Emanuel Fernandes | Universidade do Minho (original) (raw)

Papers by Emanuel Fernandes

Research paper thumbnail of Untangling the biological and inflammatory behavior of silk-like sutures In vivo

Biomaterials, Nov 1, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Structure and Composition of the Cuticle of the Goose Barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes: A Flexible Composite Biomaterial

Marine Drugs, Jan 29, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Silk fibroin/cholinium gallate-based architectures as therapeutic tools

Research paper thumbnail of Cork biomass biocomposites

Lignocellulosic Fibre and Biomass-Based Composite Materials, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Chitosan/Virgin-Coconut-Oil-Based System Enriched with Cubosomes: A 3D Drug-Delivery Approach

Marine Drugs

Emulsion-based systems that combine natural polymers with vegetable oils have been identified as ... more Emulsion-based systems that combine natural polymers with vegetable oils have been identified as a promising research avenue for developing structures with potential for biomedical applications. Herein, chitosan (CHT), a natural polymer, and virgin coconut oil (VCO), a resource obtained from coconut kernels, were combined to create an emulsion system. Phytantriol-based cubosomes encapsulating sodium diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug, were further dispersed into CHT/VCO- based emulsion. Then, the emulsions were frozen and freeze-dried to produce scaffolds. The scaffolds had a porous structure ranging from 20.4 to 73.4 µm, a high swelling ability (up to 900%) in PBS, and adequate stiffness, notably in the presence of cubosomes. Moreover, a well-sustained release of the entrapped diclofenac in the cubosomes into the CHT/VCO-based system, with an accumulated release of 45 ± 2%, was confirmed in PBS, compared to free diclofenac dispersed (80 ± 4%) into CHT/VCO-based structures. Overa...

Research paper thumbnail of Grooved poly(lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) substrates in tenogenic media maintain human tendon derived cell phenotype in culture – A preliminary report✰

Biomedical Engineering Advances

Research paper thumbnail of Advanced Polymeric Membranes as Biomaterials Based on Marine Sources Envisaging the Regeneration of Human Tissues

Gels

The self-repair capacity of human tissue is limited, motivating the arising of tissue engineering... more The self-repair capacity of human tissue is limited, motivating the arising of tissue engineering (TE) in building temporary scaffolds that envisage the regeneration of human tissues, including articular cartilage. However, despite the large number of preclinical data available, current therapies are not yet capable of fully restoring the entire healthy structure and function on this tissue when significantly damaged. For this reason, new biomaterial approaches are needed, and the present work proposes the development and characterization of innovative polymeric membranes formed by blending marine origin polymers, in a chemical free cross-linking approach, as biomaterials for tissue regeneration. The results confirmed the production of polyelectrolyte complexes molded as membranes, with structural stability resulting from natural intermolecular interactions between the marine biopolymers collagen, chitosan and fucoidan. Furthermore, the polymeric membranes presented adequate swellin...

Research paper thumbnail of Development of bilayered porous silk scaffolds for thymus bioengineering

Research paper thumbnail of Collagen membrane from bovine pericardium for treatment of long bone defect

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials

The treatment of bone regeneration failures has been constantly improved with the study of new bi... more The treatment of bone regeneration failures has been constantly improved with the study of new biomaterials. Techgraft® is a collagen membrane derived from bovine pericardium, which has been shown to have biocompatibility and effectiveness in tissue repair. However, its use in orthopedics has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize a bovine pericardium collagen membrane and evaluate the effects of its use in the regeneration of a bone defect in rat tibia. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, weight lost and water uptake tests, and mechanical test were performed. Afterwards, the membrane was tested in an experimental study, using 12 male Sprague Dawley rats. A bone defect was surgically made in tibiae of animals, which were assigned to two groups (n = 6): bone defect treated with collagen membrane (TG) and bone defect without treatment (CONT). Then, tibiae were submitted to micro‐CT. The membranes preserved their natural coll...

