The research’s objective is to apply AgNPs produced for electroactive insertion and anti-infection to 3D-printed polymeric skeletal tissue.

In their research, which was published in the scientific journal ‘Molecules’, Prof. Husaini and the team were inspired by the natural features of humans, who possess a small current inside their bodies. "Electrical stimulation has been discovered as a method to stimulate tissue regeneration and manage cell specialization through external means," stated Prof. Husaini in the journal.

(Read: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26072042)

To support this electric stimulation therapy, the research team has also developed electroactive biomaterials, designed as scaffolds in tissue engineering, that possess the ability to give electrical, electrochemical, or electromechanical stimulation directly to the cell, tissue, or organ.

In this research, the researchers utilized Cilembu sweet potato extracts as a reduction agent and covered them to create AgNPs. Sweet potato was chosen due to their huge concentration of reducing agent, such as reducing sugar, phenolic compounds, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. The AgNPs creation process involved the use of condensed Cilembu sweet potato extract by evaporating their water content by roasting them at a specific temperature.

"Results showed how concentration variation of AgNO3 and the Cilembu sweet potato roasting process influenced the size, distribution, and antibacterial activity of AgNPs produced," wrote Prof. Husaini in his journal.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Husaini Ardy and his team were confident that the green synthesis method that they have developed together using 3D-printing technology will open a new path in creating AgNPs based electroactive scaffolds with elevated antibacterial properties without using toxic reducing agents or organic solvents. Even so, further research is necessary to learn more about the antibacterial activity and cytotoxic properties of the PCL/AgNPs scaffold using a human cell model.

This research possesses a huge potential as a new breakthrough in biomaterial development that could improve tissue regeneration and prevent infection in various medical applications, such as bone tissue engineering, biomedic sensors, prosthetic materials, wound regeneration, and dental ingredients.

Reporter: Satria Octavianus Nababan (Informatics Engineering, 2021)

Translator: Firzana Aisya (Bioengineering, 2021)

Editor: Anggi Nurdiani (Management, 2021)