Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T14:30:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_marcus_cristian_muniz_conde.pdf: 3350332 bytes, checksum: a91e9eb1b05eba094cafdfee07a22a72 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-25 / Physicochemical properties and biological applicability of materials to be used in Tissue Engineering (TE) have great interest in the development of innovations in biotechnology. In dentistry research incomes every day and clarify the possibility to implement therapies for regeneration of dental pulp in clinical practice in a short time period. Such translation will require the ability to build a pulp tissue that completely fills the root canal dentin and produce appropriate vascularization to perform the metabolic exchanges needed for human tissues. To do it, we need achieve some advances; standardization of techniques and materials, which produce completely safe results, is essential to do the translation from the lab assays to RCT in humans. Based on that, the aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature to analyze the knowledge regarding the importance of the interface between stem cells and scaffolds. Thereafter, we identify some gaps of knowledge in this field, as well as the techniques that have been employed today with potential to establish the transition from laboratory research to clinical. Among the obtained results, we have detected that the scaffold s physical properties, although imperative in determining cellular behavior were, little exploited since the advent of pulp stem cells. So, we carried out a study to evaluate the influence of the pore size on the proliferation and differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) in vitro. In order to obtain two different pore sizes (150-250μm and 251-450μm), sodium chloride was sieved and used as the porogen-inducer. Tooth slices (1-mm thickness) were obtained from recently extracted third molars and after pulp tissue removal, scaffolds with both porogen inducer sizes were prepared using PLLA (Poly-L-lactic acid) inside the pulp chamber. DPSCs (1 x 105 cells) were seeded in the scaffolds with different porosities, in 24-well plates with specific medium. The cell proliferation was evaluated using the WST1 assay at 3, 7, 14 and 21 days intervals. Also, after 21 days of culture, the RNA of seeded cells was extracted using Trizol and RT-PCR technique was used to assess the differentiation of the DPSCs in odontoblasts, using putative odontoblast markers (DSPP, DMP1 and MEPE). RNA from fresh odontoblasts was used as a control. Cell proliferation rate was similar in both scaffolds except for the 14 days period, when the cells seeded in the scaffolds with larger porosities showed higher proliferation (p<0.05). After 21 days DPSCs seeded into the dentin slices expressed the differentiation odontoblastic markers, independently of the pore sizes. The two different pore sizes tested allowed the DPSCs proliferation and differentiation / Propriedades físico-químicas e aplicabilidade biológica de materiais para aplicação em Engenharia Tecidual (ET) são de grande interesse e crescente importância no desenvolvimento de inovações na área de biotecnologia. Na odontologia as pesquisas avançam a cada dia e demonstram que no futuro será possível aplicar terapias para regeneração da polpa dental na prática clínica. Essa transição demandará a capacidade de construção de um tecido pulpar que preencha completamente o canal radicular, produza dentina e tenha uma vascularização suficiente para realização das trocas metabólicas teciduais. Para isso avanços ainda precisam acontecer; a padronização de técnicas e materiais que produzam resultados seguros é indispensável para que as terapias baseadas nos princípios da ET possam ser utilizadas em ensaios clínicos em humanos. O objetivo desse estudo foi realizar uma revisão sistemática da literatura para analisar as técnicas baseadas em Stem Cell-Based Therapy com potencial de estabelecer a transição das pesquisas laboratoriais para avalições clínicas em um futuro próximo. Após a revisão, algumas lacunas no conhecimento foram claras.. Assim, foi realizado um estudo para avaliar a influência do tamanho de poros de scaffolds, a base de PLLA, na proliferação e diferenciação de DPSCs. Para a obtenção de dois diferentes tamanhos de poros (150-250μm e 251-450μm), utilizamos cloreto de sódio como porógeno. Tooth Slices (1 mm de espessura) foram obtidos de terceiros molares