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J Pharm Sci 2021 Apr 10. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

Systemic rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regimens fail to attain effective drug level at the affected joints and are associated with serious side effects. Herein, an attempt made to improve therapeutic outcomes of both leflunomide (LEF) which is a disease modifying antirheumatic and dexamethasone (Dex) through local delivery of combination therapy by intra-articular route. LEF and Dex were encapsulated in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) and PLGA nanoparticles (NPs), respectively. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2021 Jun 16;262:117939. Epub 2021 Mar 16.

Drug Transport and Delivery Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Universitetsvegen 57, 9037, Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address:

Successful treatment of skin infections requires eradication of biofilms found in up to 90 % of all chronic wounds, causing delayed healing and increased morbidity. We hypothesized that chitosan hydrogel boosts the activity of liposomally-associated membrane active antimicrobials (MAA) and could potentially improve bacterial and biofilm eradication. Therefore, liposomes (∼300 nm) bearing chlorhexidine (CHX; ∼50 μg/mg lipid) as a model MAA were incorporated into chitosan hydrogel. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2021 Jun 13;262:117936. Epub 2021 Mar 13.

Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Products of Universities in Fujian, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350118, China. Electronic address:

Inspired by muscle architectures, double network hydrogels with hierarchically aligned structures were fabricated, where cross-linked cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/chitosan hydrogel threads obtained by interfacial polyelectrolyte complexation spinning were collected in alignment as the first network, while isotropic poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PAM-AA) served as the second network. After further cross-linking using Fe, the hydrogel showed an outstanding mechanical performance, owing to effective energy dissipation of the oriented asymmetric double networks. The average strength and elongation-at-break of PAM-AA/CNF/Fe hydrogel were 11 MPa and 480 % respectively, which the strength was comparative to that of biological tissues. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2021 Jun 15;262:117933. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100193, PR China. Electronic address:

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) has emerged as a promising biopolymer carrier for controlled release formulations of pesticide. In this study, manganese-based carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel was facilely prepared to encapsulate and release fungicide prothioconazole in a controllable manner. The loading content (LC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of prothioconazole were optimized by orthogonal test. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2021 Jun 5;262:117906. Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Department of Biotechnology, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (Deemed to be University), Patiala, 147001, Punjab, India; Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli, Sonepat, 131028, Haryana, India.

Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) incorporated chitosan-Polyvinyl alcohol (Ch/PVA) hydrogel nanocomposite was fabricated by repeated freeze-thaw treatment using glutaraldehyde as crosslinker for removal of herbicide butachlor from aqueous solution. Ch/PVA hydrogel provided a matrix for in-situ immobilization of AgNPs and were characterized by various physicochemical techniques. AgNPs of size 5-20 nm possessed crystalline structure, led to increase in thermal stability and surface area after incorporation into Ch/PVA hydrogel. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, No.14, Section 3, Ren Min Nan Rd., Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China. Electronic address:

As generally accepted, inhibiting the bacterial invasion at initial stage and promoting the behavior of related osteogenesis cells afterwards is crucial to achieve favorable osteointegration after dental implantation. In this study, a novel combined structured hydrogel composed of chitosan and pore-closed poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microparticles was prepared and characterized. In vitro and in-vivo studies have identified that this biocompatible material can rapidly release vancomycin at initial 2 days and then sustainedly release recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 for about 12 days, thus respectively accomplish antibacterial and osteogenesis functions. Read More

Acta Cir Bras 2021 5;36(3):e360303. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

PhD. Universidade Federal de Goiás - Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública - Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia - Goiânia (GO), Brazil.

Purpose: This study aimed to elaborate a hydrogel constituted by carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC), hyaluronic acid (HA) and silver (Ag) and to evaluate its healing effect on partial-thickness burn wounds experimentally induced in rats.

Methods: CMC was obtained by chitosan reacting with monochloroacetic acid. The carboxymethylation was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Read More

ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021 Apr 6. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.

