Subject tissue engineering

Another useful thermal characterization technique is thermal compression in which a polymer fabric or biotextile is subjected to different loads at different temperatures. The thickness, pore size, and distribution can be monitored at each condition to prepare ideal scaffolds for tissue engineering. PolyCethylene terephthalate) (PET) nonwoven fiber scaffolds have been prepared for tissue engineering by thermal compression and simultaneous characterization. Applying pressure near the T of the polymer ( 70°C) yielded better control of the pore size distribution and smaller pore sizes, which led to faster and wider proliferation of Irophoblast andNIH 3T3 cells on the scaffold [9]. 

The ftunUy of protein-based polymers emphasized here look back to the parent repeating elastic peptide sequence (GVGVP) , which was found in the mammalian elastic fiber, a soft tissue. Because of this, it is perhaps most appropriate to begin consideration of medical applications with the subject of soft tissue restoration. The word restoration describes a treatment not to replace, as is often implied in terms of tissue engineering and tissue reconstruction, but rather to set the stage for the regeneration of a more nearly natural state. 

Textiles have different properties, depending on their structure. Waip knitted structures are used when hig elastic deformation is required. This type of mechanical deformation must be concerned for implants that are designed for the reinforcement of an organ, subjected to continuously dynamic stress, for example vascular grafts. Nonwovens have similar fibre structures to natural connective tissue and are well known, and used in tissue engineering because of their mazy structure and good water absorptivity. 

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been the subject of extensive research over the past 10 years.Because of their impressive structural, electrical and mechanical properties as well as their small size and mass, they have become one of the most promising materials for fnmre development and have opened up a new era in the field of biomaterials science. In recent years, considerably effort has been devoted to applying CNTs in the biological and medical fields. ° Available data suggest that CNT-containing materials may be optimal for tissue engineering applications. This is not only because of their ability to simulate dimensions of proteins that comprise native tissue but also because of their higher reactivity for interactions involved in the cell attachment mechanism. 

The mechanical behavior and, as a consequence, mechanical properties of its materials are key factors in vascular tissue engineering graft design. The vascular environment is subject to cycfic pressure imposed by the heart [24], which also influences the behavior of tissues and cells. The implantation of grafts or prostheses interrupts... 

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