humanos recém extraídos. O espaço correspondente à câmara pulpar foi preenchido com o sal, e então coberto com uma solução PLLA. Após a remoção a polimerização do PLLA e remoção do sal com água destilada foram semeadas DPSC (1 x 105 cells) nos scaffolds com diferentes porosidades. A proliferação celular foi avaliada após períodos específicos (3, 7, 14 e 21 dias) utilizando o método WST1. Após 21 dias em cultivo, realizamos o isolamento do RNA, do tecido produzido nos TS, utilizando Trizol®. Avaliamos a diferenciação odontoblástica através de RT-PCR através da expressão de marcadores odontoblásticos (DSPP, DMP1, MEPE), normalizados contra o GAPDH. O RNA de odontoblastos humanos foi o controle positivo. As taxas de proliferação celular foram similares nos dois grupos experimentais. Entretanto, após 14 dias de cultivo, as células cultivadas nos scaffolds com maiores porosidades apresentaram uma taxa de proliferação significativamente maior (p<0,05). Após 21 dias de cultivo nos TS, as DPSCs expressaram os três MO, independente do tamanho dos poros. Os tamanhos de poros aplicados por nós foram capazes de sustentar a proliferação e diferenciação das DPSC semeadas nos TS

The rapid development of the gene engineering techniques, especially methods for in vitro directed evolution and combinatorial mutagenesis, has triggered the generation of new binding agents to almost any antigen of interest as an alternative to broadly used antibodies. These so-called non-Ig scaffolds are often derived from proteins with useful biophysical properties. While the therapeutic market is still dominated by monoclonal antibodies, the easy option of desired customization of non-Ig binders by conventional methods of gene engineering predestine them largely for the use in the diagnostic area. The ABD scaffold, derived from a three-helix bundle of albumin-binding domain of streptococcal protein G, represents one of the small non-Ig scaffolds. In our laboratory, we have established a highly complex combinatorial library developed on the ABD scaffold. This ABD scaffold-derived library was used to generate unique binders of human prostate cancer (PCa) biomarkers PSP94, KLK2, KLK11 for the more precise diagnosis of PCa. The second part of the thesis describes the generation of ABD-derived binders selectively recognizing different phenotypes of circulating tumor cells as a binding component of the cell capture zone of microfluidic chip for lung adenocarcinoma diagnosis. Beside this already...

In response to high and rising amputation rates, significant advances have been made in the field of prosthetic limb design. Unfortunately, there exists a lag in the neural interfacing technology required to provide an adequate link between the nervous system and this emerging generation of advanced prosthetic devices. Novel approaches to peripheral nerve interfacing are required to establish the stable, high channel count connections necessary to provide natural, thought driven control of an external prosthesis. Here, a tissue engineering-based approach has been used to create a device capable of interfacing with a regenerated portion of amputated nerve. As part of this work, a nerve guidance channel design, in which small amounts of interior scaffolding material could be precisely positioned, was evaluated. Guidance channels containing a single thin-film sheet of aligned scaffolding were shown to support robust functional nerve regeneration across extended injury gaps by minimally supplementing natural repair mechanisms. Significantly, these "thin-film enhanced nerve guidance channels" also provided the capability to guide the course of axons regenerating from a cut nerve. This capability to control axonal growth was next leveraged to create "regenerative scaffold electrodes (RSEs)" able to interface with axons regenerating from an amputated nerve. In the RSE design, low-profile arrays of interfacing electrodes were embedded within layers of aligned scaffolding material, such that regenerating axons were topographically guided by the scaffolding through the device and directly across the embedded electrodes. Chronically implanted RSEs were successfully used to record evoked neural activity from amputated nerves in an animal model. These results demonstrate that the use of topographic cues within a nerve guidance channel might offer the potential to influence the course of nerve regeneration to the advantage of a peripheral nerve interface suitable for limb amputees.