Research paper thumbnail of Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Agents versus Bovine Colostrum Supplementation for the Management of Bone Health Using an Osteoporosis-Induced Rat Model

Nutrients

Osteoporosis is defined by loss of bone mass and deteriorated bone microarchitecture. The present... more Osteoporosis is defined by loss of bone mass and deteriorated bone microarchitecture. The present study compared the effects of available pharmacological and non-pharmacological agents for osteoporosis [alendronate (ALE) and concomitant supplementation of vitamin D (VD) and calcium (Ca)] with the effects of bovine colostrum (BC) supplementation in ovariectomized (OVX) and orchidectomized (ORX) rats. Seven-month-old rats were randomly allocated to: (1) placebo-control, (2) ALE group (7.5 μg/kg of body weight/day/5 times per week), (3) VD/Ca group (VD: 35 μg/kg of body weight/day/5 times per week; Ca: 13 mg/kg of body weight/day/3 times per week), and (4) BC supplementation (OVX: 1.5 g/day/5 times per week; ORX: 2 g/day/5 times per week). Following four months of supplementation, bone microarchitecture, strength and bone markers were evaluated. ALE group demonstrated significantly higher Ct.OV, Ct.BMC, Tb.Th, Tb.OV and Tb.BMC and significantly lower Ct.Pr, Tb.Pr, Tb.Sp, Ct.BMD and Tb....

Research paper thumbnail of Show us your beaks and we tell you what you eat: Different ecology in sympatric Antarctic benthic octopods under a climate change context

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Supplementary material file

Research paper thumbnail of Bilayered Porous Silk Scaffolds for Thymus Bioengineering

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Cork Biocomposites Enriched with Chitosan Targeting Antibacterial and Antifouling Properties

Molecules

The demand for bio-based and safer composite materials is increasing due to the growth of the ind... more The demand for bio-based and safer composite materials is increasing due to the growth of the industry, human population, and environmental concerns. In this framework, sustainable and safer cork-polymer composites (CPC), based on green low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were developed using melt-based technologies. Chitosan and polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) were employed to enhance the CPC’s properties. The morphology, wettability, mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial properties of the CPC against Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were examined. The CPC showed improved stiffness when compared with that of the LDPE matrix, preferably when combined with chitosan and PE-g-MA (5 wt. %), reinforcing the stiffness (58.8%) and the strength (66.7%). Chitosan also increased the composite stiffness and strength, as well as reduced the surface hydrophilicity. The CPCs’ antibacterial activity revealed that cork significantly reduces the biofilm...

Research paper thumbnail of Cell-Laden Marine Gelatin Methacryloyl Hydrogels Enriched with Ascorbic Acid for Corneal Stroma Regeneration

Bioengineering

Corneal pathologies from infectious or noninfectious origin have a significant impact on the dail... more Corneal pathologies from infectious or noninfectious origin have a significant impact on the daily lives of millions of people worldwide. Despite the risk of organ rejection or infection, corneal transplantation is currently the only effective treatment. Finding safe and innovative strategies is the main goal of tissue-engineering-based approaches. In this study, the potential of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels produced from marine-derived gelatin and loaded with ascorbic acid (as an enhancer of the biological activity of cells) was evaluated for corneal stromal applications. Marine GelMA was synthesized with a methacrylation degree of 75%, enabling effective photocrosslinking, and hydrogels with or without ascorbic acid were produced, encompassing human keratocytes. All the produced formulations exhibited excellent optical and swelling properties with easy handling as well as structural stability and adequate degradation rates that may allow proper extracellular matrix remod...

Research paper thumbnail of Tailoring Natural-Based Oleogels Combining Ethylcellulose and Virgin Coconut Oil

Polymers

Oleogels are becoming an attractive research field, since they have recently been shown to be fea... more Oleogels are becoming an attractive research field, since they have recently been shown to be feasible for the food and pharmaceutical sectors and provided some insights into the biomedical area. In this work, edible oleogels were tailored through the combination of ethylcellulose (EC), a gelling agent, with virgin coconut oil (VCO), vegetable oil derived from coconut. The influence of the different EC and VCO ratios on the structural, physical, and thermal properties of the oleogels was studied. All EC/VCO-based oleogels presented a stable network with a viscoelastic nature, adequate structural stability, modulable stiffness, high oil-binding capability, antioxidant activity, and good thermal stability, evidencing the EC and VCO’s good compatibility.

