Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition最新文献

The efficient gastric absorption of orally administered drugs showing pH-dependent solubility, narrow absorption windows, or localized gastric action remains a critical challenge. Conventional immediate-release and sustained-release dosage forms often result in poor bioavailability, fluctuating plasma drug levels, and increased dosing frequency due to rapid gastric emptying and variable gastrointestinal transit. Presently, expandable, high-density, and mucoadhesive systems represent the most widely investigated gastroretentive approaches; unfortunately, these systems have exhibited limited clinical outcomes because of formulation complexity and unacceptably variable gastric retention. FRDDS represents a promising clinically relevant strategy that overcomes such limitations via the formation of low-density buoyant gel structures that can reside in the stomach for prolonged periods. Maintenance of the drug in the gastric milieu by FRDDS enhances dissolution under acidic conditions, allowing for controlled and site-specific drug release and improving therapeutic efficacy while reducing dosing frequency. This review provides a critical evaluation of recent advances in FRDDS, focusing on mechanisms of raft formation, gastroretentive performance, formulation strategies, and their clinical applicability. Inter-individual variability in the gastric environment, fed-fasted effects, and translational limitations are discussed as key challenges. Overall, FRDDS embodies a robust and versatile gastroretentive platform with significant potential to improve oral drug therapy in chronic, infectious, and gastric-related diseases.

Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) have attracted significant interest due to their superior physicochemical properties, including enhanced skin penetration, improved bioavailability, and reduced toxicity compared to conventional drug delivery systems. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of antibacterial dissolving microneedles as a treatment for cellulitis, which represents a prevalent skin infection. This review was conducted and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A complete database search of Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus was conducted without any time limitations for publication dates. The search conducted on 8 September 2024 produced 474 records. The analysis included 18 relevant studies after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings indicate that dissolving microneedles deliver better therapeutic results than conventional treatments thus establishing them as a promising minimally invasive method for treating cellulitis and other skin infections.

Osteochondral tissues have limited self-healing capacity due to its avascular nature, making injuries and degenerative diseases particularly difficult to treat with conventional methods. Osteochondral tissue engineering has emerged as a promising interdisciplinary approach combining biomaterials, cells, and bioactive molecules to regenerate functional bone and cartilage. In recent years, electrically conductive materials have gained attention for their ability to mimic the electromechanical properties of native bone and cartilage and enhance cell behavior through electrical stimulation. Carbon-based materials such as graphene, graphene oxide, and carbon nanotubes are widely employed in osteochondral tissue engineering due to their ability to enhance scaffold-cell interactions and promote cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. Similarly, metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles shown significant potential to deliver localized electrical stimulation, thereby improving cellular communication and tissue integration. Conductive polymers, including polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy), polythiophene (PT), and PEDOT:PSS, offer a unique combination of biocompatibility, tunable conductivity, and mechanical flexibility, making them strong candidates for advanced scaffold design in osteochondral tissue engineering. This review highlights the potential of conducting materials in osteochondral tissue engineering by discussing their physicochemical properties, fabrication strategies, and biological effects. Furthermore, current studies on the integration of conductive materials into scaffolds, their interaction with osteocytes and chondrocytes, and their role in enhancing osteogenesis and chondrogenesis are examined. By providing both electrical and structural cues, conducting materials represent a new generation of smart composite scaffolds that can contribute significantly to the development of clinically effective and durable bone and cartilage repair strategies.

This study experimentally investigates the use of a biocompatible nanocomposite patch reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to mechanically strengthen cracked bone tissue by mitigating stress concentration. Reducing stress intensity factors (SIFs) in damaged bone is a promising strategy for accelerating fracture healing and limiting crack propagation. A nanocomposite patch composed of chitosan (CS), nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp), and CNTs was fabricated using the solvent casting method. Metacarpal and metatarsal bones containing predefined cracks were prepared as mixed-mode bending (MMB) specimens to determine the critical fracture load. Corresponding finite element models were developed to evaluate mode I and mode II SIFs. The mechanical effectiveness of the nanocomposite patch was assessed by comparing the critical SIFs of cracked bone specimens with and without patch reinforcement. The results demonstrate that the applied patch significantly reduces stress concentration at the crack tip, thereby enhancing the mechanical resistance of the bone tissue. Furthermore, the applicability of the maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion for mixed-mode I/II fracture assessment in bone was examined and validated. This work presents a mechanical proof-of-concept for the use of nanocomposite patches as reinforcement strategies in cracked bone structures.

