Calcium ; metabolism ; Growth Substances ; metabolism ; Humans ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Taurine ; therapeutic use

Recently, thanks to the rapid progress of new technologies in cell modulation, extracellular matrix fabrication and synthetic polymers mimicking bodily structures, the self-regeneration of bodily defects by host tissue has been considered by many researchers. The conventional science of art in biomaterials has been concerned with restoring damaged tissue using non-biological materials such as metals, ceramics and synthetic polymers. To overcome the limitations of using such non-viable materials, several attempts to construct artificial organs mimicking natural tissue by combining modulated cells with extracellular matrix-hybridized synthetic polymers have produced many worthy results with biologically functioning artificial tissues. The process involved in manufacturing biomaterials mimicking living tissue is generally called tissue engineering. However recently, the extension of knowledge about cell biology and embryology has naturally moved the focus from tissue restoration to tissue regeneration. Especially, embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells are attractive resources due to their potential for the differentiation of various tissue cells in response to signal transduction mediated by cytokines. Although no one knows yet what is the exact factor responsible for a stem cell's ability to differentiate between specific cells to generate specific tissue, what has been agreed is that delivering stem cells into the body provides a strong potential for the regeneration of tissue. In this review, the historical issues and future possibilities involved in medical tissue restoration and tissue regeneration are discussed.
Animal ; Biocompatible Materials/therapeutic use ; Biodegradation ; Biomedical Engineering*y ; Cell Transplantation/methods ; Extracellular Matrix/physiology ; Growth Substances/therapeutic use ; Growth Substances/administration & dosage ; Human ; Polymers/therapeutic use ; Regeneration* ; Stem Cells/transplantation

Tissue engineering has been applied to various tissues, and particularly significant progress has been made in the areas of skin, cartilage, and bone regeneration. Inclusion of bioactive factors into the synthetic scaffolds has been suggested as one of the possible tissue engineering strategies. The growth factors are polypeptides that transmit signals to modulate cellular activities. They have short half-lives, for example, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), isolated from platelets, has a half life of less than 2 minutes when injected intravenously. Extended biological activity and the controlled release of growth factor are achieved by incorporating growth factor into the polymeric device. This review will focus on growth factor delivery for tissue engineering. Particular examples will be given whereby growth factors are delivered from a tissue-engineered device to facilitate wound healing and tissue repair.
Animal ; Biomedical Engineering/methods* ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins/administration & dosage ; Cytokines/therapeutic use ; Cytokines/administration & dosage* ; Growth Substances/physiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the wound healing potential of fractions from ethanol extract of Martynia annua (M. annua) Linn leaves.

METHODSEthanol extract of M. annua Linn leaves was fractionate into three different fractions (MAF-A, MAF-B and MAF-C) which were screened for wound healing potential using two models: excision and incision on rats. The thin layer chromatography (TLC) profile of all fractions were analyzed and TLC of luteolin was also done. The Povidone-Iodine Ointment was used as reference for comparision. Excision and incision wounds were created on dorsal portion of rats for study. Wound contraction, biochemical parameters (protein level and hydroxyproline level) and histopathological study were performed in excision wound model whereas incision model was used for determination of tensile strength.

RESULTSThe wound contraction and tensile strength of skin tissues were observed significantly greater in MAF-C fraction treated group than other two fractions (P<0.01). In excision wound method (on day 18) protein content and hydroxyproline were found significantly higher in MAF-C group than control group (P<0.01). Histopathological study also showed better angiogenesis, matured collagen fibres and fibroblast cells as compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONSIn conclusion, our findings suggest that fraction MAF-C from ethanol extract of M. annua leaves is found most effective in wound healing.

Animals ; Anti-Infective Agents, Local ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Growth Substances ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Plant Extracts ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Rats, Wistar ; Tracheophyta ; chemistry ; Treatment Outcome ; Wound Healing ; drug effects

BACKGROUNDPlatelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a kind of natural source of autologous growth factors, and has been used successfully in medical community. However, the effect of PRP in periodontal regeneration is not clear yet. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of PRP as an adjunct to bovine porous bone mineral (BPBM) graft in the treatment of human intrabony defects.

METHODSSeventeen intrabony defects in 10 periodontitis patients were randomly treated either with PRP and BPBM (test group, n = 9) or with BPBM alone (control group, n = 8). Clinical parameters were evaluated including changes in probing depth, relative attachment level (measured by Florida Probe and a stent), and bone probing level between baseline and 1 year postoperatively. Standardized periapical radiographs of each defect were taken at baseline, 2 weeks, and 1 year postoperatively, and analyzed by digital subtraction radiography (DSR).

RESULTSBoth treatment modalities resulted in significant attachment gain, reduction of probing depth, and bone probing level at 1-year post-surgery compared to baseline. The test group exhibited statistically significant improvement compared to the control sites in probing depth reduction: (4.78 +/- 0.95) mm versus (3.48 +/- 0.41) mm (P < 0.01); clinical attachment gain: (4.52 +/- 1.14) mm versus (2.85 +/- 0.80) mm (P < 0.01); bone probing reduction: (4.56 +/- 1.04) mm versus (2.88 +/- 0.79) mm (P < 0.01); and defect bone fill: (73.41 +/- 14.78)% versus (47.32 +/- 11.47)% (P < 0.01). DSR analysis of baseline and 1 year postoperatively also showed greater radiographic gains in alveolar bone mass in the test group than in the control group: gray increase (580 +/- 50) grays versus (220 +/- 32) grays (P = 0.0001); area with increased gray were (5.21 +/- 1.25) mm(2) versus (3.02 +/- 1.22) mm(2) (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONSThe treatment with a combination of PRP and BPBM led to a significantly favorable clinical improvement in periodontal intrabony defects compared to using BPBM alone. Further studies are necessary to assess the long-term effectiveness of PRP, and a larger sample size is needed.

Adult ; Alveolar Bone Loss ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Animals ; Blood Platelets ; physiology ; Bone Regeneration ; drug effects ; Bone Substitutes ; therapeutic use ; Bone Transplantation ; methods ; Cattle ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Growth Substances ; therapeutic use ; Guided Tissue Regeneration, Periodontal ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minerals ; therapeutic use ; Plasma ; chemistry ; cytology ; Platelet Transfusion ; Radiography ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; Treatment Outcome