Research paper thumbnail of Modulation of stem cell response using biodegradable polyester films with different stiffness

Biomedical Engineering Advances

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Research paper thumbnail of Development and characterisation of cytocompatible polyester substrates with tunable mechanical properties and degradation rate

Acta Biomaterialia, 2021

Although it has been repeatedly indicated the importance to develop implantable devices and cell ... more Although it has been repeatedly indicated the importance to develop implantable devices and cell culture substrates with tissue-specific rigidity, current commercially available products, in particular cell culture substrates, have rigidity values well above most tissues in the body. Herein, six resorbable polyester films were fabricated using compression moulding with a thermal presser into films with tailored stiffness by appropriately selecting the ratio of their building up monomers (e.g. lactide, glycolide, trimethylene carbonate, dioxanone, ε-caprolactone). Typical NMR and FTIR spectra were obtained, suggesting that the fabrication process did not have a negative effect on the conformation of the polymers. Surface roughness analysis revealed no apparent differences between the films as a function of polymer composition. Subject to polymer composition, polymeric films were obtained with glass transition temperatures from -52 °C to 61 °C; contact angles in water from 81 ° to 94 °; storage modulus from 108 MPa to 2,756 MPa and loss modulus from 8 MPa to 507 MPa (both in wet state, at 1 Hz frequency and at 37 °C); ultimate tensile strength from 8 MPa to 62 MPa, toughness from 23 MJ/m3 to 287 MJ/m3, strain at break from 3 % to 278 %, macro-scale Young's modulus from 110 MPa to 2,184 MPa (all in wet state); and nano-scale Young's modulus from 6 kPa to 15,019 kPa (in wet state). With respect to in vitro degradation in phosphate buffered saline at 37 °C, some polymeric films [e.g. poly(glycolide-lactide) 30 / 70] started degrading from day 7 (shortest timepoint assessed), whilst others [e.g. poly(glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) 10 / 90] were more resilient to degradation up to day 21 (longest timepoint assessed). In vitro biological analysis using human dermal fibroblasts and a human monocyte cell line (THP-1) showed the potential of the polymeric films to support cell growth and controlled immune response. Evidently, the selected polymers exhibited properties suitable for a range of clinical indications.

Research paper thumbnail of Biopolymer membranes in tissue engineering

Biopolymer Membranes and Films, 2020

Abstract In tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the combination of biomaterials, cells,... more Abstract In tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the combination of biomaterials, cells, and bioactive molecules is the key to promote tissue regeneration or even to create therapeutic systems. The use of natural biomacromolecules in the processing of membranes has been extensively applied in association with traditional processing techniques. The resulting structures present multiple mechanical and biological features that allow their application as wound dressings for skin regeneration, drug delivery systems, and bone regeneration supports. This chapter provides an up-to-date review of the most promising natural biopolymers processed as membranes, focusing on polysaccharides, proteins and their combinations, strategies for processing, and their applications in the tissue-engineering field.

Research paper thumbnail of For Review Only IMPROVEMENT ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CORK COMPOSITES USING SUBERIN AS COUPLING AGENT THROUGH A REACTIVE EXTRUSION PROCESS

New functionalized composite structures were prepared using lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), cork ... more New functionalized composite structures were prepared using lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), cork powder and different suberins extracted from cork and birch outer bark as coupling agents to promote interfacial adhesion. The compounding was performed under reactive extrusion and samples processed by compression moulding. The morphology of the functionalized composites showed good adhesion between cork and the polymeric phase. The mechanical results confirm that the addition of suberin acts as coupling agent improving the strength and leads to cork-polymer composite materials with improved strain and lower modulus. When the suberin was added to the composition a slight increase on composite density occurred.

