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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 26188

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Prof. Dr. Hermann Ehrlich

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Center for Advanced Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
Interests: marine biomaterials; biominerals; biocomposites and biomimetics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine biomaterials are a rapidly growing area that is recognized by policy makers and the enterprise sector as having significant potential to develop market opportunities for new biomaterials and pharmaceutical products. Due to the diversity of marine invertebrates and vertebrates, remarkable functional properties of their nanostructured, biomineralized tissues seem to be an inexhaustible source for modern bioinspired materials science and engineering. This Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences will highlight the importance of diverse biomaterials of marine organisms’ origin as a renewable source of corresponding biopolymers, biominerals, and biocomposites. Consequently, this Special Issue will collect novel research papers and original reviews focusing on marine proteins and peptides (collagen, gelatin, spongin, keratin, elastin, byssus, gorgonin, conchiolin, abductin, resilin), polysaccharides (chitin, chitosan, tunicin, fucoidan, alginate, etc.) and silica- and calcium- based mineral phases as biocomposites. Additional attention will be focused on the creation of advanced bioinspired technologies.

Prof. Hermann Ehrlich
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Marine biomaterials
Marine biopolymers
Marine adhesives
Biocomposites
Mollusk shell
Nacre
Marine silk
Collagen
Keratin
Spongin
Byssus
Resilin
Chitin
Chitosan
Tunicin
Fucoidan
Alginate

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 6116 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coaxial Alginate Hydrogels: From Self-Assembled 3D Cellular Constructs to Long-Term Storage

by Oleksandr Gryshkov, Vitalii Mutsenko, Dmytro Tarusin, Diaa Khayyat, Ortwin Naujok, Ekaterina Riabchenko, Yuliia Nemirovska, Arseny Danilov, Alexander Y. Petrenko and Birgit Glasmacher

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(6), 3096; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22063096 - 18 Mar 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4095

Abstract

Alginate as a versatile naturally occurring biomaterial has found widespread use in the biomedical field due to its unique features such as biocompatibility and biodegradability. The ability of its semipermeable hydrogels to provide a favourable microenvironment for clinically relevant cells made alginate encapsulation a leading technology for immunoisolation, 3D culture, cryopreservation as well as cell and drug delivery. The aim of this work is the evaluation of structural properties and swelling behaviour of the core-shell capsules for the encapsulation of multipotent stromal cells (MSCs), their 3D culture and cryopreservation using slow freezing. The cells were encapsulated in core-shell capsules using coaxial electrospraying, cultured for 35 days and cryopreserved. Cell viability, metabolic activity and cell–cell interactions were analysed. Cryopreservation of MSCs-laden core-shell capsules was performed according to parameters pre-selected on cell-free capsules. The results suggest that core-shell capsules produced from the low viscosity high-G alginate are superior to high-M ones in terms of stability during in vitro culture, as well as to solid beads in terms of promoting formation of viable self-assembled cellular structures and maintenance of MSCs functionality on a long-term basis. The application of 0.3 M sucrose demonstrated a beneficial effect on the integrity of capsules and viability of formed 3D cell assemblies, as compared to 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) alone. The proposed workflow from the preparation of core-shell capsules with self-assembled cellular structures to the cryopreservation appears to be a promising strategy for their off-the-shelf availability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biomaterials: Discovery, Analysis and Application)

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14 pages, 4088 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical and Biocompatibility Properties of Calcium Phosphate Bioceramics Derived from Salmon Fish Bone Wastes

by Merve Bas, Sibel Daglilar, Nilgun Kuskonmaz, Cevriye Kalkandelen, Gokce Erdemir, Serap E. Kuruca, Dilshat Tulyaganov, Tomohiko Yoshioka, Oguzhan Gunduz, Denisa Ficai and Anton Ficai

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(21), 8082; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21218082 - 29 Oct 2020

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 4913

Abstract

Natural calcium phosphates derived from fish wastes are a promising material for biomedical application. However, their sintered ceramics are not fully characterized in terms of mechanical and biological properties. In this study, natural calcium phosphate was synthesized through a thermal calcination process from salmon fish bone wastes. The salmon-derived calcium phosphates (sCaP) were sintered at different temperatures to obtain natural calcium phosphate bioceramics and then were investigated in terms of their microstructure, mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In particular, this work is concerned with the effects of grain size on the relative density and microhardness of the sCaP bioceramics. Ca/P ratio of the sintered sCaP ranged from 1.73 to 1.52 when the sintering temperature was raised from 1000 to 1300 °C. The crystal phase of all the sCaP bioceramics obtained was biphasic and composed of hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP). The density and microhardness of the sCaP bioceramics increased in the temperature interval 1000–1100 °C, while at temperatures higher than 1100 °C, these properties were not significantly altered. The highest compressive strength of 116 MPa was recorded for the samples sintered at 1100 °C. In vitro biocompatibility was also examined in the behavior of osteosarcoma (Saos-2) cells, indicating that the sCaP bioceramics had no cytotoxicity effect. Salmon-derived biphasic calcium phosphates (BCP) have the potential to contribute to the development of bone substituted materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biomaterials: Discovery, Analysis and Application)

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25 pages, 8249 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vivo Analysis of the Biocompatibility and Immune Response of Jellyfish Collagen Scaffolds and its Suitability for Bone Regeneration

by Iris Flaig, Milena Radenković, Stevo Najman, Annica Pröhl, Ole Jung and Mike Barbeck

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(12), 4518; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21124518 - 25 Jun 2020

