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Polymer Biomaterial Constructs For Regenerative Medicine and Functional Biological Systems

Meng, Linghui
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1327682278

Abstract Details

2012, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Macromolecular Science and Engineering.
The use of collagen as a biomaterial is currently undergoing a renaissance in the tissue engineering field. The excellent biocompatibility and safety due to its biological characteristics, such as biodegradability and weak antigenicity, make collagen a primary material resource in medical applications. Described herein is work towards the development of novel collagen-based matrices, with additional multi-functionality imparted through a novel in-situ crosslinking approach. The process of electrospinning has become a widely used technique for the creation of fibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications due to its ability to rapidly create structures composed of nano-scale polymer fibers closely resembling the architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Collagen-PCL sheath-core bicomponent fibrous scaffolds were fabricated using a novel variation on traditional electrospinning, known as co-axial electrospinning. The results showed that the addition of a synthetic polymer core into collagen nanofibers remarkably increased the mechanical strength of collagen matrices spun from the benign solvent system. A novel single-step, in-situ collagen crosslink approach was developed in order to solve the problems dominating traditional collagen crosslinking methods, such as dimensional shrinking and loss of porous morphology, and to simplify the crosslinking procedure for electrospun collagen scaffolds. The excess amount of NHS present in the crosslinking mixture was found to delay the EDC/collagen coupling reaction in a controlled fashion. Fundamental investigations into the development and characterization of in-situ crosslinked collagen matrices such as fibrous scaffolds, gels and sponges, as well as their biomedical applications including cell culture substrates, wound dressings, drug delivery matrices and bone regeneration substitutes, were performed. The preliminary mice studies indicated that the in-situ crosslinked collagen matrices could be good candidates for wound healing and skin regeneration. Polyelectrolyte fibrous tubes of highly-crosslinked poly (acrylic acid) were fabricated by means of electrospinning as polymer models for functional biological systems, with special attention to the axon cortical layer and its cation-exchange properties. The processing parameters of fiber formation and the reversible phase transitions of PAA tubes according to monovalent-divalent ion exchange in solution were systematically investigated. The results showed that the neutralized PAA tubes were responsive to calcium ions, exhibiting significant shrinkage that could be reversed with a chelator such as citrate. Study of such phase transitions may help to better understand the electrophysiological processes known as nerve excitation and conduction in the nervous system, and the resulting PAA tubes might be used as polymer models of artificial axons for potential tissue engineering and nerve repair applications.
Gary Wnek (Advisor)
David Schiraldi (Committee Member)
Jamieson Alexander (Committee Member)
von Recum Horst (Committee Member)
179 p.
Biomedical Research; Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Nanotechnology; Polymers
Tissue Engineering; Electrospinning; Collagen; In-situ Crosslinking; Wound Healing; Poly (acrylic acid); Nanofiber

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Meng, L. (2012). Polymer Biomaterial Constructs For Regenerative Medicine and Functional Biological Systems [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1327682278

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Meng, Linghui. Polymer Biomaterial Constructs For Regenerative Medicine and Functional Biological Systems. 2012. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1327682278.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Meng, Linghui. "Polymer Biomaterial Constructs For Regenerative Medicine and Functional Biological Systems." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1327682278

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1327682278
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© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.