We have measured the interaction forces between a murine melanoma cell and a poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) microsphere coated with/without hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles (i.e., an HAp/PLLA or a bare PLLA microsphere) in a serum-free culture medium, using atomic force microscopy (AFM) with colloid probe technique, in order to investigate how the HAp-nanoparticle coating as well as interfacial s...

The aim of this study was to fabricate biodegradable poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) bone screws containing iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, which are radiopaque and 3D-printable. The PLLA composites were fabricated by loading 20%, 30%, and 40% Fe3O4 nanoparticles into the PLLA. The physical properties, including elastic modulus, thermal properties, and biocompatibility of the composites were tested...

Graphene oxide (GO) was employed for the preparation of GO-zinc oxide (ZnO). The hydroxyl group on the surface was exploited to trigger the l-lactide ring-opening polymerization. A composite material with poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) chains grafted to the GO-ZnO surface, GO-ZnO-PLLA, was prepared. The results demonstrated that the employed method allowed one-step, rapid grafting of PLLA to the GO-ZnO...

The diagnosis of malignant brain gliomas is largely based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast agents. In recent years, nano-sized contrast agents have been developed for improved MRI diagnosis. In this study, oleylamine-coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (OAM-MNPs) were synthesized with thermal decomposition method and encapsulated in novel amphiphilic poly(aminoethyl ethylene ph...

The degradation of high molecular weight as-polymerized poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) is very slow; it takes more than 5.6 yr for total resorption. Moreover, the degradation products of as-polymerized PLLA bone plates, consisting of numerous stable particles of high crystallinity, are related with a subcutaneous swelling in patients 3yr postoperatively. In order to avoid these complications, polymers ...

We developed a nanofiber scaffold by blending PLLA with collagen I, suitable for bone regeneration. Among several PLLA-COLI ratios tested, cell growth was better enhanced when blends with a ratio of PLLA-COLI 4:1 were used. Here, growth as well as osteoblast differentiation of hMSC was improved when compared to PLLA nanofibers alone. Therefore, blending is a suitable tool to enhance PLLA nanofi...

Biodegradable poly(L-lactide) (PLLA)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) nanocomposites were prepared via solution blending using two kinds of MWNTs, i.e., pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes (p-MWNTs) and carboxyl-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWNTs). Various techniques were used to investigate the functionalization of MWNTs on the morphology, crystallization, and hydrolyti...

Miniemulsion homopolymerization reactions of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (STY) using poly(L-lactide) as co-stabilizer were carried out in order to prepare poly(L-lactide)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PLLA/PMMA) and poly(L-lactide)/polystyrene (PLLA/PS) binary blend nanoparticles. The effect of PLLA concentration on methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (STY) homopolymerization reactions...

Drug-loaded electrospun PLLA membranes are not conducive to adhesion between materials and tissues due to the strong hydrophobicity of PLLA, which possibly attenuate the drugs' effect loaded on the materials. In the present work, we developed a facile method to improve the hydrophilicity of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded electrospun PLLA fibrous membranes, which could enhance the anti-tumor effect at...

In this work, biodegradable Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) was modified through adding a new organic additive N, N -bis(benzoyl) 1, 4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid dihydrazide (NABH). A comparison on crystallization of the pure PLLA and PLLA/NABH revealed that NABH as effective heterogeneous nucleation sites enhanced PLLA