Kaja Fołta

Being one of the most aggressive primary brain tumors, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is known from the median survivals of just 15 months following diagnosis. Conventional treatments, including surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have limited efficiency due to the invasive nature of glioma cells and the presence of a blood–brain barrier. Therefore, adjuvant therapy in the form of a localized delivery of chemotherapeutic agents is indispensable to increase the chances of patients. Among a variety of advanced drug carriers, collagen has recently emerged as an excellent choice for regional chemotherapy, mainly due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, weak antigenicity, biomimetics, and well-known safety profile, as well as its native presence in the extracellular matrix of the central nervous system. The aim of this paper is to highlight the most recent studies describing the application of collagen as a drug carrier able to provide an extended delivery of chemotherapeutic agents directly to the GBM site, and to provide exciting opportunities for its future applications.

Vascular regeneration is a complex process, additionally limited by the low regeneration potential of blood vessels. Hence, current research is focused on the design of artificial materials that combine biocompatibility with a certain rate of biodegradability and mechanical robustness. In this paper, we have introduced a scaffold material made of poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide)/poly(isosorbide sebacate) (PLGA/PISEB) fibers fabricated in the course of an electrospinning process, and confirmed its biocompatibility towards human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The resulting material was characterized by a bimodal distribution of fiber diameters, with the median of 1.25 µm and 4.75 µm. Genotyping of HUVEC cells collected after 48 h of incubations on the surface of PLGA/PISEB scaffolds showed a potentially pro-angiogenic expression profile, as well as anti-inflammatory effects of this material. Over the course of a 12-week-long hydrolytic degradation process, PLGA/PISEB fibers were found to swell and disintegrate, resulting in the formation of highly developed structures resembling seaweeds. It is expected that the change in the scaffold structure should have a positive effect on blood vessel regeneration, by allowing cells to penetrate the scaffold and grow within a 3D structure of PLGA/PISEB, as well as stabilizing newly-formed endothelium during hydrolytic expansion.