Research paper thumbnail of Untangling the biological and inflammatory behavior of silk-like sutures In vivo

Biomaterials, Nov 1, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Structure and Composition of the Cuticle of the Goose Barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes: A Flexible Composite Biomaterial

Marine Drugs, Jan 29, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Silk fibroin/cholinium gallate-based architectures as therapeutic tools

Research paper thumbnail of Cork biomass biocomposites

Lignocellulosic Fibre and Biomass-Based Composite Materials, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Chitosan/Virgin-Coconut-Oil-Based System Enriched with Cubosomes: A 3D Drug-Delivery Approach

Marine Drugs

Emulsion-based systems that combine natural polymers with vegetable oils have been identified as ... more Emulsion-based systems that combine natural polymers with vegetable oils have been identified as a promising research avenue for developing structures with potential for biomedical applications. Herein, chitosan (CHT), a natural polymer, and virgin coconut oil (VCO), a resource obtained from coconut kernels, were combined to create an emulsion system. Phytantriol-based cubosomes encapsulating sodium diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug, were further dispersed into CHT/VCO- based emulsion. Then, the emulsions were frozen and freeze-dried to produce scaffolds. The scaffolds had a porous structure ranging from 20.4 to 73.4 µm, a high swelling ability (up to 900%) in PBS, and adequate stiffness, notably in the presence of cubosomes. Moreover, a well-sustained release of the entrapped diclofenac in the cubosomes into the CHT/VCO-based system, with an accumulated release of 45 ± 2%, was confirmed in PBS, compared to free diclofenac dispersed (80 ± 4%) into CHT/VCO-based structures. Overa...

Research paper thumbnail of Grooved poly(lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) substrates in tenogenic media maintain human tendon derived cell phenotype in culture – A preliminary report✰

Biomedical Engineering Advances

Research paper thumbnail of Advanced Polymeric Membranes as Biomaterials Based on Marine Sources Envisaging the Regeneration of Human Tissues

Gels

The self-repair capacity of human tissue is limited, motivating the arising of tissue engineering... more The self-repair capacity of human tissue is limited, motivating the arising of tissue engineering (TE) in building temporary scaffolds that envisage the regeneration of human tissues, including articular cartilage. However, despite the large number of preclinical data available, current therapies are not yet capable of fully restoring the entire healthy structure and function on this tissue when significantly damaged. For this reason, new biomaterial approaches are needed, and the present work proposes the development and characterization of innovative polymeric membranes formed by blending marine origin polymers, in a chemical free cross-linking approach, as biomaterials for tissue regeneration. The results confirmed the production of polyelectrolyte complexes molded as membranes, with structural stability resulting from natural intermolecular interactions between the marine biopolymers collagen, chitosan and fucoidan. Furthermore, the polymeric membranes presented adequate swellin...

Research paper thumbnail of Development of bilayered porous silk scaffolds for thymus bioengineering

Research paper thumbnail of Collagen membrane from bovine pericardium for treatment of long bone defect

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials

The treatment of bone regeneration failures has been constantly improved with the study of new bi... more The treatment of bone regeneration failures has been constantly improved with the study of new biomaterials. Techgraft® is a collagen membrane derived from bovine pericardium, which has been shown to have biocompatibility and effectiveness in tissue repair. However, its use in orthopedics has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize a bovine pericardium collagen membrane and evaluate the effects of its use in the regeneration of a bone defect in rat tibia. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, weight lost and water uptake tests, and mechanical test were performed. Afterwards, the membrane was tested in an experimental study, using 12 male Sprague Dawley rats. A bone defect was surgically made in tibiae of animals, which were assigned to two groups (n = 6): bone defect treated with collagen membrane (TG) and bone defect without treatment (CONT). Then, tibiae were submitted to micro‐CT. The membranes preserved their natural coll...

