The use of nanofibrous materials in the field of tissue engineering requires a fast, efficient, scalable production method and excellent wettability of the obtained materials, leading to enhanced cell adhesion. We proposed the production method of superhydrophilic nanofibrous materials in a two-step process. The process is designed to increase the wettability of resulting scaffolds and to enhance the rate of fibroblast cell adhesion. Polyurethane (PU) nanofibrous material was produced in the solution blow spinning process. Then the PU fibers surface was modified by dopamine polymerization in water solution. Two variants of the modification were examined: dopamine polymerization under atmospheric oxygen (V-I) and using sodium periodate as an oxidative agent (V-II). Hydrophobic PU materials after the treatment became highly hydrophilic, regardless of the modification variant. This effect originates from polydopamine (PDA) coating properties and nanoscale surface structures. The modification improved the mechanical properties of the materials. Materials obtained in the V-II process exhibit superior properties over those from the V-I, and require shorter modification time (less than 30 min). Modifications significantly improved fibroblasts adhesion. The cells spread after 2 h on both PDA-modified PU nanofibrous materials, which was not observed for unmodified PU. Proposed technology could be beneficial in applications like scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Surface properties are crucial for medical device and implant research and applications. We present novel polycatecholamine coatings obtained by oxidative polymerization of l-tyrosine, l-phenylalanine, and 2-phenylethylamine based on mussel glue-inspired chemistry. We optimized the reaction parameters and examined the properties of coatings compared to the ones obtained from polydopamine. We produced polycatecholamine coatings on various materials used to manufacture implantable medical devices, such as polyurethane, but also hard-to-coat polydimethylsiloxane, polytetrafluoroethylene, and stainless steel. The coating process results in significant hydrophilization of the material’s surface, reducing the water contact angle by about 50 to 80% for polytetrafluoroethylene and polyurethane, respectively. We showed that the thickness, roughness, and stability of the polycatecholamine coatings depend on the chemical structure of the oxidized phenylamine. In vitro experiments showed prominent hemocompatibility of our coatings and significant improvement of the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The full confluence on the surface of coated polytetrafluoroethylene was achieved after 5 days of cell culture for all tested polycatecholamines, and it was maintained after 14 days. Hence, the use of polycatecholamine coatings can be a simple and versatile method of surface modification of medical devices intended for contact with blood or used in tissue engineering.

The effectiveness of multifunctional composites that combine a shape-memory polyurethane (PU) matrix with hydroxyapatite (HA) as a bioactive agent and antibiotics molecules results from a specific composite structure. In this study, structure-function correlations of PU-based composites consisting of 3, 5, and 10 (wt%) of HA and (5 wt%) of gentamicin sulfate (GeS) as a model drug were investigated. The performed analysis revealed that increasing HA content up to 5 wt% enhanced hydrogen-bonding interaction within the soft segments of the PU. Differential-scanning-calorimetry (DSC) analysis confirmed the semi-crystalline structure of the composites. Hydroxyapatite enhanced thermal stability was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the water contact angle evaluated hydrophilicity. The shape-recovery coefficient (R_r) measured in water, decreased from 94% for the PU to 86% for the PU/GeS sample and to 88–91% for the PU/HA/GeS composites. These values were positively correlated with hydrogen-bond interactions evaluated using the Fourier-transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Additionally, it was found that the shape-recovery process initiates drug release. After shape recovery, the drug concentration in water was 17 μg/mL for the PU/GeS sample and 33–47 μg/mL for the PU HA GeS composites. Antibacterial properties of developed composites were confirmed by the agar-diffusion test against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Biomaterial's surface functionalization for selective adhesion and patterned cell growth remains essential in developing novel implantable medical devices for regenerative medicine applications. We built and applied a 3D-printed microfluidic device to fabricate polydopamine (PDA) patterns on the surface of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(l-lactic acid-co-D,l-lactic acid) (PLA), and poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). Then, we covalently attached the Val-Ala-Pro-Gly (VAPG) peptide to the created PDA pattern to promote the adhesion of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs). We proved that the fabrication of PDA patterns allows for the selective adhesion of mouse fibroblast and human SMCs to PDA-patterned surfaces after only 30 min of in vitro cultivation. After 7 days of SMC culture, we observed the proliferation of cells only along the patterns on PTFE but over the entire surface of the PLA and PLGA, regardless of patterning. This means that the presented approach is beneficial for application to materials resistant to cell adhesion and proliferation. The additional attachment of the VAPG peptide to the PDA patterns did not bring measurable benefits due to the high increase in adhesion and patterned cell proliferation by PDA itself.

Enzymatic hydrolysis is the essential step in the production of 2nd generation biofuels made from lignocellulosic biomass, i.e. agricultural or forestry solid wastes. The enzyme-catalysed robust degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose to monosaccharides requires the synergistic action of the independent types of highly-specific enzymes, usually offered as ready-to-use preparations. The basic aim of the study was to experimentally determine the enzymatic activity of two widely industrially-applied, commercially available cellulolytic enzyme preparations: (i) Cellic® CTec2 and (ii) the mixture of Celluclast® 1.5L and Novozyme 188, in the hydrolysis of pre-treated lignocellulosic biomass, i.e. (a) energetic willow and (b) rye straw, or untreated (c) cellulose paper as well, used as feedstocks. Before the hydrolysis, every kind of utilized lignocellulosic biomass was subjected to alkaline-based (10% NaOH) pre-treatment at high-temperature (121°C) and overpressure (0.1 MPa) conditions. The influence of the type of applied enzymes, as well as their concentration, on the effectiveness of hydrolysis was quantitatively evaluated, and finally the enzyme activities were determined for each of tested cellulolytic enzyme preparations.