical usage of thin AM sheets is accompanied by some limitations, such as handling without folding or tearing and the necessity for sutures to keep the material... 

Polycaprolactone (PCL) composite films containing 5 wt.% bioactive glass (BG) particles of different sizes (6 μm, 250 nm, < 100 nm) were prepared by solvent casting methods. The ultra-fine BG particles were prepared by high-energy mechanical milling of commercial 45S5 Bioglass® particles. The characteristics of bioactive glass particles were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. In vitro bioactivity of the PCL/BG composite films was evaluated through immersion in the simulated body fluid (SBF). The films were analyzed by FE-SEM, energy dispersive... 

A pressureless sintering method was utilized to fabricate metal/ceramic joints out of yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-TZP) and stainless steels (SS). Ultrafine (150 nm) and nanoscale (75 nm) 3Y-TZP particles and micrometric 17-4PH, 316L, and 420 SS (<31 μm) powders were tested. Isothermal and nonisothermal sintering behaviors of the powders and composite layers in hydrogen, argon, and vacuum atmospheres were examined. It was found that the mismatch strain between the zirconia ceramic and SS during cosintering is significant, which leads to bond cracking and joint failure. Nevertheless, interlayer diffusion of Zr, Fe, and Cr and the formation of a reaction zone, particularly during vacuum... 

Recently, nanodiamonds have attracted interest in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, targeted cancer therapies, fabrication of tissue scaffolds, and biosensors. We incorporated diamond nanoparticles in alginate–bioactive glass films by electrophoretic process to prepare functional coatings for biomedical implants. Turbidity examination by time-resolved laser transmittance measurement revealed that a stable multi-component aqueous suspension of alginate, bioactive glass and diamond particles could be obtained at concentrations of 0.6, 1.3, and 0.65 g/l, respectively. Uniform films with ~ 5 μm thickness were deposited on 316 stainless steel foils by employing constant field... 

The technological and clinical need for orthopedic replacement materials has led to significant advances in the field of nanomedicine, which embraces the breadth of nanotechnology from pharmacological agents and surface modification through to regulation and toxicology. A variety of nanostructures with unique chemical, physical, and biological properties have been engineered to improve the functionality and reliability of implantable medical devices. However, mimicking living bone tissue is still a challenge. The scope of this review is to highlight the most recent accomplishments and trends in designing nanomaterials and their applications in orthopedics with an outline on future directions... 

Orthopaedic implant-associated infections are one of the most serious complications in orthopaedic surgery and a major cause of implant failure. In the present work, drug-eluting coatings based on chitosan containing various amounts of vancomycin were prepared by a cathodic electrophoretic deposition process on titanium foils. A three-step release mechanism of the antibiotic from the films in a phosphate-buffered saline solution was noticed. At the early stage, physical encapsulation of the drug in the hydrogel network controlled the release rate. At the late stage, however, in vitro degradation/deattachment of chitosan was responsible for the controlled release. Cytotoxicity evaluation of... 

Recently, nanodiamonds have attracted interest in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, targeted cancer therapies, fabrication of tissue scaffolds, and biosensors. We incorporated diamond nanoparticles in alginate-bioactive glass films by electrophoretic process to prepare functional coatings for biomedical implants. Turbidity examination by time-resolved laser transmittance measurement revealed that a stable multi-component aqueous suspension of alginate, bioactive glass and diamond particles could be obtained at concentrations of 0.6, 1.3, and 0.65 g/l, respectively. Uniform films with ~ 5 μm thickness were deposited on 316 stainless steel foils by employing constant field... 

In this study, novel graphene oxide/chitosan nanocomposite coatings with long term drugeluting potential are presented. The coatings are fabricated by the facile and reproducible electrophoretic deposition technique. Analysis of the prepared films shows that the graphene oxide nanosheets are exfoliated in the chitosan matrix. Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry reveals polymer attachment to the carboxylic bonds of graphene oxide, providing a strong interaction and exfoliation of the nanolayers. In vitro viability assay by human osteosarcoma cells (MG-63) demonstrates that the nanocomposite films are highly biocompatible up to 30 wt% graphene oxide, but at higher concentrations a slight... 

In order to regenerate bone defects, bioactive hierarchically scaffolds play a key role due to their multilevel porous structure, high surface area, enhanced nutrient transport and diffusion. In this study, novel hierarchically porous silk fibroin (SF) and silk fibroin-bioactive glass (SF-BG) composite were fabricated with controlled architecture and interconnected structure, by combining indirect three-dimensional (3D) inkjet printing and freeze-drying methods. Further, the effect of 45S5 Bioactive glass particles of different sizes (<100 nm and 6 μm) on mechanical strength and cell behavior was investigated. The results demonstrated that the hierarchical structure in this scaffold was... 

