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Wound dressings require good antiseptic properties, mechanical strength and, more trustably, natural material ingredients. Antimicrobial properties of cerium ions and chitosan are known and alginate based wound dressings are commercially available. In this study, the advantages of these materials were combined and alginate films were crosslinked with cerium(III) solution and chitosan added cerium(III) solution. Films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), light transmittance, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling experiments, water vapor transmittance tests, and mechanical stretching tests. The antibacterial and physical properties of the films were compared with those of conventional calcium alginate films. Both cerium ion crosslinked and cerium ion-chitosan crosslinked alginate films gained antibacterial activity against Gram-negative ( Escherichia coli ) and Gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus ) bacteria. Cerium alginate-chitosan films showed high resistance to being deformed elastically. Results show that cerium alginate-chitosan films can be flexible, ultraviolet-protecting, and antibacterial wound dressings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the controlled variation of the mechanical properties of alginate gel beads by changing the alginate concentration or by adding different surfactants or cross-linking cations. Alginate beads containing nonionic Brij 35 or anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactants were prepared with two different types of cations (Ca 2+ , Ba 2+ ) as crosslinkers. Compression measurements were performed to investigate the effect of the surfactant and cation types and their concentrations on the Young’s modulus of alginate beads. The Young’s modulus was determined by using Hertz theory. For all types of alginate gel beads the Young’s modulus showed an increasing value for increasing alginate contents. Addition of the anionic surfactant SDS increases the Young’s modulus of the alginate beads while the addition of non-ionic surfactant Brij 35 leads to a decrease in Young’s modulus. This opposite behavior is related to the contrary effect of both surfactants on the charge of the alginate beads. When Ba 2+ ions were used as crosslinker cation, the Young’s modulus of the beads with the surfactant SDS was found to be approximately two times higher than the modulus of beads with the surfactant Brij 35. An ion specific effect was found for the crosslinking ability of divalent cations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Novel pH sensitive alginate–protein–clay composite beads were investigated for the in vitro oral delivery of the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that BSA enter between layers of montmorillonite (MMT) by expanding interlayer distance and finally an exfoliated structure forms in the alginate hydrogel. MMT incorporation increases protein entrapment efficiency to 78%, compared to 40% of conventional alginate beads. The release ratio of BSA from composite beads is 9–13% depending on MMT contents after around a 2h stay in gastric fluid. More importantly, no BSA release is detected until 60–90min after the first contact time of beads with gastric solution. The presence of clay in alginate beads prevents burst release in higher pH of intestine by slowing release rate of BSA to 45–55% within around 9h, resulting in a potential matrix for intestinal release of protein drugs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Nanoceria doped chitosan/cellulose acetate films are reported for the first time. • Films exhibit good physical and mechanical properties. • Good antibacterial characteristics of the films are obtained. Novel chitosan and cellulose acetate polymer composites with nanosized cerium oxide were prepared as potential wound dressing materials. Chitosan and cellulose acetate are natural polymer derivatives with biocompatible properties. Both polymers can be dissolved in formic acid. The polymer composite was formed by solvent-casting method. The formed films were not soluble in water. In order to improve antibacterial, thermal, and mechanical properties of the composite material, films were loaded with nanosized cerium oxide. Films were characterized with thermogravimetric, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, mechanical, ultraviolet-visible light transmittance, water solubility, pH, moisture content, water vapor transmission rate, swelling, and antibacterial tests. The physical properties and antibacterial characteristics of the films are promising for further research as a potential wound covering material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]