Fast and precise quantification of circulating tumour cells (CTC) in lung adenocarcinoma is a pivotal step in acceleration of diagnosis, selection of early therapy and estimation of treatment prognosis. Development of a new type of microfluidic device based on detection and quantification of epithelial- and mesenchymal-type CTC by high-affinity and cell-type specific protein binders anchored to a microfluidic chip surface represents a highly innovative approach. In this work, we used EpCAM membrane glycoprotein as a target for generation of epithelial cell-specific protein binders by a directed evolution of proteins selected from highly complex combinatorial libraries derived from albumin-binding domain scaffold (ABD) or human muscle protein domain-derived "Myomedin" scaffold. Collections of EpCAM-binding candidates from the both used libraries were generated and particular binding variants were further characterized by DNA sequencing, biochemically and by functional cell-surface binding assays. The best candidates might serve as robust anchor proteins of a microfludic chip. Key words: epithelial cell, EpCAM, protein binder, ribosome display, combinatorial library, protein scaffold

Estudos recentes em medicina regenerativa utilizam estruturas de crescimento celular conhecidas como scaffolds: um scaffolds é uma estrutura porosa feita de material biodegradável. Essas estruturas ajudam na formação e reconstituição de novos tecidos, servindo como suporte para o crescimento e proliferação celular. Esses podem ser fabricados utilizando processos de manufatura aditiva (MA). O processo utilizado na pesquisa foi o FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication), que se baseia em fundir polímero e extrudá-lo em forma de filamento para produção de peças tridimensionais para confecção dos scaffolds. O polímero utilizado na pesquisa foi o ácido poliláctico (PLA), por ser biocompatível. Uma possível forma de aumentar a rugosidade de superfície é gerar uma geometria diferente na seção transversal do filamento extrudado que forma o scaffold. Assim, o scaffold adquiriria a micro-rugosidade ou nanorrugosidade (rugosidade superficial do material utilizado e inerente do processo), e a macrorrugosidade (geometria gerada ao longo de seu comprimento): a micro-rugosidade, para fins deste trabalho, será considerada como a rugosidade (acabamento de uma superfície); a macrorrugosidade (ou macrogeometria) será considerada, para fins deste trabalho, como a textura que se apresenta na forma de uma seção transversal de um filamento extrudado. Para gerar essa macrotextura, é necessário gerar na ferramenta bico extrusor uma geometria diferente na saída do bico. Geralmente, na saída do bico extrusor é feito um furo de geometria circular. Foi proposto neste estudo utilizar uma geometria diferente de um círculo na saída do bico, geometria essa a ser transferida ao filamento durante o momento da extrusão. A alteração desta geometria requer a utilização de técnicas não convencionais de usinagem. Neste projeto foram produzidos filamentos modificados a fim de melhorar a citocompatibilidade no scaffold. A morfologia foi analisada in vitro e o novo bico gerou filamentos impressos com diferenças na citocompatibilidade e com mudanças nos aspectos morfológicos das células quando comparadas àquelas aderidas aos filamentos convencionais. / Recent studies in regenerative medicine use cell growth structures known as scaffolds: a scaffold is a porous structure made of biodegradable material. These structures aid in the formation and reconstitution of new tissues, serving as a support for cell growth and proliferation. They are manufactured using additive manufacturing (AM) processes. The technology executed in this research was the FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication), which is based on melting polymer in the form of a filament and extruding it for the production of three-dimensional parts for the manufacture of scaffolds. The polymer used in this research was the polylactic acid (PLA), which was used because it is biocompatible. One possible way to increase surface roughness is to generate a geometry in the cross section of the extruded filament forming the scaffold. Thus, the scaffold would acquire the micro-roughness or nano roughness (surface roughness of the material used and inherent in the process), and the macro-roughness (texture generated along its length): the micro-roughness, for purposes of this work, will be considered a roughness (surface finish); The macro-roughness (or macro-geometry) will be considered, for purposes of this work, as the texture which is in the form of a cross-section of an extruded filament. To generate this texture (macro-roughness) it is necessary to generate a macro-geometry in the nozzle extruder tool. Usually at the exit of the extruder nozzle is made a hole of circular geometry. It was proposed in this study to use a geometry different from a circle at the exit of the nozzle to be transferred to the filament during the moment of the extrusion. Altering this geometry requires the use of non-conventional machining techniques. In this project modified filaments were produced in order to improve cytocompatibility and for cell differentiation in the scaffold. The morphology was tested in vitro and the new nozzle was able to generate printed filaments with differences in cytocompatibility and with changes in the morphological aspects of the cells when compared to those adhered to the conventional filaments.

Flocktechnologie ist eine im Bereich der Textiltechnik angewandte Methode, bei der kurze Fasern nahezu senkrecht auf ein vorher mit Klebstoff beschichtetes Substrat aufgebracht werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die elektrostatische Beflockung als Methode zur Herstellung von porösen, dreidimensionalen Scaffolds für das Tissue Engineering von Knorpel und Knochen etabliert. Dieser neuartige Scaffoldtyp wurde eingehend charakterisiert und in Zellversuchen im Hinblick auf seine Biokompatibilität untersucht. Dabei zeigte sich, dass verschiedene Zellen im Scaffold proliferieren und differenzieren können. Die in der Arbeit beschriebenen Flockscaffolds stellen somit eine vielversprechende Matrix für die Therapie von Gelenkknorpeldefekten dar.

