Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition最新文献

Resveratrol is a polyphenol with potent antioxidant activity; however, its application in topical formulations is limited by low aqueous solubility and poor stability. Polymeric nanoparticles represent an attractive strategy to overcome these limitations. Poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles coated with poly(arginine) were prepared by nanoprecipitation and loaded with resveratrol at 5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w). The systems were characterized in terms of particle size, morphology, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant activity, thermal stability, chemical structure, and cytocompatibility using L929 fibroblasts and HaCaT keratinocytes. The nanoparticles exhibited spherical morphology and mean diameters in the range of 100-150 nm, with high colloidal stability maintained for up to six months. Encapsulation efficiency decreased with increasing drug loading, from 84% at 5% to 62% at 15%. FTIR analysis indicated physical incorporation of poly(arginine) and resveratrol without detectable chemical interactions, while TGA confirmed adequate thermal stability of the systems. Antioxidant activity ranged within similar levels for free and encapsulated resveratrol, with no statistically significant differences among formulations in the DPPH assay. All formulations demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility, with cell viabilities exceeding 95%. Poly(arginine)-coated PLA nanoparticles constitute an effective platform to enhance the physicochemical stability of resveratrol while maintaining its antioxidant activity and biocompatibility. Among the evaluated systems, the 5% and 10% formulations exhibited the most balanced overall performance.

This study focuses on the preparation and evaluation of a catechol-modified hydroxypropyl chitosan/silver nanoparticle/phenylboronic acid alginate composite hydrogel (C/S/A/P/P). Hydroxypropyl chitosan (HCS) was modified with 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (DBA) via Schiff base reaction to produce adhesive catechol-modified hydroxypropyl chitosan (CHCS). The mechanical properties and self-healing ability of the hydrogel were enhanced by grafting phenylboronic acid (PBA) onto sodium alginate (SA) to form SA-PBA. The incorporation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) further improved the mechanical properties, water absorption, and moisture retention of the hydrogel. Silver ions were reduced to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by the reducing property of catechol and integrated into the hydrogel network, endowing it with antibacterial functionality. The C/S/A/P/P hydrogel exhibits excellent mechanical properties (tensile stress of 391.99 kPa and strain of 149.11%), photothermal properties, and antibacterial performance (inhibition rates of 95.1% against Escherichia coli and 64.3% against Staphylococcus aureus). This green preparation method offers a new approach for developing advanced wound dressings.

This study compared the application-specific benefits of PAC (Periplaneta americana chitin) and SC (Shrimp chitin) blended with PEG (Polyethylene Glycol) in innovative wound-dressing materials. By preparing SC/PEG and PAC/PEG porous blended membranes, it was found that PAC/PEG has better breathability, degradability. Based on this, we developed a Janus PAC/PEG@Zn0.3 composite film dressing for wound healing. After crosslinking PAC with PEG, a hydrophilic layer was formed through phase separation and selective dissolution, loaded with Zn²⁺, and combined with a hydrophobic PCL (Polycaprolactone) membrane using a simple coating technique. This composite film has the characteristics of being moist, breathable, and stretchable, and exhibits good biodegradability and compatibility. The addition of Zn²⁺ enhanced the hemostatic and antibacterial properties of the film. The mouse wound healing experiment showed that the dressing promoted collagen deposition and capillary generation, accelerating wound healing. Overall, the Janus PAC/PEG@Zn0.3 composite film is a wound dressing with promising application prospects.

Glaucoma is a serious eye disease characterized by damage to the optic nerve, potentially leading to severe vision loss or even blindness. Lowering IOP is a crucial strategy in managing the disease. Although trabeculectomy is considered the gold standard in conventional treatment for preventing vision loss, surgical interventions often face challenges such as poor prognosis, high failure rates, and complications. Consequently, pharmacological treatment remains a main method in the management of glaucoma. The efficacy of drug therapy is hindered by the ocular barrier, which impedes drug penetration into the eye to reach the target tissues, resulting in low drug bioavailability. Composite nano-in-micro drug delivery systems as a solution, capable of simultaneously addressing issues such as poor ocular barrier penetration, surface adhesion, and bioavailability. This review explores different fabrication methods, materials, and design strategies for composite nano-in-micro drug delivery systems aimed at treating glaucoma. The review concludes that composite drug delivery systems hold promise as an effective strategy to enhance the bioavailability of glaucoma medications and extend drug release duration. Furthermore, these Composite systems offer innovative approaches to gene and targeted therapy, opening new avenues for the treatment of glaucoma.

