scholarly journals Piezoelectric Scaffolds as Smart Materials for Neural Tissue Engineering

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelika Zaszczynska ◽  
Paweł Sajkiewicz ◽  
Arkadiusz Gradys

Injury to the central or peripheral nervous systems leads to the loss of cognitive and/or sensorimotor capabilities, which still lacks an effective treatment. Tissue engineering in the post-injury brain represents a promising option for cellular replacement and rescue, providing a cell scaffold for either transplanted or resident cells. Tissue engineering relies on scaffolds for supporting cell differentiation and growth with recent emphasis on stimuli responsive scaffolds, sometimes called smart scaffolds. One of the representatives of this material group is piezoelectric scaffolds, being able to generate electrical charges under mechanical stimulation, which creates a real prospect for using such scaffolds in non-invasive therapy of neural tissue. This paper summarizes the recent knowledge on piezoelectric materials used for tissue engineering, especially neural tissue engineering. The most used materials for tissue engineering strategies are reported together with the main achievements, challenges, and future needs for research and actual therapies. This review provides thus a compilation of the most relevant results and strategies and serves as a starting point for novel research pathways in the most relevant and challenging open questions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Municoy ◽  
María I. Álvarez Echazú ◽  
Pablo E. Antezana ◽  
Juan M. Galdopórpora ◽  
Christian Olivetti ◽  
...  

Smart or stimuli-responsive materials are an emerging class of materials used for tissue engineering and drug delivery. A variety of stimuli (including temperature, pH, redox-state, light, and magnet fields) are being investigated for their potential to change a material’s properties, interactions, structure, and/or dimensions. The specificity of stimuli response, and ability to respond to endogenous cues inherently present in living systems provide possibilities to develop novel tissue engineering and drug delivery strategies (for example materials composed of stimuli responsive polymers that self-assemble or undergo phase transitions or morphology transformations). Herein, smart materials as controlled drug release vehicles for tissue engineering are described, highlighting their potential for the delivery of precise quantities of drugs at specific locations and times promoting the controlled repair or remodeling of tissues.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2754
Author(s):  
Angelika Zaszczyńska ◽  
Arkadiusz Gradys ◽  
Paweł Sajkiewicz

Smart piezoelectric materials are of great interest due to their unique properties. Piezoelectric materials can transform mechanical energy into electricity and vice versa. There are mono and polycrystals (piezoceramics), polymers, and composites in the group of piezoelectric materials. Recent years show progress in the applications of piezoelectric materials in biomedical devices due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Medical devices such as actuators and sensors, energy harvesting devices, and active scaffolds for neural tissue engineering are continually explored. Sensors and actuators from piezoelectric materials can convert flow rate, pressure, etc., to generate energy or consume it. This paper consists of using smart materials to design medical devices and provide a greater understanding of the piezoelectric effect in the medical industry presently. A greater understanding of piezoelectricity is necessary regarding the future development and industry challenges.


ACS Omega ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica A. Revkova ◽  
Konstantin V. Sidoruk ◽  
Vladimir A. Kalsin ◽  
Pavel A. Melnikov ◽  
Mikhail A. Konoplyannikov ◽  
...  

Polymers ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 413-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yee-Shuan Lee ◽  
Treena Livingston Arinzeh

Gels ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Devindraan Sirkkunan ◽  
Belinda Pingguan-Murphy ◽  
Farina Muhamad

Tissues are commonly defined as groups of cells that have similar structure and uniformly perform a specialized function. A lesser-known fact is that the placement of these cells within these tissues plays an important role in executing its functions, especially for neuronal cells. Hence, the design of a functional neural scaffold has to mirror these cell organizations, which are brought about by the configuration of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) structural proteins. In this review, we will briefly discuss the various characteristics considered when making neural scaffolds. We will then focus on the cellular orientation and axonal alignment of neural cells within their ECM and elaborate on the mechanisms involved in this process. A better understanding of these mechanisms could shed more light onto the rationale of fabricating the scaffolds for this specific functionality. Finally, we will discuss the scaffolds used in neural tissue engineering (NTE) and the methods used to fabricate these well-defined constructs.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li ◽  
Liao ◽  
Tjong

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE) with excellent piezoelectricity and good biocompatibility are attractive materials for making functional scaffolds for bone and neural tissue engineering applications. Electrospun PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) scaffolds can produce electrical charges during mechanical deformation, which can provide necessary stimulation for repairing bone defects and damaged nerve cells. As such, these fibrous mats promote the adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of bone and neural cells on their surfaces. Furthermore, aligned PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) fibrous mats can enhance neurite growth along the fiber orientation direction. These beneficial effects derive from the formation of electroactive, polar β-phase having piezoelectric properties. Polar β-phase can be induced in the PVDF fibers as a result of the polymer jet stretching and electrical poling during electrospinning. Moreover, the incorporation of TrFE monomer into PVDF can stabilize the β-phase without mechanical stretching or electrical poling. The main drawbacks of electrospinning process for making piezoelectric PVDF-based scaffolds are their small pore sizes and the use of highly toxic organic solvents. The small pore sizes prevent the infiltration of bone and neuronal cells into the scaffolds, leading to the formation of a single cell layer on the scaffold surfaces. Accordingly, modified electrospinning methods such as melt-electrospinning and near-field electrospinning have been explored by the researchers to tackle this issue. This article reviews recent development strategies, achievements and major challenges of electrospun PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.


Author(s):  
Julie Yeh ◽  
Vivek Mukhatyar ◽  
Ravi Bellamkonda

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document