Hyaline cartilage is a highly specialized tissue, which plays an important role in the articulating joints of an individual. It provides the joints with a nearly frictionless, impact resisting surface to protect the ends of the articulating bones. Articular cartilage has a poor self-repair capacity and, therefore, it rarely heals back to normal after an injury. Overweight, injuries, overloading and genetic factors may initiate a degenerative disease of the joint called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthiritis is a major global public health issue. Currently, the most used treatment for large articular cartilage defects is joint replacement surgery. However, possibilities to replace this highly invasive operation with strategies based on tissue engineering are currently investigated. The idea of the tissue engineering is to optimize the use of the cells, biomaterials and culture conditions to regenerate a new functional tissue for the defect site. The goal of this thesis was to manufacture cartilage tissue in cell culture conditions in vitro. Bovine primary chondrocytes isolated from the femoral condyles were used in all the experiments for neocartilage production. The samples were collected for histology, gene expression level quantifications, and analyses of proteoglycan (PG) content and quality. The histological sections were stained for type II collagen and PGs, the quantitative RT-PCR was used to observe the relative expressions of aggrecan, Sox9, procollagen α2(I) and procollagen α1(II) genes. The PGs were quantified using a spectrophotometric method, and agarose gel electrophoresis was used to separate the PGs according to their size. In the two first studies, we optimized the culture conditions of in vitro scaffold-free culture technique to produce the native-type hyaline cartilage of a good quality. We found out that high glucose concentration and hypertonic medium at 20% oxygen tension promoted the best hyaline-like neocartilage tissue production. Glucosamine sulfate supplementation, low oxygen tension, 5 mM glucose concentration and a transient TGF-β3 supplementation were not beneficial for the neocartilage formation in the scaffold-free cell culture system. In the third study, we used these newly defined, optimized culture conditions to produce the neocartilage tissues in the HyStem™ and the HydroMatrix™ scaffold materials and we compared these tissues to the ones grown as scaffold-free control cultures. We noticed that there was no difference between the controls and the scaffolds, and occasionally the scaffold-free controls had produced better quality cartilage than the ones with the scaffolds. Overall, the neocartilage tissues were of good hyaline-like quality in the third study. Their extracellular matrix contents were close to the native cartilage, although the neotissues lacked the zonal organization typical to the normal articular cartilage. The tissues had the right components, but their ultrastructure differed from the native cartilage. In conclusion, we were able to optimize our in vitro neocartilage culture method further, and discovered a good combination of the culture conditions to produce hyaline-like cartilage of good quality. Surprisingly, the scaffold materials were not beneficial for the cartilage formation. / Lasi- eli hyaliinirusto on pitkälle erikoistunutta kudosta, jolla on erittäin tärkeä rooli yksilön nivelten toiminnassa. Kudos suojaa ruston alapuolista luuta muodostamalla lähes kitkattoman ja joustavan liikkumista helpottavan pinnan. Lasiruston oma uusiutumiskyky on hyvin heikko, ja näin ollen kudos vain harvoin paranee alkuperäisen kaltaiseksi vaurion jälkeen. Ylipaino, vammat, liiallinen kuormitus tai geneettiset tekijät voivat käynnistää rustokudoksen rappeutumisen. Tätä tilaa kutsutaan nivelrikoksi. Nivelrikko on valtava kansanterveydellinen ongelma. Keinonivelleikkaus on nykyisellään ainoa hoitokeino pinta-alaltaan laajojen nivelruston vaurioiden hoitoon. Vaihtoehtoja tämän suuren ja invasiivisen kirurgisen operaation korvaamiseksi tutkitaan kuitenkin koko ajan ympäri maailmaa. Kudosteknologian ajatuksena on optimoida solujen, biomateriaalien ja erilaisten kasvatusolosuhteiden käyttö uuden, alkuperäisen kaltaisen toiminnallisen kudoksen luomiseksi vauriokohtaan. Väitöskirjan kaikissa kolmessa osatutkimuksessa uudisrustokudoksia tuotettiin käyttäen naudan polven rustosta eristettyjä primäärisiä rustosoluja. Näytteet kerättiin histologisia analyysejä, geenin ilmentymistutkimuksia