Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
wound dressings, i.e., primary human dermal i broblasts were cultured on
the nanoi brous mats. h e cultured cells were evaluated in terms of cell
proliferation and morphology. h e results indicated that the cells attached
and proliferated as continuous layers on the nanoAgZ-containing nanoi -
bers and maintained the healthy morphology of human dermal i broblasts.
A comparative study on the self-assembled nanostructured morphology
and the rheological and mechanical properties of four dif erent triblock
copolymers, based on poly(styrene-block-butadiene-block-styrene) and
poly(styrene-blockisoprene-block-styrene) matrices, and of their respec-
tive nanocomposites with 1 wt% silver nanoparticles, is reported by Peponi
and coworkers [68]. In order to obtain well-dispersed nanoparticles in the
block copolymer matrix, dodecanethiol was used as surfactant. h e block
copolymer with the highest PS content shows the highest tensile modulus
and tensile strength, but also the smallest elongation at break. When silver
nanoparticles treated with surfactant were added to the block copolymer
matrices, each system studied shows higher mechanical properties due
to the good dispersion and the good interface of Ag nanoparticles in the
matrices. Furthermore, it has been shown that semiempirical models such
as Guth and Gold equation and Halpin-Tsai model can be used to predict
the tensile modulus of the analyzed nanocomposites.
Travan and coworkers have developed an antimicrobial noncytotoxic
coating for methacrylic thermosets (biomaterials for dental and ortho-
pedic applications) by means of a nanocomposite material based on a
lactose-modii ed chitosan and antibacterial silver nanoparticles [69]. h e
authors have performed the
in vitro
tests for a biological characterization
of the material, which showed that the nanocomposite coating is ef ective
in killing both bacterial strains (gram+ and gram− strains) and that this
material does not exert any signii cant cytotoxic ef ect towards tested cells
(osteoblast-like cell lines, primary human i broblasts and adipose-derived
stem cells), which are able to i rmly attach and proliferate on the surface of
the coating. It was stated that such biocompatible antimicrobial polymeric
i lms containing silver nanoparticles may have good potential for surface
modii cation of medical devices, especially for prosthetic applications in
orthopedics and dentistry.
Silver nanoparticles were synthesized into the interlamellar space of
montmorillonite (MMT) by using the γ-irradiation technique in the
absence of any reducing agent or heat treatment by Shameli and coworkers
[70]. h ey have used silver nitrate and γ-irradiation as the silver precursor
and physical reducing agent in MMT as a solid support. h e MMT was sus-
pended in the aqueous AgNO
3
solution, and at er the absorption of silver
ions, Ag+ was reduced using the γ-irradiation technique. h e properties of