Coaxial electrospinning with the ability to use simultaneously two separate solvents provides a promising strategy for drug delivery. Nevertheless, controlled release of hydrophilic and sensitive therapeutics from slow biodegradable polymers is still challenging. To address this gap, we fabricated core-sheath fibers for dual delivery of lysozyme, as a model protein, and phenytoin sodium as a small therapeutic molecule. The sheath was processed by a gelatin solution while the core fibers were fabricated from an aqueous gelatin/PVA solution. Microstructural studies by transmission and scanning electron microscopy reveal the formation of homogeneous core-sheath nanofibers with an outer and... 

The delivery of growth factors is often challenging due to their short half-life, low stability, and rapid deactivation. In native tissues, the sulfated residual of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) polymer chains of proteoglycans immobilizes growth factors through the proteoglycans'/proteins' complexation with nanoscale organization. These biological assemblies can influence growth factor-cell surface receptor interactions, cell differentiation, cell-cell signaling, and mechanical properties of the tissues. Here, we introduce a facile procedure to prepare novel biomimetic proteoglycan nanocarriers, based on naturally derived polymers, for the immobilization and controlled release of growth factors.... 

This work presents a novel melatonin sensor based on unfunctionalized macroporous graphene networks decorated with gold nanoparticles for the differential pulse voltammetric detection of melatonin in pharmaceutical products. Highly porous graphene structures were prepared by metallic template-assisted chemical vapor deposition, and their active surface area and electrocatalytic activity were improved by electrochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles (50-250 nm) on their struts. The graphene-gold electrodes present a highly sensitive performance toward electro-oxidation of melatonin with a wide linear range of 0.05-50 μM, a low detection limit of 0.0082 μM (3σ/m), and a significant... 

Fibrous scaffolds capable of delivering natural drugs and herbs show great promise for tissue regeneration and wound care, particularly in personalized medicine. This study presents the fabrication and characterization of drug-eluting antibacterial core-shell mats composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) and pectin nanofibers produced through coaxial electrospinning. Berberine chloride (BBR), an herbal compound with antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory, antilipidemic, and antidiabetic properties, served as the model drug. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was blended with pectin to enhance the mechanical properties of the core fibers. The shell was modified with two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx (MXene) nanosheets and... 

Design and development of biodegradable scaffolds with highly uniform and controlled internal structure that stimulate tissue regeneration are the focus of many studies. The aim of this work is to apply a modified three-dimensional (3D) printing process to fabricate polymer-matrix composites with controlled internal architecture. Computationally-designed plaster molds with various pore sizes in the range of 300-800. μm were prepared by employing 3D printing of a water-based binder. The molds were converted to ε-polycaprolactone (PCL) and PCL/bioactive glass (BG) composite scaffolds by solvent casting and freeze drying methods. Optical and electron microscopy studies revealed that the pore... 

Inkjet printing of colloidal metals is an attractive method for direct patterning of electrically conductive structures and interconnects in electronic devices, owing to low-cost, low-waste and simplicity of the process. In the present work, mixtures of well-dispersed silver nanoparticles and ethylene glycol were prepared for the inkjet printing process. Three different surfactants including PVP, MSA and AOT were added to study the stability of the nanosilver colloids. The effect of high-intensity ultrasonic treatment and temperature on the rheological properties was investigated utilising a rheometer in plate-plate geometry. It is shown that the viscosity of the ink increases with... 

Rheological behavior of agglomerated silver nanoparticles (~ 40 nm) suspended in diethylene glycol over a wide range of volumetric solids concentrations (φ{symbol} = 0.11-4.38%) was studied. The nanoparticle suspensions generally exhibited a yield pseudoplastic behavior. Bingham plastic, Herschel-Bulkley and Casson models were used to evaluate the shear stress-shear rate dependency. Analyzing the effect of silver concentrations on the yield stress and viscosity of the suspensions followed an exponential form, revealing an increase in the degree of interparticle interactions with increasing solid concentrations. Fractal dimension (Df) was estimated from the suspension yield stress and... 

Controlling topographic features at all length scales is of great importance for the interaction of cells with tissue regenerative materials. We utilized an indirect three-dimensional printing method to fabricate polymeric scaffolds with pre-defined and controlled external and internal architecture that had an interconnected structure with macro- (400-500 μm) and micro- (∼25 μm) porosity. Polycaprolactone (PCL) was used as model system to study the kinetics of tissue growth within porous scaffolds. The surface of the scaffolds was decorated with TiO2 and bioactive glass (BG) nanoparticles to the better match to nanoarchitecture of extracellular matrix (ECM). Micrometric BG particles were... 

Colloidal quantum dots (CQD) have attracted considerable attention for biomedical diagnosis and imaging as well as biochemical analysis and stem cell tracking. In this study, quasi core/shell lead sulfide/reduced graphene oxide CQD with near infrared emission (1100 nm) were prepared for potential bioimaging applications. The nanocrystals had an average diameter of ~4 nm, a hydrodynamic size of ~8 nm, and a high quantum efficiency of 28%. Toxicity assay of the hybrid CQD in the cultured human mononuclear blood cells does not show cytotoxicity up to 200 μg/ml. At high concentrations, damage to mitochondrial activity and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) due to the formation of...