Catechol-containing hydrogels have been exploited in biomedical fields due to their adhesive and cohesive properties, hemostatic abilities, and biocompatibility. Catechol moieties can be oxidized to -catecholquinone, a chemically active intermediate, in the presence of oxygen to act as an electrophile to form catechol-catechol or catechol-amine/thiol adducts. To date, catechol cross-linking chemistry to fabricate hydrogels has been mostly performed at room temperature. Read More

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl 2021 Apr 19;123:111978. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001, PR China. Electronic address:

Herein, we fabricated novel self-healing, in situ injectable, biodegradable, and non-toxic hydrogels anti-adhesion barrier materials composed of N, O-carboxymethyl chitosan (N,O-CS) and oxidized dextran (ODA) without requiring any chemical cross-linking agent or external stimuli triggers for the prevention and treatment of post-operative peritoneal adhesions. The N,O-CS/ODA hydrogels have a good suitable gelation time, good cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility, good antibacterial activity, excellent biodegradable and biocompatible, and can effectively inhibit the adhesion of fibroblasts to the wound, thereby suggesting that N,O-CS/ODA hydrogels are suitable for preventing post-operative adhesion. Meanwhile, a rat injury sidewall-cecum abrasion model is developed to investigate the efficacy of these hydrogels in achieving post-operative anti-adhesion. Read More

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl 2021 Apr 19;123:111977. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Cracow University of Technology, Faculty of Materials Engineering and Physics, Institute of Materials Science, 37 Jana Pawła II Av., 31-864 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address:

In the paper, synthesis of chitosan-based hydrogels modified with Aloe vera juice is presented. The novelty of the research was a combination of hydrogel materials with properties beneficial in viewpoint of their use as modern wound dressings and Aloe vera juice supporting the wound healing process. Hydrogels have been obtained via UV radiation. Read More

Polymers (Basel) 2021 Mar 13;13(6). Epub 2021 Mar 13.

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan.

Recently, we demonstrated the feasibility of subcutaneous transplantation of MIN6 cells embedded in a scaffold with poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG)-poly(Ala) hydrogels. In this study, we further tracked these grafts using magnetic resonance (MR) and bioluminescence imaging. After being incubated overnight with chitosan-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide (CSPIO) nanoparticles and then mixed with mPEG-poly(Ala) hydrogels, MIN6 cells appeared as dark spots on MR scans. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 Mar 24;22(7). Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Department of Technology of Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Products, Faculty of Medicine, University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow, 2 Sucharskiego St., 35-225 Rzeszow, Poland.

Polymeric hydrogels play an increasingly important role in medicine, pharmacy and cosmetology. They appear to be one of the most promising groups of biomaterials due to their favorable physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. The objective of the presented study was to synthesize new poly(chitosan-ester-ether-urethane) hydrogels and to study the kinetic release of genistein (GEN) from these biomaterials. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 Mar 24;22(7). Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Department of Physical Chemistry and Physicochemistry of Polymers, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 7, 87-100 Toruń, Poland.

Hydrogels based on chitosan are very versatile materials which can be used for tissue engineering as well as in controlled drug delivery systems. One of the methods for obtaining a chitosan-based hydrogel is crosslinking by applying different components. The objective of the present study was to obtain a series of new crosslinked chitosan-based films by means of solvent casting method. Read More

Polymers (Basel) 2021 Mar 17;13(6). Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.

The development of advanced composite biomaterials combining the versatility and biodegradability of polymers and the unique characteristics of metal oxide nanoparticles unveils new horizons in emerging biomedical applications, including tissue regeneration, drug delivery and gene therapy, theranostics and medical imaging. Nanocrystalline cerium(IV) oxide, or nanoceria, stands out from a crowd of other metal oxides as being a truly unique material, showing great potential in biomedicine due to its low systemic toxicity and numerous beneficial effects on living systems. The combination of nanoceria with new generations of biomedical polymers, such as PolyHEMA (poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-based hydrogels, electrospun nanofibrous polycaprolactone or natural-based chitosan or cellulose, helps to expand the prospective area of applications by facilitating their bioavailability and averting potential negative effects. Read More

Polymers (Basel) 2021 Mar 3;13(5). Epub 2021 Mar 3.

Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 213 Street, 90-924 Lodz, Poland.

Major efforts for the advancement of tubular-shaped implant fabrication focused recently on the development of 3D printing methods that can enable the fabrication of complete devices in a single printing process. However, the main limitation of these solutions is the use of non-biocompatible polymers. Therefore, a new technology for obtaining hybrid implants that employ polymer extrusion and electrophoretic deposition is applied. Read More

Molecules 2021 Mar 6;26(5). Epub 2021 Mar 6.

Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan.

Hydrogel beads based on the husk of agarwood fruit (HAF)/sodium alginate (SA), and based on the HAF/chitosan (CS) were developed for the removal of the dyes, crystal violet (CV) and reactive blue 4 (RB4), in aqueous solutions, respectively. The effects of the initial pH (2-10) of the dye solution, the adsorbent dosage (0.5-3. Read More

Mar Drugs 2021 Mar 6;19(3). Epub 2021 Mar 6.

Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.

Thermosensitive chitosan hydrogels-renewable, biocompatible materials-have many applications as injectable biomaterials for localized drug delivery in the treatment of a variety of diseases. To combat infections such as osteomyelitis, localized antibiotic delivery would allow for higher doses at the site of infection without the risks associated with traditional antibiotic regimens. Fosfomycin, a small antibiotic in its own class, was loaded into a chitosan hydrogel system with varied beta-glycerol phosphate (β-GP) and fosfomycin (FOS) concentrations. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2021 Mar 8;14(5). Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland.

Tubular-shaped hydrogel structures were obtained in the process of cathodic electrodeposition from a chitosan-hydroxyapatite solution carried out in a cylindrical geometry. The impact of the initial concentration of solution components (i.e. Read More

Biomed Mater 2021 Mar 30;16(4):045007. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Department of chemical and petroleum engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11365-8639, Iran. Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran 19395-4644, Iran.

There are limitations in current medications of articular cartilage injuries. Although injectable bioactive hydrogels are promising options, they have decreased biomechanical performance. Researchers should consider many factors when providing solutions to overcome these challenges. Read More

Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol 2021 Dec;49(1):345-353

Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

PEG-interpenetrated dual-sensitive hydrogels that load nano lipid carrier (NLC) were researched and developed for topical drug administration. Natural antioxidant α-lipoic acid (ALA) was selected as our model drug. The α-lipoic acid (ALA) nano lipid carrier was successfully prepared by hot melt emulsification and ultrasonic dispersion method, and the physicochemical properties of the nano lipid carrier were investigated, including morphology, particle distribution, polydispersity coefficient, zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2021 Mar 26;181:435-443. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 250012, China; Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230036, China. Electronic address:

Establishing a facile and versatile strategy to confer coronary stent with improved interfacial biological activity is crucial for novel cardiovascular implants. Developing a coating with NO release ability catalyzed by metal ions, such as copper, will be highly advantageous for the functionalized surface modification of metal stents. However, most available strategies involve drawbacks of low efficiency, complex processes, and toxic chemicals. Read More

PeerJ 2021 15;9:e11022. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

Background: Tissue engineering, which involves the selection of scaffold materials, presents a new therapeutic strategy for damaged tissues or organs. Scaffold design based on blends of proteins and polysaccharides, as mimicry of the native extracellular matrix, has recently become a valuable strategy for tissue engineering.

