Abstract Current in vitro antitumor drug screening strategies insufficiently mimic biological systems. They tend to lack true perfusion and draining microcirculation systems, which may post significant limitations in explicitly reproducing the transport kinetics of cancer therapeutics. Herein, the fabrication of an improved tumor model consisting of a bioprinted hollow blood vessel and a lymphatic vessel pair, hosted in a 3D tumor microenvironment‐mimetic hydrogel matrix is reported, termed as the tumor‐on‐a‐chip with a bioprinted blood and a lymphatic vessel pair (TOC‐BBL). The bioprinted blood vessel is a perfusable channel with an opening on both ends, while the bioprinted lymphatic vessel is blinded on one end, both of which are embedded in a hydrogel tumor mass, with vessel permeability individually tunable through optimization of the compositions of the bioinks. It is demonstrated that systems with different combinations of these bioprinted blood/lymphatic vessels exhibit varying levels of diffusion profiles for biomolecules and anticancer drugs. The results suggest that this unique in vitro tumor model containing the bioprinted blood/lymphatic vessel pair may have the capacity of simulating the complex transport mechanisms of certain pharmaceutical compounds inside the tumor microenvironment, potentially providing improved accuracy in future cancer drug screening.
Wound healing has been a challenge in the medical field. Tremendous research has been carried out to expedite wound healing by fabricating various formulations, some of which are now commercially available. However, owing to their natural source, people have been attracted to advanced formulations with herbal components. Among various herbs, curcumin has been the center of attraction from ancient times for its healing properties due to its multiple therapeutic effects, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, neuroprotective, and radioprotective properties. However, curcumin has a low water solubility and rapidly degrades into inactive metabolites, which limits its therapeutic efficacy. Henceforth, a carrier system is needed to carry curcumin, guard it against degradation, and keep its bioavailability and effectiveness. Different formulations with curcumin have been synthesized, and exist in the form of various synthetic and natural materials, including nanoparticles, hydrogels, scaffolds, films, fibers, and nanoemulgels, improving its bioavailability dramatically. This review discusses the advances in different types of curcumin-based formulations used in wound healing in recent times, concentrating on its mechanisms of action and discussing the updates on its application at several stages of the wound healing process. Impact statement Curcumin is a herbal compound extracted from turmeric root and has been used since time immemorial for its health benefits including wound healing. In clinical formulations, curcumin shows low bioavailability, which mainly stems from the way it is delivered in the body. Henceforth, a carrier system is needed to carry curcumin, guard it against degradation, while maintaining its bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. This review offers an overview of the advanced technological interventions through tissue engineering approaches to efficiently utilize curcumin in different types of wound healing applications.
Abstract INSIGHT (I N telligent in situ printing G uided by Eye‐in‐ H and robot T echnology), an innovative computer vision‐enabled system that combines a depth camera with a 6‐degree of freedom robot arm, empowering it to identify arbitrary areas at various angles through real time adjustments and to enable volumetric printing performed by dynamic image recognition based on color and contour differences is presented. Continuous targeting of multiple wounds at different locations is achieved. The optimized pneumatic valve synchronized with the INSIGHT can print multiple inks with diverse rheological properties to fabricate scaffolds and bandages with the capacity to treat various types of wounds. The design of dual printed modes, such as extrusion and spray, can significantly decrease printing time for large‐scale wounds on an ex vivo porcine model. INSIGHT demonstrates its ability to treat diabetic wounds, using a microgel‐based ink possessing an inherent porous microstructure to facilitate cell infiltration. In vivo verification highlights its adaptability to enable customized care for rapid emergency treatment of trauma patients.
The integrity of a small model protein, the 36-residue villin headpiece HP36, attached to gold nanoparticles (AuNP) is examined, and its response to laser excitation of the AuNPs is investigated. To that end, it is first verified by stationary IR and CD spectroscopy, together with denaturation experiments, that the folded structure of the protein is fully preserved when attached to the AuNP surface. It is then shown by time-resolved IR spectroscopy that the protein does not unfold, even upon the highest pump fluences that lead to local temperature jumps on the order of 1000 K of the phonon system of the AuNPs, since that temperature jump persists for too short a time of a few nanoseconds only to be destructive. Judged from a blue shift of the amide I band, indicating destabilized or a few broken hydrogen bonds, the protein either swells, becomes more unstructured from the termini, or changes its degree of solvation. In any case, it recovers immediately after the excess energy dissipates into the bulk solvent. The process is entirely reversible for millions of laser shots without any indication of aggregation of the protein or the AuNPs and with only a minor fraction of broken protein-AuNP thiol bonds. The work provides important cornerstones in designing laser pulse parameters for maximal heating with protein-capped AuNPs without destroying the capping layer.
Abstract Myocardial infarction (MI) is a significant cardiovascular disease that restricts blood flow, resulting in massive cell death and leading to stiff and noncontractile fibrotic scar tissue formation. Recently, sustained oxygen release in the MI area has shown regeneration ability; however, improving its therapeutic efficiency for regenerative medicine remains challenging. Here, a combinatorial strategy for cardiac repair by developing cardioprotective and oxygenating hybrid hydrogels that locally sustain the release of stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 alpha (SDF) and oxygen for simultaneous activation of neovascularization at the infarct area is presented. A sustained release of oxygen and SDF from injectable, mechanically robust, and tissue‐adhesive silk‐based hybrid hydrogels is achieved. Enhanced endothelialization under normoxia and anoxia is observed. Furthermore, there is a marked improvement in vascularization that leads to an increment in cardiomyocyte survival by ≈30% and a reduction of the fibrotic scar formation in an MI animal rodent model. Improved left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions by ≈10% and 20%, respectively, with a ≈25% higher ejection fraction on day 7 are also observed. Therefore, local delivery of therapeutic oxygenating and cardioprotective hydrogels demonstrates beneficial effects on cardiac functional recovery for reparative therapy.
In article number 1807173, Yu Shrike Zhang and co-workers report the development of an improved tumor-on-a-chip model consisting of a bioprinted hollow, perfusable blood vessel for liquid delivery and a hollow, single end-blinded lymphatic vessel for interstitial fluid draining, hosted in a 3D tumor microenvironment-like hydrogel matrix. This model featuring the biomimetic local microcirculation exhibits well-controlled transport of biomolecules and anti-cancer drugs.