Conductive tissue engineering has emerged as a revolutionary approach to addressing the limitations of traditional regenerative therapies by integrating electrical and mechanical properties into biomaterials. This field focuses on mimicking the natural microenvironment of excitable tissues, such as nerves, cardiac, and skeletal muscles, to enhance cellular functions and facilitate tissue repair. Conducting polymers (CP), including polypyrrole, polyaniline, and PEDOT, have been widely utilized for their exceptional electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, and tunable properties. The incorporation of these polymers into electroactive scaffolds has demonstrated significant potential in promoting cell proliferation, differentiation, and alignment, while also enabling functional recovery through electrical stimulation. Applications in nerve regeneration have shown promise in restoring synaptic connections, while in cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues, conductive scaffolds aid in synchronized contractions and structural reinforcement. Despite these advancements, challenges such as optimizing conductivity, achieving long-term biocompatibility, and scaling production remain key areas of focus. This review thoroughly examines the use of conducting polymers for different tissue types such as neural, cardiac, and muscular tissues in light of the most recent literature. By addressing key topics such as electrical stimulation, multifunctional scaffold systems, biological responses, and emerging research trends, this study presents a holistic and up-to-date contribution to the field. Future directions aim to refine scaffold designs, enhance electrical stimulation protocols, and explore translational potential, paving the way for advanced regenerative therapies.

Chronic wound infections in diabetes present significant clinical challenges due to their complex pathological microenvironment. Intelligent hydrogel dressings, with their three-dimensional network structure and high designability of functions, provide an innovative solution for diabetic wound management. This review systematically elaborates on the latest research progress of antibacterial hydrogels. Firstly, it outlines the pathological basis of diabetic wounds, then focuses on discussing natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and further analyzes the evolutionary context of composite intelligent hydrogels-specifically the systematic treatment strategies ranging from stimulus responsiveness, temporal control to multi-functional synergy-while emphasizing the design for their clinical applicability. Furthermore, it summarizes the comprehensive advantages of such dressings in infection control, immune regulation, and promotion of tissue regeneration, and discusses the potential challenges and prospects in the future, thereby providing certain references for the research and development of the next-generation intelligent dressings.

Biocompatible hydrogels are crucial for biomedical applications, driving significant advancements in their fabrication through the use of ionizing radiation technology. This technology offers a promising eco-friendly alternative to conventional methods by enabling the formation of hydrogels that are biodegradable, non-toxic, and biocompatible. Chitosan (CS)-based hydrogels exhibit remarkable properties such as drug loading and release capabilities, functional scaffolding, biosensing, and antimicrobial activity that position them at the forefront of biomedical research. Therefore, this review is important to integrate existing research, underscore advancements, and identify gaps in knowledge. The primary focus of this review is on the fabrication of CS hydrogels through the ionizing radiation technique, comparing it with other methods and elucidating its benefits and limitations. Also emphasizes the CS-based hydrogels for biomedical applications, such as in drug delivery systems, wound healing, and tissue engineering, directing future research toward their functional use. Finally, it provides future research directions in developing CS-based hydrogels for advanced biomedical applications.

