Hydroxyapatite reinforced inorganic-organic hybrid nanocomposite as high-performance adsorbents for bilirubin removal in vitro and in pig models

Highly efficient removal of bilirubin from whole blood directly by hemoperfusion for liver failure therapy remains a challenge in the clinical field due to the low adsorption capacity,poor mechanical strength and low biocompatibility of adsorbents.In this work,a new class of nanocomposite adsorbents was constructed through an inorganic-organic co-crosslinked nanocomposite network between vinyltriethoxysilane(VTES)-functionalized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles(V-Hap)and non-ionic styrene-divinylbenzene(PS-DVB)resins(PS-DVB/V-Hap)using suspension polymerization.Notably,our adsorbent demonstrated substantially improved mechanical performance compared to the pure polymer,with the hardness and modulus increasing by nearly 3 and 2.5 times,respectively.Moreover,due to the development of a mesoporous structure,the prepared PS-DVB/V-Hap3 exhibited an ideal adsorption capacity of 40.27 mg·g^(-1).More importantly,the obtained adsorbent beads showed outstanding blood compatibility and biocompatibility.Furthermore,in vivo extracorporeal hemoperfusion verified the efficacy and biosafety of the adsorbent for directly removing bilirubin from whole blood in pig models,and this material could potentially prevent liver damage and improve clinical outcomes.Taken together,the results suggest that PS-DVB/V-Hap3 beads can be used in commercial adsorption columns to threat hyperbilirubinemia patients through hemoperfusion,thus replacing the existing techniques where plasma separation is initially required.

Surface modification strategies to reinforce the soft tissue seal at transmucosal region of dental implants

Soft tissue seal around the transmucosal region of dental implants is crucial for shielding oral bacterial invasion and guaranteeing the long-term functioning of implants.Compared with the robust periodontal tissue barrier around a natural tooth,the peri-implant mucosa presents a lower bonding efficiency to the transmucosal region of dental implants,due to physiological structural differences.As such,the weaker soft tissue seal around the transmucosal region can be easily broken by oral pathogens,which may stimulate serious inflammatory responses and lead to the development of peri-implant mucositis.Without timely treatment,the curable peri-implant mucositis would evolve into irreversible peri-implantitis,finally causing the failure of implantation.Herein,this review has summarized current surface modification strategies for the transmucosal region of dental implants with improved soft tissue bonding capacities(e.g.,improving surface wettability,fabricating micro/nano topographies,altering the surface chemical composition and constructing bioactive coatings).Furthermore,the surfaces with advanced soft tissue bonding abilities can be incorporated with antibacterial properties to prevent infections,and/or with immunomodulatory designs to facilitate the establishment of soft tissue seal.Finally,we proposed future research orientations for developing multifunctional surfaces,thus establishing a firm soft tissue seal at the transmucosal region and achieving the long-term predictability of dental implants.