ja proteoglykaanisisällön ja -jakauman (PG) analyyseja varten. Histologisista leikkeistä värjättiin tyypin II kollageeni ja PG:t, ja kvantitatiivista RT-PCR -menetelmää käytettiin aggrekaani-, Sox9-, prokollageeni α2(I)- ja prokollageeni α1(II)-geenien suhteellisten ilmentymistasojen määrittämiseen. Proteoglykaanisisältö analysoitiin käyttäen spektrofotometristä menetelmää, ja PG:t eroteltiin kokonsa perusteella agaroosigeelielektroforeesia käyttäen. Kahdessa ensimmäisessä osatutkimuksessa optimoitiin tukirakenteetta kasvattujen uudisrustojen kasvatusolosuhteita natiivin kaltaisen lasiruston tuottamiseksi. Havaitsimme, että korkea glukoosipitoisuus ja hypertoninen elatusaine yhdistettynä 20 % happiosapaineeseen tuotti parhaimman laatuista uudisrustokudosta tutkituista yhdistelmistä. Glukosamiinisulfaatin lisäys, matala happiosapaine, 5 mM glukoosi konsentraatio tai TGF-β3:n lisääminen alkuvaiheessa eivät edesauttaneet uudisrustokudosten muodostumisessa. Kolmannessa osatutkimuksessa otettiin käyttöön uudet, hyväksi havaitut kasvatusolosuhteet yhdistettynä HyStem™ and HydroMatrix™ -tukimateriaaleihin, ja niitä verrattiin tukirakenteettomaan kasvatusmenetelmään. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, ettei tukirakenteettoman kontrollin tai tukimateriaalien välillä ollut mitään eroa, ja että kontrollikasvatukset tuottivat ajoittain jopa parempaa rustoa kuin tukimateriaalein kasvatetut. Kaiken kaikkiaan kaikki tuotetut uudiskudokset muistuttivat laadullisesti lasiruston kaltaista kudosta. Molekyylisisältö lähenteli natiivia rustoa, vaikkakin uudiskudoksista puuttui normaalille nivelrustolle tyypillinen vyöhykkeinen järjestäytyminen. Kudoksissa oli parhaimmillaan oikea määrä oikeita komponentteja, mutta ne eivät vain olleet järjestäytyneet oikealla tavalla. Onnistuimme optimoimaan uudisrustokudosten kasvatusmenetelmäämme. Löysimme hyvän kasvatusolosuhteiden yhdistelmän, jonka avulla kykenimme tuottamaan lasiruston kaltaista uudisrustokudosta. Hivenen yllättäenkin, tukimateriaalit eivät olleet avuksi tutkimuksessamme uudisrustokudoksia muodostettaessa.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 TesePRGA.pdf: 5283158 bytes, checksum: c57ad9ff767d07147f784d369b1084cf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Millions of bone fractures occur annually worldwide and the consequent bone repair process is complex, involving many biological events until it reaches the restoration of the tissue integrity. During that process some problems can occur due to delays in the bone healing, which does not allow the proper joining of the tissue. Thus, it is necessary to search for new technologies that work in restoring the integrity of the bone tissue and that promote the osteoconduction and the osteoinduction. In this sense, the use of bioactive materials in the bone repair process is a promising alternative. Following this, two studies (I and II) were developed in order to investigate a new fibrous glassy scaffold, and these studies were based in three lines of research: (i) the characterization of the new fibrous glassy scaffold; (ii) the biocompatibility evaluation of this bioactive material; (iii) the analysis of the biological performance of this new scaffold in the bone repair. More specifically, in the study I the developed scaffolds were characterized in terms of porosity, mineralization and morphological features. Additionally, fibroblast and osteoblast cells were seeded in contact with extracts of the scaffolds to assess cell proliferation and genotoxicity after 24, 72 and 144 h. Finally, scaffolds were placed subcutaneously in rats for 15, 30 and 60 days. In regards to study II, the morphological structure of the scaffolds upon incubation in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (via scanning electron microscope) was assessed after 1, 7 and 14 days and, also, the in vivo tissue response to the new biomaterial was evaluated using implantation in rat tibial defects. The histopathological, immunohistochemistry and biomechanical analyzes after 15, 30 and 60 days of implantation were performed to investigate the effects of the material on bone repair. The scaffolds presented interconnected porous structures (porosity of ~75%), and the precursor bioglass could mineralize a hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) layer in SBF after only 12 h. The PBS incubation indicated that the fibers of the glassy scaffold degraded over time. With regards to the biological investigations, the biomaterial