Achieving a high number of inter-pore channels and a nanofibrous structure similar to that of the extracellular matrix remains a challenge in the preparation of Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BSF) scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin (ASF) micro/nano fibers with an average diameter of 324 nm were fabricated by electrospinning from an 8 wt % ASF solution in h...

Novel scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering were fabricated by co-electrospinning human-like collagen/chitosan and polylactic acid at room temperature and normal pressure. By studying the effects of composition and collecting distance on the morphology of electrospun meshes, we determined that the proper collecting distance and the concentration of the solution are the keys to the success o...

Tissue engineering is an emerging field in biomedicine, holding enormous promise for regenerative medicine. Scaffolds, within which cells proliferate, are a controlling factor in tissue engineering applications. Upon fabrication, tissue scaffolds must undergo appropriate sterilization to eliminate contaminants. Current sterilization methods are either costly, time consuming, or ineffective. In ...

Introduction Differentiated chondrocytes have been widely employed in studies of cartilage regeneration and tissue engineering. However, the low cell density of cartilage poses the problem of low cell yield following isolation for direct seeding onto scaffolds. To overcome this problem, chondrocytes are usually expanded in monolayer cell culture before seeding on any scaffold. This approach int...

Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) is able to support the adhesion and growth of h-osteoblasts and to delay their degradation rate to a greater extent with respect to other polyesters. The drawbacks linked to its employment in regenerative medicine arise from its hydrophobic nature and the lack of biochemical signals linked to it. This work reports on the attempt to add five different self-asse...

Electrospinning is a highly adaptable method producing porous 3D fibrous scaffolds that can be exploited in in vitro cell culture. Alterations to intrinsic parameters within the process allow a high degree of control over scaffold characteristics including fiber diameter, alignment and porosity. By developing scaffolds with similar dimensions and topographies to organ- or tissue-specific extrac...

Corneal diseases constitute the second leading cause of vision loss and affect more than 10 million people globally. As there is a severe shortage of fresh donated corneas and an unknown risk of immune rejection with traditional heterografts, it is very important and urgent to construct a corneal equivalent to replace pathologic corneal tissue. Corneal tissue engineering has emerged as a practi...

Over 600,000 bone-grafting operations are performed each year in the United States. The majority of the bone used for these surgeries comes from autografts that are limited in quantity or allografts with high failure rates. Current synthetic bone grafting materials have poor mechanical properties, handling characteristics, and bioactivity. The goal of this dissertation was to develop a clinical...

Spinal cord injury results in significant mortality and morbidity, lifestyle changes, and difficult rehabilitation. Treatment of spinal cord injury is challenging because the spinal cord is both complex to treat acutely and difficult to regenerate. Nanomaterials can be used to provide effective treatments; their unique properties can facilitate drug delivery to the injury site, enact as neuropr...

Objective(s): Tissue engineering represents a new approach to solve the current complications of the heart valve replacements by offering viable valve prosthesis with growth and remodeling capability. In this project, electrospinning and dip coating techniques were used to fabricate heart valve constructs from medical grade polyurethane (PU). Methods: Fir...