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Glycosaminoglycan is a generic term for a class of minor but significant components of the body. The extraction, application, and functionalization of GAGs are essential to explore owing to their biological significance. The extraction of GAGs from different species, such as vertebrates, invertebrates, molluscs, and marine sources, is discussed. The present review focuses on the GAGs extraction and purification by various techniques like spectroscopic, chromatographic, and enzymatic methods. The review also emphasizes the functionalities of glycosaminoglycans and their mode of interaction with the protein moiety for their physiological functions. The industrial applications of GAGs in various areas, such as cosmetics, medicine, biotechnology, food, and textiles, have also been reported in the present review.

Biomaterials have a vital role in the field of tissue engineering. In this study, we have developed a collagen hybrid scaffold comprising Annona reticulata fruit polysaccharide with a synergistic combination of Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC)-loaded ethyl cellulose (EC) microspheres with cinnamon bark extract as a cross-linking agent. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the parameters for microwave-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Annona reticulata. Further, the structural features of extracted polysaccharides were characterized by 13C CP/MAS NMR, LC-MS-MS, XRD, and TGA. The polysaccharide showed strong antioxidant activity analyzed by the DPPH method. The hybrid scaffold exhibits porous and interconnected morphology and shows better thermal stability due to strong interaction. The antimicrobial activity and sustained release of THC suggest that the hybrid scaffold could be an excellent biomaterial for antibacterial wound dressing applications.

The detection of collagen fibrils and fibrillation is crucial for tissue regeneration, biomedical applications of collagen, and for studying the interaction of small molecules with the collagen fibrils in the development of therapeutics for collagen-based diseases. At present, collagen fibrillation is probed by high-value microscopic techniques, which limits real-time monitoring of collagen fibril growth and measurement only in dry form. In this context, a quick sensing method is necessary for detecting these fibrils, especially monitoring fibril growth in solution. Herein, we show that vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), a growing spectroscopic technique, can probe collagen fibrils in aqueous solutions by generating an enhanced amide I VCD signal (intensity) compared to monomer. Unlike regular protein VCD measurements, VCD of collagen fibrils require a very low concentration (5 mg/mL) of collagen and can be probed in a very short time (∼10 min). Moreover, VCD responds to the diameter and height of collagen fibrils as evidenced by an increased VCD intensity (close to 103) with pH and NaCl, making VCD a sensitive tool for monitoring the growth of the fibril diameter and height. VCD was also found to be suitable for detecting the time-dependent increase in fibril diameter under fibrillation conditions. Because no other probe is presently available for rapid detection of collagen fibrils in solution form, the ability of VCD to rapidly probe collagen fibrillation in solution and in real-time opens a new way of studying collagen fibrillation in different fields and applications.

Intensifying researches in leather sector are focusing on eco-benign tanning chemicals with less environmental impact processing route. The present study aims to design an eco-acceptable shoe upper leather process that could potentially eliminate use of chrome from the leather industry. Possible conversion of Cr3+ to Cr6+ in suitable oxidant environment during leather manufacture is always a threat to the ecosystem. Water load for leather processing is very high, also becoming a precious resource that needs to be reduced for industrial applications. Further without water usage for a process, generation of wastewater could be averted. With this context, a combination tanning using wattle and aluminium has been developed in a pickle-less and waterless medium. The experimental leather possesses a shrinkage temperature of 84 °C with a fully loaded compact fibre structure indicating that tannin penetration is not affected in waterless medium. Experimental leathers exhibit better physical strength and comparable organoleptic characteristics. The process enjoys environmental benefits as it shows significant pollution load reduction in Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) by 88, 89, and 97%, respectively. Hence, a viable option is made available to manufacture eco-acceptable leather without water usage and chrome salts in tanning.

Background: Deformities and neuropathic chronic ulcers are the common features associated with leprosy-cured individuals that impact their quality of life and impair rehabilitation efforts. The challenging aspects for treatment of chronic wounds are the factors that inhibit healing. We reasoned that limited success of various therapeutic interventions could be due to the fact that leprosy-cured individual's physiology gets acclimatized to having a chronic wound that any therapeutic intervention is counterbalanced to maintain status quo at the wound site. Therefore, an alternative strategy would be to use biomaterials that gradually alter the wound site allowing the individual's physiology to participate in the healing process. Aims: Developing the human amnion (Amn)-derived biomaterial scaffolds and evaluating its use to heal chronic wounds in leprosy-cured but deformed persons (LCDPs). Materials and Methods: Using an enzymatic protocol, we have developed a rapid method to generate biomaterial scaffolds from discarded human Amn. A clinical trial on 26 LCDPs was performed with the biomaterial, and its wound-healing potential was then compared with LCDPs undergoing standard treatment procedure. Results: Biomaterial-based treatment of chronic wounds on LCDP displayed a higher efficiency in healing when compared to standard treatment. Conclusions: This study exemplifies that biomaterial-based treatment of leprosy-wounds offers an excellent affordable alternative for wound management. This study underlines the importance of involving both local wound environment and systemic effects for healing. In addition, we highlight wound healing as a necessity for successful rehabilitation and reintegration of leprosy-cured person into the society.