Objective: This study aimed to construct composite hydrogels based on natural polymers for tissue engineering. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2021 Mar 26;182:37-50. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Amity Institute of Applied Sciences, Amity University, Sector-125, Noida 201303, India. Electronic address:

In the present work, highly porous, pH-responsive, and biocompatible chitosan-based hydrogel beads were prepared through gamma-irradiated graft copolymerization technique using L-glutamic acid as the monomer. The glutamic acid grafted chitosan (CH-g-GA) hydrogel beads, loaded with the anti-cancer drug (Doxorubicin, Dox), were exploited for their potential application as anti-cancer drug delivery system. The grafting conditions were optimized by varying irradiation dose (kGy) and monomer concentration. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2021 Mar 26;181:150-159. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brine Chemical Engineering and Resource Eco-Utilization, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No.29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China. Electronic address:

Herein we report on a facile and green strategy for continuous production of chitosan-zinc oxide fibers and then compare their photodegradation performance against three organic dyes (i.e., methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine B, respectively) under different lights. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2021 Mar 19;202:111711. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

School of Resource and Environmental Science, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Sustainable Resource and Energy, Hubei Engineering Center of Natural Polymers-Based Medical Materials, Hubei Biomass-Resource Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology Key Laboratory, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, China. Electronic address:

By coupling in situ electrochemical synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with the pre-deposited chitosan multilayer hydrogel, a novel type of nanocomposite coating was successfully fabricated on the stainless-steel needle electrode. Experimental results demonstrated the chitosan film can serve as a versatile medium for metal salt adsorption and stabilization, and finally electrochemical reduction of loaded silver ions to nanoparticles. The AgNPs were fabricated with a spherical shape and an average size of ∼15 nm endowing considerable antibacterial property to the hydrogel. Read More

Int J Pharm 2021 Mar 22;600:120510. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal. Electronic address:

Chemo-photothermal therapy (chemo-PTT) mediated by nanomaterials holds a great potential for cancer treatment. However, the tumor uptake of the systemically administered nanomaterials was recently found to be below 1%. To address this limitation, the development of injectable tridimensional polymeric matrices capable of delivering nanomaterials directly into the tumor site appears to be a promising approach. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2021 Mar 22;182:82-90. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran; Shiraz Molecular Pathology Research Center, Dr Daneshbod Path Lab, Shiraz, Iran; Shefa Neurosciences Research Center, Khatam-Alanbia Hospita, Tehran, Iran.

The potential of berberine loaded in chitosan nanoparticles (BerNChs) within a hybrid of alginate (Alg) and chitosan (Ch) hydrogel was investigated for the substrate which is known as an inhibit activator proteins. The physicochemical properties of the developed Alg-Ch hydrogel were investigated by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The swelling ability and degradation rate of hydrogels were also analyzed in a phosphate-buffered saline solution at physiological pH. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2021 Jun 3;261:117882. Epub 2021 Mar 3.

Center for Bioengineering and Nanomedicine, Division of Sciences and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand. Electronic address:

Chitosan's lack of solubility in physiological pH and high molecular weight (MW) limits its use in hydrogel scaffolds. Conversion of chitosan to low MW chitooligosaccharides (COS) not only imparts water solubility, it also enhances several other biological properties. When used in hydrogels, the low MW improves the performance of the hydrogels, e. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2021 Jun 1;261:117878. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, PR China. Electronic address:

Hydrogels have gained great attentions as wound dressing. Binding to the tissue and preventing wound infection were the basic requirements for an "ideal dressing". We employed l-DOPA and ε-Poly-l-lysine to modify thermo-sensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) to obtain (l-DOPA) - (ε-Poly-l-lysine)-HBC hydrogels (eLHBC). Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2021 Jun 27;261:117875. Epub 2021 Feb 27.

Bio- & Chemical Systems Technology, Reactor Engineering and Safety, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.

Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymeric networks capable of absorbing large amounts of water or biological fluids with the properties resembling natural living tissues. Herein, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/N-succinyl chitosan (NSCS)/lincomycin hydrogels for wound dressing were prepared by the freezing/thawing method, then characterized by FTIR, SEM, and TGA. The compression strength, swelling behavior, water retention capacity, antibacterial activity, drug release and cytotoxicity were systematically investigated. Read More