00590nas a2200193   4500008004100000022001300041245005300054210005000107300001600157490000700173653001900180100001500199700001600214700001600230700001500246700001500261700001800276856010200294       2015                        eng d  a1550703300aNano-in-Micro Self-Reporting Hydrogel Constructs0 aNanoinMicro SelfReporting Hydrogel Constructs  a1451–14600 v1110aBioengineering1 aTirella, A1 aLa Marca, M1 aBrace, L.A.1 aMattei, G.1 aAylott, J.1 aAhluwalia, A.  uhttp://openurl.ingenta.com/content/xref?genre=article&issn=1550-7033&volume=11&issue=8&spage=145102045nas a2200205   4500008004100000022001400041245010800055210006900163520140900232653001901641100001401660700001401674700001601688700001801704700001901722700001501741700001701756700001801773856004801791       2014                        eng d  a1860-731400aA novel dual-flow bioreactor simulates increased fluorescein permeability in epithelial tissue barriers0 anovel dualflow bioreactor simulates increased fluorescein permea3 a<p>Permeability studies across epithelial barriers are of primary importance in drug delivery as well as in toxicology. However, traditional in vitro models do not adequately mimic the dynamic environment of physiological barriers. Here, we describe a novel two-chamber modular bioreactor for dynamic in vitro studies of epithelial cells. The fluid dynamic environment of the bioreactor was characterized using computational fluid dynamic models and measurements of pressure gradients for different combinations of flow rates in the apical and basal chambers. Cell culture experiments were then performed with fully differentiated Caco-2 cells as a model of the intestinal epithelium, comparing the effect of media flow applied in the bioreactor with traditional static transwells. The flow increases barrier integrity and tight junction expression of Caco-2 cells with respect to the static controls. Fluorescein permeability increased threefold in the dynamic system, indicating that the stimulus induced by flow increases transport across the barrier, closely mimicking the in vivo situation. The results are of interest for studying the influence of mechanical stimuli on cells, and underline the importance of developing more physiologically relevant in vitro tissue models. The bioreactor can be used to study drug delivery, chemical, or nanomaterial toxicity and to engineer barrier tissues.</p>
10aBioengineering1 aGiusti, S1 aSbrana, T1 aLa Marca, M1 aDi Patria, V.1 aMartinucci, V.1 aTirella, A1 aDomenici, C.1 aAhluwalia, A.  uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2475686901849nas a2200145   4500008003900000245008600039210006900125260001600194520129800210653001901508100001501527700001501542700001801557856012801575       2012                          d00aNew method for the viscoelastic analysis of soft and highly hydrated biomaterials0 aNew method for the viscoelastic analysis of soft and highly hydr  aRome, Italy3 a<p>The role of materials mechanical properties is a new frontier for the evaluation of cell/material interaction, as well as for the determination of healthy/pathological state of a tissue. In these sense there is the need to have a unique method to measure materials viscoelastic properties. However, concerning with soft and highly hydrated constructs, the experimental set-up to precisely measure these properties is challenging because of the difficulty in defining zero stress or strain. To overcome these problems, we propose a novel and unique testing and data analysis technique (ERM) to derive materials viscoelastic properties. Results derived with this method can be compared to the ones obtained with standard testing techniques for viscoelastic materials. Pre-conditioning problems of testing soft and floppy materials are thus overcome, giving rise to have an accurate measure of viscous and elastic moduli of both hydrated materials and soft biological tissues. Small variations of measured properties can be also monitored with high precision, allowing a deeper investigation on the role of the scaffolding material or of tissueâ€™s extracellular matrix (respectively in cell culture systems or in biomechanics measurements for the characterisation of soft tissues).</p>
10aBioengineering1 aTirella, A1 aMattei, G.1 aAhluwalia, A.  uhttps://www.centropiaggio.unipi.it/publications/new-method-viscoelastic-analysis-soft-and-highly-hydrated-biomaterials.html