The gastrointestinal (GI) system is a complex and dynamic organ system, with the anatomy and varied physiological functionality adding complexity to nutrient absorption, immune function, and maintenance of overall health. This review begins with an overview of the anatomy, highlighting key organs and their respective roles, followed by an exploration of the functionality and physiology, detailing mechanisms of digestion, and microbial interactions. Traditional in vitro models and animal studies often fall short in accurately replicating the intricate environment of the human gut. Microphysiological systems (MPS) offer innovative solutions, integrating advanced techniques such as 3D bioprinting, spheroids, organoids, and microfluidics to create more accurate and dynamic models and have emerged as promising solutions to bridge this gap. This paper delves into the applications of MPS in the context of the GI system, including 3D bioprinted models that provide structural fidelity, intestinal organoids that mimic cellular complexity, and gut-on-chip devices that recreate the physiological environment. The transformative potential of MPS in overcoming the limitations of conventional models and accelerating biomedical research and therapeutic development in the GI domain is being well studied. These cutting-edge technologies hold promise for enhancing our understanding of GI biology, improving drug testing, and advancing personalized medicine.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have appeared as a transformative class of anticancer agents, particularly for tumors with homologous recombination deficiencies such as BRCA1/2-mutated breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Despite their clinical success, challenges such as poor bioavailability, systemic toxicity, and acquired resistance have limited their broader application. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems offer a promising strategy to overcome these limitations by enhancing the solubility, stability, and tumor-specific accumulation of PARP inhibitors while reducing off-target effects. This review explores the mechanism of action of PARP inhibitors, including their role in DNA repair and synthetic lethality, and discusses their therapeutic applications. Furthermore, recent progresses in delivery systems, including lipid-based, polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid nanosystems, are examined with a focus on their design, functionality, and impact on drug efficacy. Recent studies demonstrating improved drug retention, enhanced tumor targeting, and controlled release mechanisms are highl'hted, along with potential strategies to overcome resistance. The integration of multifunctional and stimuli-responsive nanosystems further enhances the therapeutic potential of PARP inhibitors. Continued innovation in nanomedicine holds the potential to optimize PARP inhibitor therapy and expand its clinical utility in personalized cancer treatment. Future directions include addressing translational challenges, scalability, and regulatory considerations for clinical applications.

This study presents the development of a novel retrorsine (RTS)-imprinted sensor utilizing oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ox-MWCNTs), polypyrrole (PPy), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), employing square wave voltammetry for the sensitive and selective detection of RTS which causes oxidative-stress and DNA damage. The fabricated Ox-MWCNT-PPy-AuNP sensor demonstrated a surface-area of (0.218 cm²) is 4.25 times larger than a bare glassy carbon electrode, with a low charge transfer resistance (10.9 Ω), enhancing electron transfer kinetics. The sensor showed excellent sensitivity in detecting retrorsine, with a limit of detection of 0.035 nM in synthetic matrices and -0.030 nM in HepaRG cell culture medium. Toxicity assays in HepaRG cells revealed dose-dependent oxidative-stress, with glutathione levels decreasing from 23.08 ± 0.21 µmol/10⁹ to 21.21 ± 0.02 µmol/10⁹ at 35 µM retrorsine. Concurrently, GSSG levels increased from 1.32 ± 0.26 µmol/10⁹ to 2.22 ± 0.02 µmol/10⁹. DNA-damage assessed via comet assay, showed significant increases in tail-moment (2.53 µm) and tail-migration (16.13 µm). Oxidative DNA-damage, indicated by 8-OHdG levels, increased significantly from 0.29 ± 0.02 ng.mL^- (control) to 0.47 ± 0.07 ng.mL^- at 35 µM retrorsine. These findings demonstrate the sensor's effectiveness for retrorsine detection and its applicability in toxicological studies. The integration of nanomaterial engineering and molecular imprinting provides a highly sensitive, selective, and eco-friendly solution for monitoring toxic agents and assessing their biological impacts.

Spider silk is a natural biomaterial that has attracted considerable attention because of its exceptional physical and chemical properties. Developing fiber materials that combine high strength and toughness remains a significant challenge, as increasing fiber strength often reduces toughness. However, spider silk achieves an optimal balance of these properties through gelation and stretching of its spinning solution. This remarkable feature has inspired extensive efforts to produce artificial fibers that mimic natural spider silk's materials, structures, and spinning mechanisms. For decades, researchers have focused on artificially spun recombinant spidroins to replicate the extraordinary mechanical properties of natural spider silk. This paper investigates the relationship between the structure and function of spidroins. It reviews the primary methods for synthesizing spider silk fibers, emphasizing their advantages and limitations. These insights provide a theoretical foundation for the design of artificial protein fibers and spinning equipment. This study addresses the challenges and unresolved issues in the current research. It proposes future directions, advancing our understanding of spidroins fiber production and establishing a foundation for further studies.

Hydrogels, innovative biomaterials defined by their three-dimensional porous structure, have attracted considerable attention in sports medicine for their unique physical and chemical properties. These properties enable applications in sports injury repair, sports health management, and sports injury protective equipment. By carefully selecting compositions, optimizing structures, and incorporating functional molecules or groups, these hydrogels can achieve enhanced biocompatibility, adhesion, tunable mechanical properties, and intelligent responsiveness, thereby better supporting sports medicine applications. Advances in hydrogel functionalization and performance modulation technologies have demonstrated their potential in applications such as intelligent ligaments, sports insoles, sports wound healing, artificial tendons, bone repair, coatings for sports medical devices, and motion monitoring. This review examines hydrogels with sports medical characteristics and their associated modification strategies. Additionally, this review discusses the current landscape and challenges of hydrogel applications in sports medicine, offering insights and direction for future research in this field.

Graphene oxide (GO) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are two well-known graphene-related materials derived from a single layer of C-atoms which are arranged in a honeycomb structure. Due to their unique physicochemical properties such as high specific surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, good mechanical strength, and intrinsic biocompatibility, GO and GQDs have drawn great attention in versatile scientific domains, especially in biomedical applications. Recently, they have been recognised as potential sources for new therapeutic approaches, particularly in influencing inflammatory responses and cancer therapy. The drug and imaging agent loading and delivery ability, ease of transport and release, targeting ability, and imaging canny have met them to be attractive carriers for next generation nanomedicine. Particularly their involvement in selective drug delivery systems represents an opportunity to improve so to speak the therapeutic efficacy, by confining the exposure to the therapeutic such to reach the desired tissue/tumor further abating the treatment of the healthy cells. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the development and application of GO- or GQD-based delivery systems and put emphasis on strategies utilized to improve the targeting capability, biocompatibility, and therapeutic efficacy for cancer treatment.