Acute or chronic myocardial damage has long been considered a tipping point for individual health and progression to heart failure. To address this issue, the popularity of electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds is increasing due to their structural resemblance to the extracellular matrix (ECM). The material used in these structures may be a natural polymer or a synthetic one of disparate materials. Each method possesses both advantages and disadvantages. Using a natural-based polymer including Alginate in the electrospinning solution does not give the scaffold enough mechanical strength, also the absence of adhesion molecules, such as RGD sequences, or transmembrane glycoproteins in alginate significantly reduces cell-alginate interactions, thereby limiting cell adhesion. Therefore, adding Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) synthetic polymer to the Alginate enhances its mechanical properties for application on cardiac tissue electrospun scaffolds. On the other hand, Piezoelectricity aids cell growth in cardiac tissue. This article individually reviews the advantages and disadvantages of PVA, alginate, and piezo materials, and also suggests the composite electrospun as a promising scaffold in cardiac tissue engineering

Effective clinical initiatives are required to develop the therapy of cardiovascular diseases, particularly myocardial infarction as the most common cardiovascular disease. Various investigations have focused on improving methods to regenerate damaged heart tissue. In this way, engineered cardiac patches have been employed as one promising technique promoting myocardium regeneration. Conventional cardiac patches could not provide the ordered structure and electroconductivity property of heart tissue. Biological simulation of the electroconductivity and ordered structure of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) of the human heart is a key factor in fabricating cardiac patches. In this regard, novel approaches should be employed to fabricate electroconductive and structured cardiac patches. Synthetic and natural polymers have displayed promising biocompatibility and bioavailability features appropriate for the production of cardiac patches. The present mini-review has tried to provide recent trends and challenges regarding applying alginate, chitosan, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in novel cardiac patches.

The objective of tissue engineering is the application of biomaterials in three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds to improve whole organs or damaged tissues. Natural polymers as unique biomaterials on the micro- and nanoscale have shown promising applications in tissue engineering, infected wound healing, and antibiotic delivery. Among these biopolymers, alginate, cellulose, and collagen have obtained significant attention in bone regeneration, cartilage repair, tissue healing, microbial-infected wound healing, and 3D scaffolds for cell therapy in different micro- and nanoformulations involving hydrogels, sponges, microspheres, microcapsules, foams, nanofibers, polymeric nanoparticles. Furthermore, immunogenicity and microbial infections present a potential health risk during tissue engineering and tissue implant. This concise review provides recent progress and clinical limitations of the applications of alginate, cellulose, and collagen in tissue engineering and antimicrobial micro- and nanoformulations.

In this article, the role of chemical engineering in human health applications is mentioned first, with a particular focus on (bio)medical engineering. Then, the historical background of this role at the beginning of chemical engineers’ activities in this field will be examined with emphasis on important issues. In the following, the future horizons of chemical engineering in several important fields of application in medicine, such as biomaterials, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering, are explained briefly. Then, the importance of applying chemical engineering principles in the link between chemical engineering and tissue engineering/clinical medicine (translational medicine) is intensively expressed. Finally, how the lessons related to (bio)medical engineering emerged in the chemical engineering educational program and its development until today, including the master’s program of chemical-biomedical engineering in Iran, and a short conclusion will be presented at the end.

Treatment of bone defects is very challenging due to the complex composition, structure, and functions of bone. Tissue engineering is a new approach to the treatment of bone injuries. In this study, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were extracted from rat tibia and femur and cultured in αMEM medium. Then, morphology, surface markers, and differentiation into bone and fat cells were evaluated. The sheep heart tissue was cut into pieces and decellularized with 1% SDS and then examined by tissue-specific staining (hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichrome, DAPI, and Alcian blue). Cardiogel was prepared from the decellularized cardiac muscle tissue and then a two-dimensional coating derived from cardiogel was created. To investigate the viability, proliferation, and differentiation, BMSCs were cultured on different concentrations (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8) of cardiogel coating which was used as the test group. The gelatin coating was used as a positive control group and the substrate without any coatings was used as a negative control group. Increased viability, proliferation, and differentiation of BMSCs were observed in culture vessels containing cardiogel. According to the results of the cell viability examination, with the increase in the concentration of cardiogel, the growth and the function of the cells increased; However, it was not statistically significant. The results of this study showed that cardiogel can be used as a two-dimensional coating in cell culture and provide a microenvironment similar to the inside of the body.

Cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction is an important feature of aged heart. However, there is still no potent agent to ameliorate cardiac function abnormalities in aged hosts. Olive oil (OLO), containing monounsaturated fatty acids, has diverse protective effects on the cardiovascular system, including anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hypertensive effects. We evaluated the beneficial impacts of OLO against aging-related cardiac dysfunction. Wistar rats were randomly allotted into three groups with eight rats, including control, aged rats receiving D-galactose (D-GAL), and aged rats administrated with D-galactose plus OLO (D-GAL + OLO). Aged animals were received D-GAL at a dose of 150.00 mg kg-1 daily through intra-peritoneal injection for aging induction. The animals in D-GAL + OLO group were co-administrated with oral OLO at a dose of 1.00 mL kg-1 by gavage feeding daily. The administration term was eight weeks. A histological examination of heart tissue was performed. The heart tissues were also harvested to assay the oxidative stress and molecular parameters. The aged animals showed cardiac hypertrophy, increased malondialdehyde level and Bax expression, and reduced mitofusin 2, phosphatase and tensin homologue-induced putative kinase 1, dynamin-related protein 1, and Bcl2 expressions in comparison with the control animals. The OLO treatment ameliorated all these parameters. Overall, OLO could improve cardiac aging through reducing oxidative stress, enhancing genes mediated mitophagy, and improving genes mediated apoptosis in the heart.

Tissue engineering is an emerging field in dentistry, and stem cell research has shown promise in regenerating new tissue. The three essential components for tissue engineering are stem cells, scaffolds, and growth/differentiation factors. Numerous studies have been conducted in regenerative medicine, and more recently in regenerative dentistry, utilizing different signals. In a pioneering study, dentin derivative signal (DDS), which was self-administered, was used as a differentiation factor for dental pulp stem cells to promote dentinogenesis in vitro. The study demonstrated that DDS can stimulate dental pulp stem cells to differentiate into other dental tissues, such as dentin.

Foot-and-mouth disease produces high mortality in lambs, and the cause of their death is often myocardial injury. ELISA test and molecular methods are among the routine methods for diagnosis of infected animals. Although these methods are very efficient, they are usually expensive and time-consuming. This study was designed to evaluate cardiac biomarkers and their relationship with the severity of histopathologic lesions. 25 diseased lambs that were diagnosed based on ELISA test were selected as the disease group and 25 healthy lambs were used as the control. To determine cardiac biomarkers, blood was collected from infected and healthy animals. After necropsy of the affected lambs, samples of the heart tissue were taken to histopathological studies. The main histopathologic findings were hyaline degeneration, necrosis, infiltration of inflammatory cells, muscular atrophy, vasculitis and congestion. Mean troponin I, myoglobin and ROS concentrations and CK and LDH activities were significantly higher in FMD cases compared with controls (p<0.05). The rate of increase in cardiac biomarkers was directly related to the extent and severity of pathologic lesions. These results showed that the increase in the serum level of these biomarkers can potentially provide comprehensive evidence about cardiac lesions in animals with FMD. The increase in cardiac biomarkers, particularly troponin I, was directly related to the severity pathological lesions. It seems that the assay of troponin has high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of cardiac lesions, and together with taking the history of the flock, clinical examinations and necropsy symptoms can help in diagnosing the disease.

The development of biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolds with optimal structural integrity remains a critical challenge in bone tissue engineering. Recently, 3D printing innovations have enabled precise manufacturing of scaffolds with desired shapes and porosity. In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL), hydroxyapatite (HA), and collagen (Col) composite scaffolds were fabricated using advanced 3D printing technology to address these challenges. The scaffolds were meticulously designed using CAD software, integrating biocompatible materials to enhance hydrophilicity and biodegradability while maintaining mechanical stability. Extensive characterization through optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and biocompatibility assays was conducted. Among the configurations tested, the PCL-M1 scaffold exhibited the highest performance, demonstrating a smooth surface, enhanced swelling (92%), and controlled biodegradation (28%). XRD confirmed the successful incorporation of HA nanoparticles, while biocompatibility studies using MTT assays and osteoblast cell cultures validated excellent cell viability and bioactivity. This study demonstrates a novel approach to fabricate composite scaffolds with superior properties, positioning the PCL-M1 scaffold as a promising candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.

Dear Editor,Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morquio syndrome) is a cause of morbidity in early or late childhood, depending on disease severity. It is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by short stature and multiple skeletal abnormalities. A deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS) activity, due to mutations in the GALNS gene, leads to the accumulation of keratan sulfate, which destroys cartilage tissue before epiphyseal closure (1). Moreover, respiratory compromise, as well as cardiac, ocular, dental, hearing, and neurologic impairments, are consequences of disease progression (2, 3).