PLLA fibrous tissue scaffolds with controlled fiber nanoscale surface roughness are fabricated with a novel centrifugal jet spinning process. The centrifugal jet spinning technique is a highly efficient synthesis method for micron- to nano-sized fibers with a production rate up to 0.5 g min(-1). During the centrifugal jet spinning process, a polymer solution jet is stretched by the centrifugal ...

Inorganic nanosized silicate nanoplatelets were incorporated into biodegradable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) for the purpose of tailoring mechanical stiffness of PLLA porous scaffold systems. Increasing the nucleation density around the foreign body surfaces, the montmorillonite (MMT) nanoplatelets modified with dimethyl dihydrogenated tallow ammonium cations decreased the glass transition temper...

Current knowledge indicates that the molecular cross-talk between stem cells and biomaterials guides the stem cells’ fate within a tissue engineering system. In this work, we have explored the effects of the interaction between the poly(L-lactide) acid (PLLA) polymer film and human adult adipose stem cells (hASCs), focusing on the events correlating the materials’ surface characteristics and th...

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most commonly injured intra-articular ligament of the knee, and limitations in existing reconstruction grafts have prompted an interest in tissue engineered solutions. Previously, we reported on a tissue-engineered ACL scaffold fabricated using a novel, three-dimensional braiding technology. A critical factor in determining cellular response to such a...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to improve the drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, and sustained-release properties of supercritical CO(2)-based drug-loaded polymer carriers via a process of suspension-enhanced dispersion by supercritical CO(2) (SpEDS), which is an advanced version of solution-enhanced dispersion by supercritical CO(2) (SEDS). METHODS Methotrexate nanoparticles were ...

This work investigates the effect of the sequential availability of ZnO nanoparticles, (nanorods of ∼40nm) loaded within a degradable poly(lactic acid) (PLLA) matrix, in cell differentiation. The system constitutes a dynamic surface, in which nanoparticles are exposed as the polymer matrix degrades. ZnO nanoparticles were loaded into PLLA and the system was measured at different time points to ...

This paper describes the evaluation of the stability of amylose-polymer inclusion complexes under solution state in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) depending on guest polymers. The three complexes were prepared by the vine-twining polymerization method using polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), and poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) as guest polymers. The stability investigation was conducted ...

Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is a polymer that is currently used in the medical field for sutures and bone pins. Because it is biodegradable, it has the potential to become even more widely used. The atomic structure and material characteristics of PLLA were analyzed. An extruder was used to fabricate the polymer into various thicknesses and shapes. Using a differential scanning calorimeter, the c...

In this study, we sought to develop strategies for improved endothelialization of a new polymer coating for vascular stents. Surface enhancement of the new poly-1,8-octanediol-co-citric acid (POC) polymer was achieved through conjugation of anti-CD34 antibody and incorporation of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor-containing poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid microp...

We report the energetics of association in polymeric gels with two types of junction points: crystalline hydrophobic junctions and polymer-nanoparticle junctions. Time-temperature superposition (TTS) of small-amplitude oscillatory rheological measurements was used to probe crystalline poly(L-lactide) (PLLA)-based gels with and without added laponite nanoparticles. For associative polymer gels, ...