Biopolymers最新文献

Advanced skin care involves innovative, multifunctional, and bio-inspired biomaterials capable of regenerating skin tissue. Here, we report the facile route for the fabrication of the bio-sourced pH-responsive hydrogels based on κ-carrageenan and gelatin, with properties desirable for the treatment of versatile skin disorders. The extensive characterization revealed differences in physicochemical properties due to chemical modifications of the hydrogels. Porosity ranged from 21.67% to 95.81%. By modifying κ-carrageenan hydrogels with gelatin, the Young's modulus values increased proportionally with the gelatin content, ranging from 0.23 to 2.90 MPa, while native κ-carrageenan hydrogels had the lowest values (0.12–0.42 MPa) and native gelatin hydrogels had the highest (10.85–18.03 MPa). Native κ-carrageenan hydrogels exhibited the most pronounced swelling (18.6–27.0), followed by gelatin-modified κ-carrageenan hydrogels (6.5–23.0) and native gelatin hydrogels (7.8–9.0). The native κ-carrageenan hydrogels also displayed the highest water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) (259.99 ± 16–279.91 ± 19 g m⁻² day⁻¹), while the presence of gelatin lowered it. The hydrogels were preliminary exposed to human fibroblasts (MRC-5 cell line) and then to Caenorhabditis elegans to reveal the effects on whole living organisms. The summarized results suggest that the hydrogels represent advantageous and versatile biocompatible biomaterials set for further investigation as delivery platforms for bioactive molecules suitable for skin tissue regeneration.

This comprehensive review explores the potential of plant- and biopolymeric-based antibacterials as innovative therapeutic agents for infectious skin wound healing. By researching the antibacterial properties of various plants, the review highlights their application in skin tissue engineering. Beyond reviewing antibacterial plant extracts, the article delves into the limitations these natural compounds face, such as hydrophilicity, drug release rates, cell attachment, and scaffold stability when integrated into tissue engineering constructs. The review also emphasizes the role of biopolymeric materials, hydrogel optimization, and crosslinkers to improve scaffold performance. This review provides a roadmap for future research by addressing critical factors in scaffold construction. In the end, it aims to guide the development of more effective wound dressings and tissue scaffolds, combining the natural power of plants with advanced biopolymeric materials for enhanced wound healing therapies.

This study demonstrates a new degradable 3D-printed carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC)/zein bone scaffold loaded with different content of cuprorivaite (Cup) nanoparticles which labeled as CMCS/Z/Cup. Only a few studies have utilized these components to fabricate a three-component porous osteogenic scaffold. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the mechanical and biocompatibility of the nanocomposite which synthesized by 3D printing method. For this purpose, the Cup powder was initially synthesized through sol–gel process and its confirmation was proved using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then, three CMC/Z scaffolds were made with different Cup contents: group A (0 wt.% Cup), group B (2.5 wt.% Cup) and group C (5 wt.% Cup). The scaffolds were well-ordered microporous with a high porosity and pore connectivity, as observed by morphological analysis by SEM. Additionally, the pore size of group B was more homogeneous than that of groups A and C. There were no significance differences in physicochemical characterization among the three groups. Mechanical properties analysis showed that values of compression modulus are significantly increased with addition of 2.5% Cup nanoparticles into CMCS/zein matrix, from 1.2 to 9.6 MPa. The incorporation of Cup nanoparticles into CMCS along with zein can provide a suitable substrate for the growth of osteoblast cells after implantation, as indicated by the results of in vitro degradation. The scaffolds were cultured in vitro with MG-63 cells, showing that cell viability increased with the Cup content, 95%, 105%, and 110% for the pure polymeric scaffold, and scaffolds reinforced with 2.5% and 5% Cup, respectively. As a result, the scaffolds designed in this study possess the ability to be used in bone tissue engineering due to having characteristics similar to natural bone.

Proteins have shown significant potential as carrier systems due to specific binding interactions with several drug molecules. Among several other animal proteins, whey protein (WP) is a by-product of the dairy industry, mainly composed of globular proteins. β-Lactoglobulin (BLG) is a major component of WP, which offers a unique functional property for drug delivery, such as thermal stability, binding interactions, favorable charge characteristics, and a spherical shape. Several drug delivery systems (DDSs) have been developed using BLG as a carrier, including nanoparticles, nanocapsules, nanocomposites, nanoemulsions, solid dispersions, microparticles, and hydrogels. These delivery systems improve drug solubility, loading capacity, bioavailability, stability, and release rate and can provide targeted delivery. They have been employed in diverse applications, from treating cancer to enhancing oral drug delivery, reducing the toxicity of specific drugs, and offering controlled drug release. The future of BLG DDSs holds the promise of combination therapies, personalized medicine, and improved targeting precision. This review aims to discuss the role and utilization of BLG in several DDSs as a versatile carrier, revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry. However, further research is expected to focus on optimizing degradation rates, enhancing biological compatibility, and addressing potential immune responses of BLG-based drug carriers.