The potential of multifunctional wound heal biomaterial relies on the optimal content of therapeutic constituents as well as the desirable physical, chemical, and biological properties to accelerate the healing process. Formulating biomaterials such as amnion or collagen based scaffolds with natural products offer an affordable strategy to develop dressing material with high efficiency in healing wounds. Using image based phenotyping and quantification, we screened natural product derived bioactive compounds for modulators of types I and III collagen production from human foreskin derived fibroblast cells. The identified hit was then formulated with amnion to develop a biomaterial, and its biophysical properties, in vitro and in vivo effects were characterized. In addition, we performed functional profiling analyses by PCR array to understand the effect of individual components of these materials on various genes such as inflammatory mediators including chemokines and cytokines, growth factors, fibroblast stimulating markers for collagen secretion, matrix metalloproteinases, etc., associated with wound healing. FACS based cell cycle analyses were carried out to evaluate the potential of biomaterials for induction of proliferation of fibroblasts. Western blot analyses was done to examine the effect of biomaterial on collagen synthesis by cells and compared to cells grown in the presence of growth factors. This work demonstrated an uncomplicated way of identifying components that synergistically promote healing. Besides, we demonstrated that modulating local wound environment using biomaterials with bioactive compounds could enhance healing. This study finds that the developed biomaterials offer immense scope for healing wounds by means of their skin regenerative features such as anti-inflammatory, fibroblast stimulation for collagen secretion as well as inhibition of enzymes and markers impeding the healing, hydrodynamic properties complemented with other features including non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and safety.

Arthritic diseases, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, inflict an enormous health care burden on society. Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease with high prevalence among older people, and rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune inflammatory disease, both lead to irreversible structural and functional damage to articular cartilage. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of polyphenols such as catechin, quercetin, epigallocatechin gallate, and tannic acid, on crosslinking type II collagen and the roles of these agents in managing in vivo articular cartilage degradation. The thermal, enzymatic, and physical stability of bovine articular cartilage explants following polyphenolic treatment were assessed for efficiency. Epigallocatechin gallate and tannic acid-treated explants showed >12 °C increase over native cartilage in thermal stability, thereby confirming cartilage crosslinking. Polyphenol-treated cartilage also showed a significant reduction in the percentage of collagen degradation and the release of glycosaminoglycans against collagenase digestion, indicating the increase physical integrity and resistance of polyphenol crosslinked cartilage to enzymatic digestion. To examine the in vivo cartilage protective effects, polyphenols were injected intra-articularly before (prophylactic) and after (therapeutic) the induction of collagen-induced arthritis in rats. The hind paw volume and histomorphological scoring was done for cartilage damage. The intra-articular injection of epigallocatechin gallate and tannic acid did not significantly influence the time of onset or the intensity of joint inflammation. However, histomorphological scoring of the articular cartilage showed a significant reduction in cartilage degradation in prophylactic- and therapeutic-groups, indicating that intra-articular injections of polyphenols bind to articular cartilage and making it resistant to degradation despite ongoing inflammation. These studies establish the value of intra-articular injections of polyphenol in stabilization of cartilage collagen against degradation and indicate the unique beneficial role of injectable polyphenols in protecting the cartilage in arthritic conditions.

In this study, green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was performed by a sunlight irradiation method using the Borassus flabellifer fruit extract as a reducing agent. 5‐Fluorouracil (5‐FU)‐loaded GG capped AuNPs (5FU‐G‐AuNPs) was prepared. The nanoparticles was further characterised by UV‐visible spectra, particle size analysis, zeta potential, SAED, HRTEM, and XRD. The MTT assay results showed the suitability 5‐FU‐G‐AuNPs. In this study, 5‐FU‐G‐AuNPs exhibited potential cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on (MiaPaCa‐2) cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]