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 8068

Abstract

Jellyfish collagen, which can be defined as “collagen type 0” due to its homogeneity to the mammalian types I, II, III, V, and IX and its batch-to-batch consistent producibility, is of special interest for different medical applications related to (bone) tissue regeneration as an alternative to mammalian collagen-based biomaterials. However, no in vivo studies regarding the induction of M1- and M2-macrophages and their time-dependent ration as well as the analysis of the bone regeneration capacity of jellyfish collagen scaffolds have been conducted until now. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine the nature of the immune response to jellyfish collagen scaffolds and their bone healing capacities. Two in vivo studies using established implantation models, i.e., the subcutaneous and the calvarian implantation model in Wistar rats, were conducted. Furthermore, specialized histological, histopathological, and histomorphometrical methods have been used. As a control biomaterial, a collagen scaffold, originating from porcine pericardium, which has already been stated as biocompatible, was used for the subcutaneous study. The results of the present study show that jellyfish collagen scaffolds are nearly completely resorbed until day 60 post implantation by stepwise integration within the subcutaneous connective tissue mediated mainly by macrophages and single multinucleated giant cells. Interestingly, the degradation process ended in a vessel rich connective tissue that is understood to be an optimal basis for tissue regeneration. The study results showed an overall weaker immune response to jellyfish collagen than to porcine pericardium matrices by the induction of significantly lower numbers of macrophages together with a more balanced occurrence of M1- and M2-macrophages. However, both collagen-based biomaterials induced balanced numbers of both macrophage subtypes, which supports their good biocompatibility. Moreover, the histomorphometrical results for the calvarial implantation of the jellyfish scaffolds revealed an average of 46.20% de novo bone formation at day 60, which was significantly higher compared to the control group. Thereby, the jellyfish collagen scaffolds induced also significantly higher numbers of anti-inflammatory macrophages within the bony implantation beds. Altogether, the results show that the jellyfish collagen scaffolds allowed for a directed integration behavior, which is assumed to be in accordance with the concept of Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR). Furthermore, the jellyfish collagen scaffolds induced a long-term anti-inflammatory macrophage response and an optimal vascularization pattern within their implant beds, thus showing excellent biocompatibility and (bone) tissue healing properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biomaterials: Discovery, Analysis and Application)

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15 pages, 3494 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of Calcipotriol Emulsion Using Bacterial Exopolysaccharides as Emulsifier for Percutaneous Treatment of Psoriasis Vulgaris

by Bo Song, Ruiteng Song, Min Cheng, Hairong Chu, Fang Yan and Yuzhen Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(1), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21010077 - 20 Dec 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3650

Abstract

An exopolysaccharides/calcipotriol (EPS/CPT) emulsion was prepared using bacterial EPS as emulsifier, sunflower oil as an oil phase and CPT as the loaded drug, and the effect of this emulsion on psoriasis vulgaris treatment was evaluated. An EPS composed of mannose (70.56%) and glucose (29.44%) was obtained from the marine mangrove bacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ZWJ (Zhu Wenjing) strain. The EPS has significant emulsifying activity at the concentration of 1.5%. The prepared EPS/CPT emulsion has small and stable particle size, with a drug content of 0.00492%, and good spreading properties. The in vitro drug release results revealed that the emulsion showed a certain sustained release effect. In vitro and in vivo animal experiments show that the EPS/CPT emulsion can effectively treat psoriasis vulgaris by increasing the accumulation of CPT in psoriatic skin lesions and reducing the levels of inflammatory cells and inflammatory factors (TNF and IL6). Additionally, it has a certain effect on reducing the side effects associated with CPT. This study lays a foundation for the research of EPS in the topical application of medical materials and treatment of psoriasis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biomaterials: Discovery, Analysis and Application)

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19 pages, 13369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Naturally Prefabricated Marine Biomaterials: Isolation and Applications of Flat Chitinous 3D Scaffolds from Ianthella labyrinthus (Demospongiae: Verongiida)

by Mario Schubert, Björn Binnewerg, Alona Voronkina, Lyubov Muzychka, Marcin Wysokowski, Iaroslav Petrenko, Valentine Kovalchuk, Mikhail Tsurkan, Rajko Martinovic, Nicole Bechmann, Viatcheslav N. Ivanenko, Andriy Fursov, Oleg B. Smolii, Jane Fromont, Yvonne Joseph, Stefan R. Bornstein, Marco Giovine, Dirk Erpenbeck, Kaomei Guan and Hermann Ehrlich

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(20), 5105; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20205105 - 15 Oct 2019

Cited by 45 | Viewed by 4500

Abstract

Marine sponges remain representative of a unique source of renewable biological materials. The demosponges of the family Ianthellidae possess chitin-based skeletons with high biomimetic potential. These three-dimensional (3D) constructs can potentially be used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, we focus our attention, for the first time, on the marine sponge Ianthella labyrinthus Bergquist & Kelly-Borges, 1995 (Demospongiae: Verongida: Ianthellidae) as a novel potential source of naturally prestructured bandage-like 3D scaffolds which can be isolated simultaneously with biologically active bromotyrosines. Specifically, translucent and elastic flat chitinous scaffolds have been obtained after bromotyrosine extraction and chemical treatments of the sponge skeleton with alternate alkaline and acidic solutions. For the first time, cardiomyocytes differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) have been used to test the suitability of I. labyrinthus chitinous skeleton as ready-to-use scaffold for their cell culture. Results reveal a comparable attachment and growth on isolated chitin-skeleton, compared to scaffolds coated with extracellular matrix mimetic Geltrex^®. Thus, the natural, unmodified I. labyrinthus cleaned sponge skeleton can be used to culture iPSC-CMs and 3D tissue engineering. In addition, I. labyrinthus chitin-based scaffolds demonstrate strong and efficient capability to absorb blood deep into the microtubes due to their excellent capillary effect. These findings are suggestive of the future development of new sponge chitin-based absorbable hemostats as alternatives to already well recognized cellulose-based fabrics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biomaterials: Discovery, Analysis and Application)

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