elicited increased fibroblast and osteoblast cell proliferation, and no DNA damage was observed. The in vivo experiment showed degradation of the biomaterial over time, with soft tissue ingrowth into the degraded area and the presence of multi-nucleated giant cells around the implant. At day 60, the scaffolds were almost completely degraded, and an organized granulation tissue filled the area. Additionally, the histological analysis of the implants in the bone defects revealed a progressive degradation of the material with increasing implantation time and also its substitution by granulation tissue and woven bone. Histomorphometry showed a higher amount of newly formed bone area in the control group (CG) compared to the biomaterial group (BG) 15 days post-surgery. After 30 and 60 days, CG and BG showed a similar amount of newly formed bone. The novel biomaterial enhanced the expression of RUNX-2 and RANK-L, and also improved the mechanical properties of the tibial callus at day 15 after surgery. These results indicate that the new fibrous glassy scaffold is bioactive, non-cytotoxic, biocompatible and promising for using in bone tissue engineering. / Milhões de fraturas ósseas ocorrem anualmente no mundo todo e o processo de reparo é complexo, envolvendo muitos eventos biológicos até que se atinja a restauração da integridade do tecido. Problemas nessa regeneração podem ocorrer, levando a não união óssea. Assim, faz-se necessária a busca por novas tecnologias que atuem na restauração da integridade do tecido ósseo e promovam a osteocondução e a osteoindução. Para tanto, uma alternativa promissora é a utilização de materiais bioativos para o reparo ósseo. Seguindo essa linha, foram realizados dois estudos (I e II) acerca de um novo scaffold vítreo fibroso, sendo estes estudos baseados em três linhas de investigação: (i) caracterização do novo scaffold vítreo fibroso; (ii) avaliação da biocompatibilidade desse material bioativo e (iii) análise do desempenho biológico desse novo scaffold no reparo ósseo. Mais especificamente, no estudo I foi feita a caracterização dos scaffolds em termos de porosidade, mineralização e características morfológicas. Adicionalmente, fibroblastos e osteoblastos foram cultivados em contato com extratos dos scaffolds para avaliação da proliferação celular e genotoxicidade após 24, 72 e 144 h. Finalmente, nesse mesmo estudo, os scaffolds foram implantados subcutaneamente em ratos por 15, 30 e 60 dias. No que se refere ao estudo II, foram feitas avaliações da estrutura morfológica dos scaffolds (via microscopia eletrônica de varredura) imersos em tampão fosfato salino (PBS) após 1, 7 e 14 dias, além de investigações do efeito no reparo ósseo do novo scaffold utilizando implantação do mesmo em defeitos ósseos tibiais em ratos. Análises histopatológicas, imunohistoquímicas e biomecânicas foram realizadas 15, 30 e 60 dias após a implantação. Os scaffolds apresentaram estruturas altamente porosas (porosidade de ~75%) e interconectadas, e o biovidro precursor mineralizou uma camada de hidroxicarbonatoapatita (HCA) em SBF (simulated body fluid) após o curto período de 12 h. A incubação em PBS indicou que as fibras do scaffold apresentaram sinais de degradação com o passar do tempo. Sobre os testes biológicos, o novo biomaterial levou a um aumento da proliferação de fibroblastos e osteoblastos, e nenhum dano ao DNA foi observado. Os experimentos de implantação do material no subcutâneo indicaram degradação do biomaterial acompanhada do crescimento interno de tecido mole e presença de células gigantes multinucleadas ao redor do implante. Após 60 dias, os scaffolds estavam quase completamente absorvidos e um tecido de granulação organizado preenchia a área de implantação. Adicionalmente, as análises histológicas dos scaffolds em defeitos ósseos revelaram uma degradação progressiva do biomaterial e substituição do mesmo por tecido de granulação e tecido ósseo neoformado. A histomorfometria mostrou uma maior quantidade de osso neoformado no grupo controle (CG) comparado ao grupo biomaterial (BG) 15 dias após a cirurgia. No entanto, depois de 30 e 60 dias, CG e BG apresentaram quantidades similares de osso neoformado. Além disso, o novo biomaterial aumentou a expressão de RUNX-2 e RANK-L, e também melhorou as propriedades mecânicas do calo tibial 15 dias após a cirurgia. Os resultados indicam que o novo scaffold vítreo fibroso é bioativo, não-citotóxico, biocompatível e promissor para utilização na engenharia do reparo ósseo.

