Репозиторий Университета

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Application of restructured collagen-based biomaterials is generally restricted by their poor mechanical properties, which ideally must be close to those of a tissue being repaired. Here, we present an approach to the formation of a robust biomaterial using laser-induced curing of a photosensitive star-shaped polylactide. The created collagen-based structures demonstrated an increase in the Young's modulus by more than an order of magnitude with introduction of reinforcing patterns (from 0.15 ± 0.02 MPa for the untreated collagen to 51.2 ± 5.6 MPa for the reinforced collagen). It was shown that the geometrical configuration of the created reinforcing pattern affected the scaffold's mechanical properties only in the case of a relatively high laser radiation power density, when the effect of accumulated thermomechanical stresses in the photocured regions was significant. Photo-crosslinking of polylactide did not compromise the scaffold's cytotoxicity and provided fluorescent regions in the collagen matrix, that create a potential for noninvasive monitoring of such materials' biodegradation kinetics in vivo.

© 2019 by the authors. Superior polymers represent a promising alternative to mechanical and biological materials commonly used for manufacturing artificial heart valves. The study is aimed at assessing poly(styrene-block-isobutylene-block-styrene) (SIBS) properties and comparing them with polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-texTM, a reference sample). Surface topography of both materials was evaluated with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The mechanical properties were measured under uniaxial tension. The water contact angle was estimated to evaluate hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the study samples. Materials' hemocompatibility was evaluated using cell lines (Ea.hy 926), donor blood, and in vivo. SIBS possess a regular surface relief. It is hydrophobic and has lower strength as compared to Gore-texTM (3.51 MPa vs. 13.2/23.8 MPa). SIBS and Gore-texTM have similar hemocompatibility (hemolysis, adhesion, and platelet aggregation). The subcutaneous rat implantation reports that SIBS has a lower tendency towards calcification (0.39 mg/g) compared with Gore-texTM (1.29 mg/g). SIBS is a highly hemocompatible material with a promising potential for manufacturing heart valve leaflets, but its mechanical properties require further improvements. The possible options include the reinforcement with nanofillers and introductions of new chains in its structure.

© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. A new approach to making a photopolymeric composition was first elaborated in this work based on the use of poly-N,N′-(m-phenylene)isophtalamide as the heterochain polymer matrix together with 4,4′-diphenyl oxide diacrylamide as the crosslinking agent. Reproducible three-dimensional (3D) objects have been formed using a laser stereolithograph completed with a laser with wavelength of 405 nm. According to the thermogravimetric analysis, the thermal stability of the formed objects could be changed through a control from 260 to 405 °C. Moreover, it was proven that the tensile strength of samples of the crosslinked films reached 90.1 ± 3.2 MPa at the elongation at break of 12.4 ± 2.3%, depending on the forming parameters of such samples. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46463.

© The Author(s) 2018. Objective: Chondrospheres represent a variant of tissue spheroids biofabricated from chondrocytes. They are already being used in clinical trials for cartilage repair; however, their biomechanical properties have not been systematically investigated yet. The aim of our study was to characterize chondrospheres in long-term in vitro culture conditions for morphometric changes, biomechanical integrity, and their fusion and spreading kinetics. Results: It has been demonstrated that the increase in chondrospheres secant modulus of elasticity is strongly associated with the synthesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Additionally, significant interplay has been found between biomechanical properties of tissue spheroids and their fusion kinetics in contrast to their spreading kinetics. Conclusions: Extracellular matrix is one of the main structural determinants of chondrospheres biomechanical properties during chondrogenic maturation in vitro. The estimation of tissue spheroids’ physical behavior in vitro prior to operative treatment can be used to predict and potentially control fusogenic self-assembly process after implantation in vivo.

© 2017 Astro Ltd. A two-photon laser femtosecond crosslinking process at the wavelength of 525 nm was studied in a human donor cornea in the presence of riboflavin using two-photon optical microscopy and nanoindentation. It was shown that such an approach results in efficient crosslinking of the corneal collagen and a significant (three-fold) increase in the Young's modulus of the corneal structure. Application of a femtosecond laser with the wavelength of 525 nm allows a drastic enhancement of efficiency in the presence of riboflavin on human corneas and a 50-fold reduction of the laser treatment duration in comparison with the use of a femtosecond laser with the wavelength of 760 nm. We relate this effect to a significant growth in the coefficient of two-photon absorption due to the laser wavelength falling within the edge of the photoinitiator (riboflavin) absorption band. Our studies on a donor human cornea demonstrate the good potential for the clinical application of a femtosecond laser with the wavelength of 525 nm for increasing the cornea rigidity using the two-photon laser femtosecond crosslinking technique.