Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory condition that leads to tissue damage, bone loss, and gingival recession. In this disease, pH levels in the mouth are affected by food and saliva as well as tissue inflammation and damage caused by periodontitis. Monitoring pH levels helps assess disease progression and treatment outcomes; therefore, it is important to study the degradation of the biomaterials under relevant pH conditions. Fibers are valuable in treating periodontal disease by enabling site-specific drug delivery to affected soft and hard tissues. In this work, we evaluate polyanhydride fibers that undergo hydrolysis to yield salicylic acid as a function of pH conditions. The physical properties of the polyanhydrides, specifically those based on ester-containing carboxyphenoxydecanoate (CPD), can be altered by copolymerization with ether-containing para-carboxyphenoxyhexane (pCPH) to affect degradation rates under specific pH conditions. Overall, we observed that the CPD:pCPH copolymer is more resistant to hydrolysis than the CPD homopolymer. We examined the effects of degradation media pH on the hydrolysis of 50:50 CPD:pCPH fibers (fibers containing 50% CPD and 50% pCPH) with pH values ranging from pH 6 to 9. This pH range was chosen as it covers the pH values typically observed in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) as well as in the gastrointestinal tract. As a general trend, increasing the pH of the degradation media increased the rate at which the copolymer fibers were hydrolyzed. This work will help enable targeted drug delivery to specific areas in the body, such as acidic tumors or the gastrointestinal tract, for efficient medication release.

The present study aimed to characterize Cystoseira stricta sodium alginate and its maleated derivative for potential use in food preservation. The alginate was extracted from the brown alga Cystoseira stricta , harvested from west Algerian coast (35°49′N/0°01′W). The sodium alginate was grafted with maleic anhydride to obtain maleated sodium alginate. The native and grafted sodium alginate were analyzed using FTIR, XRD, SEM, DSC, TGA, X-ray, and EDX. Their antioxidant potential was evaluated using DPPH scavenging activity. Additionally, a nanoemulsion based on maleated sodium alginate and date seed oil was synthezised and applied as an edible functional coating for delaying strawberries’ spoilage. The extraction of sodium alginate resulted in good yield (37.52%) with a β-D-mannuronic acid /α-L-guluronic acid (M/G) ratio of 0.80. The grafting of sodium alginate with maleic anhydride has been successfully executed and confirmed by infrared analysis and DSC. The degree of substitution was estimated to 93%. The crystallinity becomes greater according to x-ray diffraction data. Thermal analysis indicated that maleated sodium alginate was more thermally stable. The SEM/EDX analyses revealed well defined morphological characteristics and high chemical purity of native and modified sample. The maleated sodium alginate exhibits higher antioxidant activity than native sodium alginate. It was found the maleation cannot improve only the antioxidant ability but also the product esthetic. The prepared nanostructured system demonstrated dispersion stability with a zeta potential of −29.9, as determined by DLS. When applied as an edible coating, it effectively protected and enhanced the shelf-life of fresh strawberries at ambient temperature.

Blends of chitosan and Aloe vera exudate in ratios of 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 were prepared from aqueous solutions using the co-precipitation technique. This method offers notable advantages including simplicity, rapid processing, and efficient separation of interacting phases from non-associated components, resulting in products with greater purity and compositional control. Samples and precursors were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal analysis (TG/DTG), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), swelling degree, antioxidant activity, and cell viability assay. The analyses indicated interactions between the biomaterials within the blend. Additionally, the biomaterials were found to be non-toxic, and the addition of Aloe vera exudate enhanced fibroblast cell viability. These findings underscore the significant potential of these biocompatible, antioxidant-rich blends, sustainably produced from renewable resources for a wide range of biotechnology applications.

This article presents an in-depth examination of recent advancements in medical and biotechnological sensing technologies, focusing on the forefront of innovation in hydrogel-based sensors within the domains of biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine. It delves into cutting-edge sensing technologies that facilitate non-invasive glucose monitoring, highlights progress in the development of intelligent solutions for wound care, and discusses the application of optical and fluorescence-based sensors for real-time diagnostics within the body. Further, it reviews the latest glucose monitoring devices, alongside wearable and implantable sensors designed for the continuous monitoring of health, including the measurement of physiological strain and stress. The exploration extends to the latest in non-invasive and minimally invasive technologies for ongoing health assessment, and to imaging and visualization techniques critical for medical diagnostics and therapeutic procedures. These advancements mark a pivotal move toward more efficient, precise, and patient-focused healthcare technologies, signaling new avenues for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment in the healthcare sector.

Diabetes is a prevalent medical condition that often leads to complications, including diabetic wounds that can have serious consequences such as infections, amputations, and death. In the current research, lodoxamide was loaded into electrospun polycaprolacton/gelatin scaffolds In order to improve wound healing in a rat model. Our developed dressings were characterized in vitro using various methods and then applied on a rat model of excisional wound. Study showed that the dressings were not toxic and promoted migration potential of skin-derived fibroblast cells. Wound healing study showed that lodoxamide-loaded dressings had markedly higher healing potential than other scaffolds and augmented collagen deposition and epithelialization. Gene expression studies showed that TNF-α, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase genes were significantly downregulated by lodoxamide-loaded scaffolds.