L’homéostasie cellulaire est intimement liée au trafic membranaire, processus dynamique qui permet les échanges de lipides et de protéines entre les compartiments cellulaires mais aussi entre la cellule et le milieu extracellulaire. L’intersectin-1 (ITSN1) est une protéine d’échafaudage multifonctionnelle, impliquée dans les processus d’endocytose, d’exocytose, diverses voies de signalisation ainsi que dans la survie cellulaire. L’ensemble de mes travaux de doctorat a permis d’identifier deux nouveaux partenaires de l’ITSN1, RhoU et l’OPHN1, et de montrer leur implication dans le trafic membranaire. De plus je démontre que les variants d’épissage de l’ITSN1 pourraient avoir une spécificité d’interactiondifférente vis-à-vis de ses partenaires. Nous montrons aussi que l’ITSN1 est capable de former des complexes entre ses différentes isoformes. Ainsi, l'ensemble de ces données apportent de nouvelles connaissances sur l’interactôme d’ITSN1. / The cellular homeostasis is tightly linked to the membrane trafficking, a dynamic process which allows lipid and protein exchange between the cellular compartments as well as the cell and the environment. Intersectin1 (ITSN1) is a multifunctional scaffold protein implicated in the processes of endocytosis and exocytosis, different signaling pathways and cell survival. In present study I have identified two new partners of ITSN1, RhoU and OPHN1, and demonstrated their implication in membrane trafficking. Surprisingly, I have also found that the alternative splicing of ITSN1-L can lead to the change of the specificity of its interaction with binding partners. In addition, I have shown that different ITSN1 isoforms are capable to form complexes with each other. All together these data add new knowledge to ITSN1 interactome.

Die klinisch relevantesten Knieverletzungen betreffen Läsionen oder Rupturen der Bänder im Kniegelenk mit einer Häufigkeit von etwa 40%, wobei allein 46% der Verletzungen das vordere Kreuzband (ACL) betreffen. Bei einer Verletzung des ACL kommt es, aufgrund mangelnder Vaskularisierung und verletzter Synovialmembran, nicht zu einer selbst induzierten Regeneration. Deshalb besteht bei einer ausbleibenden Therapie langfristig ein erhöhtes Risiko für Arthrose verbunden mit chronischen Schmerzen und Einschränkungen der Gelenkbeweglichkeit. Der Goldstandard liegt in der Transplantation von patienteneigenem Gewebe der Patellar- oder Semitendinosussehne, wobei die Gründe für das 3-10%-ige Implantatversagen z. B. in der falschen Platzierung und Fixierung des Implantates oder in einer falsch bemessenen Implantatgröße verbunden mit einer verminderten Festigkeit liegen. Ebenso sind die Nachbildung der typischen Gewebestrukturzonen vom Ligament zur knöchernen Integration sowie die damit verbundenen spezifischen mechanischen Eigenschaften nicht umsetzbar. Die genannten Nachteile legen nahe, dass ein anhaltend großer Forschungs- und Entwicklungsbedarf hinsichtlich neuartiger Therapiemethoden besteht. Im Tissue Engineering wird hierbei eine Behandlungsstrategie mit hohem Erfolgspotential gesehen. Dazu ist die Entwicklung eines temporären Zellträgers (Scaffold), der als artifizielle Matrix für die Zellen dient und die spezifischen strukturellen und mechanischen Anforderungen des nativen Gewebes erfüllt, essentiell für das Behandlungsgelingen. Das Ziel muss dabei stets die mechanische und strukturelle Wiederherstellung des ACL bei möglichst komplett vermiedener Entnahmemorbidität sein. Eine angepasste Porosität und zellspezifische Porengrößenverteilung der Scaffolds sind für eine gleichmäßige Zellproliferation in vivo erforderlich. Weiterhin müssen auch die mechanischen Eigenschaften über einen bekannten und im Idealfall definiert einstellbaren Degradationszeitraum stabil sein. Für die Scaffoldherstellung wurden die biokompatiblen und biologisch abbaubaren Materialien Polylactid (PLA) oder Poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolacton) (P(LA-CL)) gewählt. Beide Materialien gelten als medizinisch gut verträglich bzw. sind bereits als Medizinprodukt zugelassen. PLA weist eine langsames Degradationsverhalten auf und wird deshalb als potentiell geeignetes Material für das Tissue Engineering von Bändern und Sehnen gesehen. Aus zellbiologischer Sicht konnte P(LA-CL) als Optimum herausgestellt werden. Es konnte im Rahmen der Arbeit gezeigt werden, dass die Sticktechnik im Vergleich zu anderen textilen Herstellungsverfahren, wie dem Stricken oder Flechten, einen großen Gestaltungsspielraum zur Entwicklung einer mechanisch und strukturell angepassten Scaffoldstruktur für das Tissue Engineering von Ligamentgewebe bietet. Die Sticktechnik ermöglichte somit die Kombination beider Fadenmaterialien in einem Gestick. Ober- und Unterfaden können zudem aus unterschiedlichen Materialklassen sowie –typen bestehen. Neben den mechanischen Eigenschaften wurden damit auch die Porosität der Scaffoldstruktur, das Abbauverhalten und die zellbiologischen Erfordernisse wesentlich beeinflusst. Die Strukturzonen Ligament, Knorpel und Knochen konnten nach dem Vorbild des nativen Gewebeübergangs durch unterschiedliche Stickmuster gestaltet werden. Die Umsetzung war ohne zusätzliche Prozessschritte oder Maschinenmodifikationen möglich. Bei der Gestaltung der Ligamentzone zeigte sich, dass der Stickparameter Duplizierverschiebung die mechanischen Kennwerte Steifigkeit und Toe-Region wesentlich beeinflusst. Weiterhin konnte ein gradueller Musterübergang von Ligament- zu Knochenzone gestaltet sowie eine temporäre Barriere aus kollagenen Materialien in das Scaffold integriert werden. Die Steifigkeit des bereits etablierten Stickmusters für die knöcherne Integration konnte durch eine additive Modifizierung auf das Sechsfache des Ausgangswertes gesteigert werden. Die beiden Methoden „Übereinandersticken“ und „Stapeln/Verriegeln“ zur Herstellung von 3D-Gesticken ermöglichten es sowohl homogene als auch graduelle Porengrößenverteilungen zu generieren. Die damit hergestellten Gesticke in lapinem und humanem Maßstab wurden zudem den mechanischen Ansprüchen nativer ACL durch das Nachempfinden des spezifischen Kraft-Dehnungsverhaltens gerecht. Die umfangreiche Charakterisierung der mechanischen Eigenschaften konnte bei statischen und dynamischen Belastungszuständen realisiert werden, sodass durch die ermittelten Daten nicht nur Aussagen zum Versagensverhalten, sondern auch zu typischen alltäglichen Bewegungsvorgängen, wie Gehen oder Treppen steigen, getroffen werden können. Unter zyklischer Belastung wurden signifikante Unterschiede der Verlustarbeit zwischen den Gesticken und den lapinen ACL deutlich, die durch die Strukturbesonderheiten der Gesticke erklärt sowie durch eine passend gewählte Vorkonditionierung verringert werden können. Das Relaxationsverhalten der Gesticke war hingegen mit dem nativer ACL-Gewebe vergleichbar. Aufgrund der eingeschränkten mitotischen Aktivität des ACL-Gewebes wird mehrheitlich eine Gerüststruktur aus langsam degradierenden Materialien gefordert. Über einen Zeitraum von 168 Tagen wurde das hydrolytische Abbauverhalten untersucht. Die erzielten Ergebnisse lassen den Schluss zu, dass eine ausreichende Stabilität der Scaffolds vorliegt. Auf dieser Grundlage wurde ein die Arbeit abschließender in vitro Versuch mit funktionalisierten und zellbesiedelten Gesticken über 28 Tage durchgeführt. Die Ausrichtung des Zellwachstums geschah dabei entlang der Fadenmaterialien und somit in die für das Gestick vorgesehene Belastungsrichtung. Es ist deshalb davon auszugehen, dass die entwickelte Stickmusterstruktur einen essentiellen Einfluss auf das Zellverhalten hat. Aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht wurde mit der Arbeit ein wesentlicher Beitrag zur Charakterisierung gestickter 3D-Strukturen, die als Scaffolds für Tissue Engineering Anwendungen im Bereich mechanisch stark belasteter Weichgewebe dienen könnten, geleistet. Die Ergebnisse bieten den Anreiz für fortführende Arbeiten in ersten in vivo Studien.