Dural repair of the native dura following trauma or surgery is often challenging due to limitations such as the poor extensibility, regenerative capacity, and the structural integrity of the dura mater. This has led to the rise of dura substitutes, both biological and synthetic, that aim to match the native dura in its strength and elasticity. While the biological dura substitutes are met with immune rejection, scarring or disease transmission risks, scar tissue formation is a major concern in synthetic dura substitutes. In revision surgeries, the chaotic extraction of the scar tissue-encapsulated material causes severe damage to the patient's tissues. This work aims to develop a biologically inert dura substitute by electrospinning biostable polycarbonate urethane. The membrane was characterized in terms of its mechanical strength, stiffness, suture pullout strength, and porosity. The in-vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated in L929 cells by direct contact, MTT and Alamar blue assay. In accordance with ISO 10993, toxicological safety evaluation procedures such as acute systemic toxicity, sensitization, skin irritation, and genotoxicity studies were performed. The material was implanted in rabbit dural defects, with a commercially available Neuro-patch as the control for six months. The gross and histological investigations revealed that the membrane was mechanically resilient with good intraoperative handling characteristics. Furthermore, it was non-toxic, and had minimal to moderate tissue adhesion and did not elicit any chronic inflammatory responses, indicating its potential role in future dura substitute applications.

This study develops two types of chitosan-based composite sponge containing silver nanoparticles and either verbena officinalis extract or sesame oil. An optimal solution of silver nanoparticles and chitosan was obtained from the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The Verbena officinalis extract was produced and analyzed using HPLC to verify the chemical composition of the solution. The chitosan/silver nanoparticle/verbena officinalis extract (CS/AgNP/V) and chitosan/silver nanoparticle/sesame oil (CS/AgNPs/S) composites were synthesized and analyzed through the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Morphological analyses (FESEM) confirmed composite formation, with CS/AgNPs/V exhibiting larger pores (mean 74.98 ± 31.04 μm) and higher porosity (68%) than CS/AgNPs/S (53.78 ± 18.32 μm; 43%). Furthermore, the Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) images depicted the presence of nanoparticles in the composites. Accordingly, CS/AgNPs/V manifested superior water absorption (E_S = 15.51) and complete in vitro biodegradability (100%), whereas CS/AgNPs/S was degraded by 45.8%. Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa revealed eight and six log reductions for CS/AgNPs/V as opposed to three and four log reductions for CS/AgNPs/S. Moreover, in vivo assays demonstrated significantly faster wound closure with CS/AgNPs/V (p < 0.01 on day 17) and nearly full regeneration by day 21. In addition, collagen density reached ∼91% for CS/AgNPs/V versus ∼82% for CS/AgNPs/S and ∼75% for the control. Overall, the CS/AgNPs/V nanocomposite was characterized by enhanced biodegradability, antimicrobial efficacy, and tissue regeneration, indicating strong potential as a bioactive wound dressing substance.

Background and purpose: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common painful inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa for which only a few effective therapeutic options are available. In this work, a new bilayer mucoadhesive nanofibrous film was developed and characterized, incorporating a nanoemulsion loaded with Zataria multiflora (ZMF) essential oil (ZMF-EO) into a thiolated chitosan (TCS) matrix to offer local, sustained, and biocompatible therapy for RAS.

Methods: In this study, nanoemulsions containing ZMF-EO were prepared and characterized, then incorporated into bilayer electros pun films made of TCS and a polycaprolactone backing layer. The films were evaluated for drug loading, swelling behavior, mechanical properties, in vitro release, ex vivo permeation, mucoadhesion, antimicrobial activity, cell compatibility, and wound-healing performance.

Results: The ZN-B4 nanoemulsion showed high ZMF loading (98.6 ± 0.8%), nanoscale droplet size (80.9 ± 4.2 nm), and sustained 24-hour release (77.94 ± 4.69%). TCS-3 improved mucosal adhesion and controlled swelling. The F2 film, containing ZN-B4 and TCS-3, showed high drug loading (16.51 ± 1.08%), appropriate tensile strength (4.08 ± 0.93 MPa), ex vivo mucoadhesive strength (17.1 ± 1.9 g), sustained 24-hour drug release (55.32 ± 3.61%), enhanced buccal permeation (51.48%), acceptable biocompatibility (82.3 ± 11.4% cell viability), and complete wound closure within 48 h.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that the ZMF bilayer nanofiber mat represents a promising therapeutic platform for RAS management. Combining herbal medicine with nanotechnology presents an opportunity for effective disease management and facilitates clinical translation.