In recent decades, there have been major advances in regenerative medicine, such as the treatment of severe nerve injuries. Implants used as scaffolds for nerve cell regeneration are often made of biodegradable polymers, such as chitosan. Below, we present a study that investigated the degradation and stability of tubular chitosan-based implants.
Regenerative medicine is looking for structures to support the self-healing capacities of the human body. The implant scaffolds need to induce cell proliferation and promote reformation of the tissue. To create high-performance implants, adjustable degradation rates of the biomaterials, interconnected pores and functional surfaces are important. Due to their unique characteristics, chitosans are perfectly suitable to fulfill those requirements of regenerative medizin, due to their unique characteristics. In the following, we want to present you two highly interesting studies from research in this field.
The development of a strong bond between implant surface and the surrounding bone substance, called osseointegration is important for successful integration of a dental implant. The coating of dental implants with chitosan is a promising approach to enable an accelerated and improved integration. In the following, we present two publications about chitosan-based coatings for dental implants.
Functional coatings are applied to improve resistance of implants like artificial heart valves or coronary stents against various impacts in the human body. One problem is the formation of biofilms on the implant surface, which limits communication of the implant with the surrounding area and might induce inflammatory reactions. In addition, nature of the implant material can promote the formation of blood clots, which leads to blocked arteries.
166 articles about chitosan were published in May 2015. In the rank of nations scientists from China gained with 39 publications the leading position, followed by India (16), the US (12) and Italy (11). The research priorities focused on nanoparticles, evaluation studies and pharmaceutical preparations.
