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Fabrication of various designs of porous silicon-polymer composite scaffolds for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications
Bodiford, Nelli Klinova
Bodiford, Nelli Klinova
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2019
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Abstract
In this work, novel composites composed of porous silicon (pSi) and polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer scaffolds for ideal use in drug delivery and tissue engineering are described. In 1990 Leigh Canham discovered strong visible photoluminescence from pSi, and later demonstrated its in vitro biocompatibility and bioactive properties leading to significant research interest in the biomedical field. Out of numerous choices for biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, PCL presents several advantageous properties: 1) soft and highly flexible; 2) easy to process; and 3) US Food and Drug Administration approved. Several new designs of pSi-PCL polymer are presented: pSi-PCL (solid) films, pSi-PCL porous films, pSi-non-porous PCL fibers, and pSi-porous PCL fibers. After describing their fabrication, in vitro degradation studies of the above composites are presented, with the main focus on the evolution of the thermal properties of PCL component in the presence of pSi.^PCL is a semi-crystalline polymer and its degradation mechanism is dependent on the morphology and the degree of crystallization. The selected composites were further evaluated as drug delivery systems. Two model therapeutics were chosen: camptothecin (CPT)- a small hydrophobic molecule, used as chemotherapeutic agent and vancomycin (Vanco) - a large hydrophilic antibiotic. The rapid release inherent to pSi particles alone was diminished with the introduction of PCL polymer component. Furthermore, the release mechanism of a given drug is found to be sensitively altered by choice of scaffold design. Preliminary in vitro investigations of cellular interactions with a given pSi-PCL design employed human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells for the purpose of evaluating how various composite scaffold morphologies influenced cell attachment, proliferation, and viability. Porous PCL fibers provided the most favorable topography for the cell growth and proliferation.^The fact that HEK 293 cells adhered differently onto a given topography suggests that nanoscale modification in a material can ultimately be used to control the above cell functions. Overall, the tunable morphologies, degradation, and drug release properties of these composite scaffolds demonstrate promising future utility in a therapeutic context and warrant further investigation with regard to more complex systems, such as the incorporation/release of growth factors, hormones, and/or cytokines in cell-based platforms.
Contents
Subject
Subject(s)
Porous silicon.
Polymerization.
Drug delivery systems.
Tissue engineering.
Polymerization.
Drug delivery systems.
Tissue engineering.
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Dissertation
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1 online resource (xvi, 152 pages) :
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry