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Dhirendra S Katti

Publications and source records attributed to Dhirendra S Katti.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Growth factor-delivery systems for tissue engineering: a materials perspective.

The transplantation of organs, their surgical reconstruction or implantation of synthetic devices that can perform the function of organs, are the currently available methods for treating loss of tissue/organs in humans. However, the limitations associated with these techniques have led to the development of tissue engineering. One of the primary goals of tissue engineering is to provide growth factor delivery systems that can induce desired cell responses both in vitro and in vivo, in order to cause accelerated tissue regeneration. To make growth factors a more therapeutically viable alternative for the treatment of chronic degenerative diseases, a wide range of natural and synthetic materials have been employed as vehicles for their controlled delivery. The choice of material and design of the carrier device influence the mode of immobilization of growth factors on the scaffolds and their local/systemic administration. From a tissue engineer's perspective, materials could be used for designing scaffolds as well as for delivering single or multiple growth factors. Therefore, this review discusses growth factor delivery systems, with particular reference to carrier-based growth factor delivery systems with a focus on materials.

Animals↗

Bioresorbable nanofiber-based systems for wound healing and drug delivery: optimization of fabrication parameters.

Wound healing is a complex process that often requires treatment with antibiotics. This article reports the initial development of a biodegradable polymeric nanofiber-based antibiotic delivery system. The functions of such a system would be (a) to serve as a biodegradable gauze, and (b) to serve as an antibiotic delivery system. The polymer used in this study was poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLAGA), and nanofibers of PLAGA were fabricated with the use of the electrospinning process. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of fabrication parameters: orifice diameter (needle gauge), polymer solution concentration, and voltage per unit length, on the morphology and diameter of electrospun nanofibers. The needle gauges studied were 16 (1.19 mm), 18 (0.84 mm), and 20 (0.58 mm), and the range of polymer solution concentration studied was from 0.10 g/mL to 0.30 g/mL. The effect of voltage was determined by varying the voltage per unit electrospinning distance, and the range studied was from 0.375 kV/cm to 1.5 kV/cm. In addition, the mass per unit area of the electrospun nanofibers as a function of time was determined and the feasibility of antibiotic (cefazolin) loading into the nanofibers was also studied. The results indicate that the diameter of nanofibers decreased with an increase in needle gauge (decrease in orifice diameter), and increased with an increase in the concentration of the polymer solution. The voltage study demonstrated that the average diameter of the nanofibers decreased with an increase in voltage. However, the effect of voltage on fiber diameter was less pronounced as compared to polymer solution concentration. The results of the areal density study indicated that the mass per unit area of the electrospun nanofibers increased linearly with time. Feasibility of drug incorporation into the nanofibers was demonstrated with the use of cefazolin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Overall, these studies demonstrated that PLAGA nanofibers can be tailored to desired diameters through modifications in processing parameters, and that antibiotics such as cefazolin can be incorporated into these nanofibers. Therefore, PLAGA nanofibers show potential as antibiotic delivery systems for the treatment of wounds.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Novel polymer-synthesized ceramic composite-based system for bone repair: an in vitro evaluation.

The emergence of synthetic bone repair scaffolds has been necessitated by the limitations of both autografts and allografts. Several candidate materials are available including degradable polymers and ceramics. However, these materials possess their own limitations that at least in part may be overcome by combining the two materials into a composite. Toward that end, a novel approach to forming a polymer/ceramic composite has been developed that combines degradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres and a poorly crystalline calcium phosphate that is synthesized within the microspheres, which are then fused together to form a porous three-dimensional scaffold for bone repair. The design, fabrication, and characterization of the composite microspheres, the calcium phosphate formed within these microspheres, and the formation of scaffolds were studied. The calcium phosphate formed was analyzed by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, and was shown to be similar to native bone in both composition and crystallinity by controlling certain processing parameters such as mixing time, solution pH, and mixing temperature. Scaffolds with porous interconnected structures and mechanical properties in the range of trabecular bone were fabricated via precise control of polymer/ceramic ratios within the microspheres and scaffold heating times. This composite scaffold represents a new and important vehicle for bone-tissue engineering.

Bone Substitutes↗

Degradable polyphosphazene/poly(alpha-hydroxyester) blends: degradation studies.

Biomaterials based on the polymers of lactic acid and glycolic acid and their copolymers are used or studied extensively as implantable devices for drug delivery, tissue engineering and other biomedical applications. Although these polymers have shown good biocompatibility, concerns have been raised regarding their acidic degradation products, which have important implications for long-term implantable systems. Therefore, we have designed a novel biodegradable polyphosphazene/poly(alpha-hydroxyester) blend whose degradation products are less acidic than those of the poly(alpha-hydroxyester) alone. In this study, the degradation characteristics of a blend of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (50:50 PLAGA) and poly[(50% ethyl glycinato)(50% p-methylphenoxy) phosphazene] (PPHOS-EG50) were qualitatively and quantitatively determined with comparisons made to the parent polymers. Circular matrices (14mm diameter) of the PLAGA, PPHOS-EG50 and PLAGA-PPHOS-EG50 blend were degraded in non-buffered solutions (pH 7.4). The degraded polymers were characterized for percentage mass loss and molecular weight and the degradation medium was characterized for acid released in non-buffered solutions. The amounts of neutralizing base necessary to bring about neutral pH were measured for each polymer or polymer blend during degradation. The poly(phosphazene)/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) blend required significantly less neutralizing base in order to bring about neutral solution pH during the degradation period studied. The results indicated that the blend degraded at a rate intermediate to that of the parent polymers and that the degradation products of the polyphosphazene neutralized the acidic degradation products of PLAGA. Thus, results from these in vitro degradation studies suggest that the PLAGA-PPHOS-EG50 blend may provide a viable improvement to biomaterials based on acid-releasing organic polymers.

Biocompatible Materials↗