Research paper thumbnail of Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Agents versus Bovine Colostrum Supplementation for the Management of Bone Health Using an Osteoporosis-Induced Rat Model

Nutrients

Osteoporosis is defined by loss of bone mass and deteriorated bone microarchitecture. The present... more Osteoporosis is defined by loss of bone mass and deteriorated bone microarchitecture. The present study compared the effects of available pharmacological and non-pharmacological agents for osteoporosis [alendronate (ALE) and concomitant supplementation of vitamin D (VD) and calcium (Ca)] with the effects of bovine colostrum (BC) supplementation in ovariectomized (OVX) and orchidectomized (ORX) rats. Seven-month-old rats were randomly allocated to: (1) placebo-control, (2) ALE group (7.5 μg/kg of body weight/day/5 times per week), (3) VD/Ca group (VD: 35 μg/kg of body weight/day/5 times per week; Ca: 13 mg/kg of body weight/day/3 times per week), and (4) BC supplementation (OVX: 1.5 g/day/5 times per week; ORX: 2 g/day/5 times per week). Following four months of supplementation, bone microarchitecture, strength and bone markers were evaluated. ALE group demonstrated significantly higher Ct.OV, Ct.BMC, Tb.Th, Tb.OV and Tb.BMC and significantly lower Ct.Pr, Tb.Pr, Tb.Sp, Ct.BMD and Tb....

Research paper thumbnail of Show us your beaks and we tell you what you eat: Different ecology in sympatric Antarctic benthic octopods under a climate change context

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Supplementary material file

Research paper thumbnail of Bilayered Porous Silk Scaffolds for Thymus Bioengineering

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Cork Biocomposites Enriched with Chitosan Targeting Antibacterial and Antifouling Properties

Molecules

The demand for bio-based and safer composite materials is increasing due to the growth of the ind... more The demand for bio-based and safer composite materials is increasing due to the growth of the industry, human population, and environmental concerns. In this framework, sustainable and safer cork-polymer composites (CPC), based on green low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were developed using melt-based technologies. Chitosan and polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) were employed to enhance the CPC’s properties. The morphology, wettability, mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial properties of the CPC against Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were examined. The CPC showed improved stiffness when compared with that of the LDPE matrix, preferably when combined with chitosan and PE-g-MA (5 wt. %), reinforcing the stiffness (58.8%) and the strength (66.7%). Chitosan also increased the composite stiffness and strength, as well as reduced the surface hydrophilicity. The CPCs’ antibacterial activity revealed that cork significantly reduces the biofilm...

Research paper thumbnail of Cell-Laden Marine Gelatin Methacryloyl Hydrogels Enriched with Ascorbic Acid for Corneal Stroma Regeneration

Bioengineering

Corneal pathologies from infectious or noninfectious origin have a significant impact on the dail... more Corneal pathologies from infectious or noninfectious origin have a significant impact on the daily lives of millions of people worldwide. Despite the risk of organ rejection or infection, corneal transplantation is currently the only effective treatment. Finding safe and innovative strategies is the main goal of tissue-engineering-based approaches. In this study, the potential of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels produced from marine-derived gelatin and loaded with ascorbic acid (as an enhancer of the biological activity of cells) was evaluated for corneal stromal applications. Marine GelMA was synthesized with a methacrylation degree of 75%, enabling effective photocrosslinking, and hydrogels with or without ascorbic acid were produced, encompassing human keratocytes. All the produced formulations exhibited excellent optical and swelling properties with easy handling as well as structural stability and adequate degradation rates that may allow proper extracellular matrix remod...

Research paper thumbnail of Tailoring Natural-Based Oleogels Combining Ethylcellulose and Virgin Coconut Oil

Polymers

Oleogels are becoming an attractive research field, since they have recently been shown to be fea... more Oleogels are becoming an attractive research field, since they have recently been shown to be feasible for the food and pharmaceutical sectors and provided some insights into the biomedical area. In this work, edible oleogels were tailored through the combination of ethylcellulose (EC), a gelling agent, with virgin coconut oil (VCO), vegetable oil derived from coconut. The influence of the different EC and VCO ratios on the structural, physical, and thermal properties of the oleogels was studied. All EC/VCO-based oleogels presented a stable network with a viscoelastic nature, adequate structural stability, modulable stiffness, high oil-binding capability, antioxidant activity, and good thermal stability, evidencing the EC and VCO’s good compatibility.