Dry heat treatment (DHT) is considered a green technology to modify starch structure and functionality since it does not generate effluents and avoids the use of chemical compounds, however, there is still no comprehensive understanding of the effects and mechanisms on the multi-scale structure and their relationship with functionality. This paper reviewed and analyzed the effects of DHT on multi-scale starch structures and functional properties, compared the performance of continuous and repeated DHT, discussed a mechanism of starch dry heating, and summarized the applications of dry-heated starches. DHT evaporates water, accelerates the movement of starch molecules, and breaks hydrogen bonds, which changes the multi-scale structure. In turn, structural modifications promoted by DHT affect the hydration properties, thermal stability, slowly digestible/resistant starch formation, and glycemic index. The multi-scale structure and functional changes after DHT are strongly affected by the starch botanical source and process conditions. This review contributes to understanding the starch DHT modification and establishes a theoretical basis for advancing DHT applications in the starch industry.

The stability of α-crystallin, the major protein of the mammalian eye lens and a molecular chaperone, is one of the most crucial factors for its survival and function. The chaperone-like activity and stability of α-crystallin dramatically increased in the presence of Zn². Each subunit of α-crystallin could bind multiple zinc atoms through inter-subunit bridging and cause enhanced stability. Three histidines H104, H111, and H119 of recombinant human αB-crystallin (HSPB5) are found to be the Zn²⁺ binding residues. In this article, we did site-directed mutagenesis of six histidine residues and made five-point mutants and a double mutant of αB-crystallin. We studied the effect of zinc on the chaperone function, surface hydrophobicity, and stability of the histidine mutants. We removed the histidine tag from H18A and H101V mutants and studied the stability and chaperone function in the presence and absence of zinc. H83 and H111 mutations showed similar enhancement in chaperone function like WT in the presence of Zn²⁺. Point mutants having his tags showed similar stability enhancement, but point mutant H18A without his tag showed less enhancement in stability in the presence of zinc. This indicates the significance of the presence of his tags in the study of zinc binding interaction with recombinant human αB-crystallin.

The crosslinked porous corn starch was prepared by two steps: the native corn starch was hydrolyzed by α-amylase and glucoamylase, then the porous corn was crosslinked by sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP). The morphology and size of granules, spherulites, crystal type, molecular structure, swelling properties, thermal stability and adsorption properties of the crosslinked porous starch were investigated. The results indicated that a lot of holes formed in the porous starch, and the particle size of starch granules decreased. Under the cross-linking action of STMP, the porous starch particles are cross-linked and agglomerated together. The crystalline form of porous starch presents A + V type, and crystallinity increased after crosslinking. The crosslinked porous starches have higher short-range ordering comparing to the porous without crosslinked porous starch. The crosslinking degree, melting enthalpy and melting peak of starch increased with the increase of STMP content. The bulk density and the vibrated density of the porous starch increased after crosslinking. With the increase of the content of STMP, the water and oil absorption of porous starch increased and then decreased. The MB adsorption capacity of crosslinked porous starch has the maximum value with the STMP 20 wt% content. MB adsorption behavior of porous starch is more consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the equilibrium adsorption increased after crosslinking.

We report the reversible redox-controlled DNA condensation using a simple dicationic diphenylalanine derivative which contains a disulfide unit as linker. Despite the conventional belief that DNA condensing agents require a charge of +3 or higher, this dicationic molecule functions below its critical aggregation concentration, representing a non-canonical DNA condensing agent. The interaction with DNA of the studied compound combines electrostatic effects with hydrophobic/stacking interactions provided with the diphenylalanine moiety. Upon reduction, the condensing agent is cleaved, weakening its interaction with DNA and resulting in DNA decondensation. Oxidation reverses this process, restoring the condensed state. This behavior was confirmed through ThT displacement, circular dichroism, ¹H NMR, and dynamic light scattering studies. Overall, this study introduces an innovative alternative for dynamic DNA manipulation applications.

In this paper, we offer a unique green synthetic approach for producing iron sulfide quantum dots (FeS₂ QD)-chitosan composites using gel chemistry. The technique uses the environmental features of chitosan, a biocompatible and biodegradable polysaccharide, and the excellent electrical properties of FeS₂ QDs. By sustainable chemistry principles, the synthesis process is carried out under gentle settings, using aqueous solutions and avoiding hazardous solvents and strong chemicals. The resulting FeS₂ QD-chitosan composite has superior structural integrity, homogeneous QD distribution, and improved physicochemical characteristics. Comprehensive characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence spectroscopy, confirm the successful integration of FeS₂ QDs into the chitosan matrix while preserving their quantum properties. This work demonstrates the viability of gel chemistry as a green synthetic technique for generating functional nanocomposites, providing a scalable and environmentally responsible option for advanced material development.