Developing wound dressings with a high potential to cover damaged skin tissue and facilitate cell adhesion and migration at the injury site is crucial in skin tissue engineering to accelerate wound healing. Electrospun nanofibers from natural/synthetic polymers are amongst the favorable wound dressings with appropriate physicochemical and biological properties. As well, nanoformulations of phenolic phytochemical “eugenol” have been shown to fasten wound healing via various anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Herein, we developed a bi-component wound dressing of PCL/Cs electrospun nanofibers and eugenol nanogel to investigate its effects on tissue healing in vivo. PCL/Cs nanofibers were fabricated using an electrospinning method at the 15:1 ratio, and eugenol-loaded nanogels were synthesized by adding carboxymethylcellulose as the gelling agent, and their physicochemical characteristics were assessed. Scaffolds were implanted in a full-thickness excision wound model in Wistar rats, followed up for 21 days. The results showed that electrospun nanofibers had an average diameter of 228 nm with uniform and smooth morphology aligned randomly. Eugenol-loaded nanogel showed an average size distribution of 126 nm. Eugenol-loaded nanogel and nanogel + nanofiber groups significantly reduced wound surface area over 21 days. Histological evaluations showed that Eugenol-loaded nanogel and nanogel + nanofiber groups developed the full-thickness epidermis with the complete epithelium and stratum corneum, angiogenesis, and low macrophage infiltration in which predominantly mature collagen fibers were poorly and well organized, respectively. The combination of eugenol-loaded nanogel + PCL/Cs nanofiber accelerated wound healing by reducing inflammation, and edema along with enhancing angiogenesis, collagen synthesis, and re-epithelialization.

An increasing interest in regenerative medicine has been an approach with natural products used for assorted skin treatments. Propolis from Apis mellifera species of bees have shown high acceptance due to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. However, just a few propolis types presents stronger effects in controlling inflammation. The current work describes an organic propolis recently isolated, named as OP6, that presented strong anti-inflammatory influences in vivo when associated with EDTA cross-linked hydrogel, used as a curative device in second-degree burns in a murine model. We developed a cellulose acetate hydrogel cross-linked with ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (HAC-EDTA) as a polymeric matrix for a bandage based on an ethanolic extract of propolis at 15%, 30%, and 60% (w/v) for treating second-degree burns. In vivo studies were carried out in Wistar rats divided into three groups: negative control (only lesion), positive control (lesion with HAC-EDTA film), and treatment group (lesion with the HAC-EDTA + OP6 at 15%, 30%, and 60%). Each group was randomized and equally subdivided into two subgroups according to the period of bandage wearing (7 and 14 days). Previous work of this research group selected the propolis OP6 sample source as the best candidate for the in vivo study. HAC-EDTA + OP6 15%, 30%, and 60% films demonstrated a concentration-dependent release rate, with the highest amount of propolis released after tests (484.3 mg) by HAC-EDTA enriched with the highest concentrated extract of propolis. HAC-EDTA + OP6 films were efficient in preventing infections, promoting lesion retraction, and tissue regeneration. The HAC-EDTA + OP6 30% treatment was more efficient, revealing a reduced inflammatory process and stimulating skin regeneration. The designed HAC-EDTA + propolis films were shown as promising tools for second-degree burns treatment, accelerating healing process to a full recovery tissue repair after 14 days.

Wounds management takes a high interest in the medical field and the addition of antimicrobial agents in an assortment of wound dressings leads to delay the wound healing. This study aimed at preparing natural combination between excretion/secretion (ES) and water-soluble chitosan nanoparticles (from Lucilia cuprina maggots) and investigating its antibacterial and wound healing activities. ES of maggots was collected, and the water-soluble chitosan nanoparticles (WSCNPs) were prepared and characterized. Antibacterial activities of combinations were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Proteus vulgaris. ES-WSC-2 combination that contains 50% ES and 1% WSCNPs showed highest antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria compared to the other combinations. In vitro, the ES-WSC-2 combination was used to study the wound healing activity by scratch assay. The synergism between ES and WSCNPs (in ES-WSC-2 combination) accelerated the wound healing rate which suggests the use of this combination as an effective natural antibacterial and wound healing agent.

Bone regenerative medicine (BRM) aims to overcome the limitations of conventional treatments for critical bone defects by developing therapeutic strategies, based on temporary bioactive substitutes, capable of stimulating, sustaining, and guiding tissue regeneration. The aim of this study was to validate the “proof of concept” of a cellularized bioactive scaffold and establish its potential for use in BRM. For this purpose, three-dimensional scaffolds of poly-(lactic acid) (PLA), produced by the additive manufacturing technique, were incorporated into a human platelet-rich plasma (PRP-h) fibrin matrix containing human infrapatellar fat pad mesenchymal stem cells (hIFPMSC). The scaffolds (PLA/finbrin-bioactive) were kept under ideal culture conditions in a medium free from fetal bovine serum and analyzed at 5 and 10 days by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourrier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Circular Dichroism and fluorescence microscopy. The results demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining a rigid, cytocompatible, and cellularized three-dimensional structure. In addition, PRP platelets and leukocytes were able to provide a bioactive environment capable of maintaining the viability of hIFPMSC into scaffolds. The results validate the concept of a customizable, bioactive, cellularized, and non-immunogenic strategy for application in BRM.