Research paper thumbnail of Modulation of stem cell response using biodegradable polyester films with different stiffness

Biomedical Engineering Advances

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Research paper thumbnail of Development and characterisation of cytocompatible polyester substrates with tunable mechanical properties and degradation rate

Acta Biomaterialia, 2021

Although it has been repeatedly indicated the importance to develop implantable devices and cell ... more Although it has been repeatedly indicated the importance to develop implantable devices and cell culture substrates with tissue-specific rigidity, current commercially available products, in particular cell culture substrates, have rigidity values well above most tissues in the body. Herein, six resorbable polyester films were fabricated using compression moulding with a thermal presser into films with tailored stiffness by appropriately selecting the ratio of their building up monomers (e.g. lactide, glycolide, trimethylene carbonate, dioxanone, ε-caprolactone). Typical NMR and FTIR spectra were obtained, suggesting that the fabrication process did not have a negative effect on the conformation of the polymers. Surface roughness analysis revealed no apparent differences between the films as a function of polymer composition. Subject to polymer composition, polymeric films were obtained with glass transition temperatures from -52 °C to 61 °C; contact angles in water from 81 ° to 94 °; storage modulus from 108 MPa to 2,756 MPa and loss modulus from 8 MPa to 507 MPa (both in wet state, at 1 Hz frequency and at 37 °C); ultimate tensile strength from 8 MPa to 62 MPa, toughness from 23 MJ/m3 to 287 MJ/m3, strain at break from 3 % to 278 %, macro-scale Young's modulus from 110 MPa to 2,184 MPa (all in wet state); and nano-scale Young's modulus from 6 kPa to 15,019 kPa (in wet state). With respect to in vitro degradation in phosphate buffered saline at 37 °C, some polymeric films [e.g. poly(glycolide-lactide) 30 / 70] started degrading from day 7 (shortest timepoint assessed), whilst others [e.g. poly(glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) 10 / 90] were more resilient to degradation up to day 21 (longest timepoint assessed). In vitro biological analysis using human dermal fibroblasts and a human monocyte cell line (THP-1) showed the potential of the polymeric films to support cell growth and controlled immune response. Evidently, the selected polymers exhibited properties suitable for a range of clinical indications.

Research paper thumbnail of Biopolymer membranes in tissue engineering

Biopolymer Membranes and Films, 2020

Abstract In tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the combination of biomaterials, cells,... more Abstract In tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the combination of biomaterials, cells, and bioactive molecules is the key to promote tissue regeneration or even to create therapeutic systems. The use of natural biomacromolecules in the processing of membranes has been extensively applied in association with traditional processing techniques. The resulting structures present multiple mechanical and biological features that allow their application as wound dressings for skin regeneration, drug delivery systems, and bone regeneration supports. This chapter provides an up-to-date review of the most promising natural biopolymers processed as membranes, focusing on polysaccharides, proteins and their combinations, strategies for processing, and their applications in the tissue-engineering field.

Research paper thumbnail of For Review Only IMPROVEMENT ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CORK COMPOSITES USING SUBERIN AS COUPLING AGENT THROUGH A REACTIVE EXTRUSION PROCESS

New functionalized composite structures were prepared using lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), cork ... more New functionalized composite structures were prepared using lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), cork powder and different suberins extracted from cork and birch outer bark as coupling agents to promote interfacial adhesion. The compounding was performed under reactive extrusion and samples processed by compression moulding. The morphology of the functionalized composites showed good adhesion between cork and the polymeric phase. The mechanical results confirm that the addition of suberin acts as coupling agent improving the strength and leads to cork-polymer composite materials with improved strain and lower modulus. When the suberin was added to the composition a slight increase on composite density occurred.