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Dual-drug delivery systems for anticancer therapy have recently attracted substantial attention due to their potency to overcome limitations of conventional anti-cancer drugs, tackle drug resistance problems, as well as improve the therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we introduced a novel nanogel based on folic acid-gelatin-pluronic P123 (FA-GP-P123) conjugate to simultaneously deliver quercetin (QU) and paclitaxel (PTX) to the targeted tumor. The results indicated that the drug loading capacity of FA-GP-P123 nanogels was significantly higher than that of P123 micelles. The kinetic release profiles of QU and PTX from the nanocarriers were governed by Fickian diffusion and swelling behavior, respectively. Notably, FA-GP-P123/QU/PTX dual-drug delivery system induced higher toxicity to MCF-7 and Hela cancer cells than either QU or PTX individual delivery system, and the non-targeted dug delivery system (GP-P123/QU/PTX), indicating the synergistic combination of dual drugs and FA positive targeting effect. Furthermore, FA-GP-P123 could effectively deliver QU and PTX to tumors in vivo after administration into MCF-7 tumor-bearing mice, which resulted in 94.20 ± 5.90 % of tumor volume reduced at day 14. Moreover, the side effects of the dual-drug delivery system were significantly reduced. Overall, we suggest FA-GP-P123 as potential nanocarrier for dual-drug delivery for targeted chemotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This study aimed to fabricate the potential therapeutic scaffold to efficiently and safely fastening skin wound healing. A biocompatible grafting polymer-based thermal sensitive hybrid hydrogel (Chitosan-P123, CP) containing gelatin and curcumin was designed to be suitable stiffness for tissue regeneration. A detailed in the rheological study found that the encapsulated agents induced the change in the stiffness of the hydrogel from the hard to the soft. Especial, the thermally induced phase transition of CP hydrogel was governed by the participant of gelatin rather than curcumin. For example, at 25 wt% gelatin, CP hydrogel exhibited a unique gel-sol-gel transition following the function of temperature. Moreover, in vitro investigation revealed that the hybrid hydrogel provides the capacity of especially induced curcumin release with a sustainable rate as well as the excellent biocompatibility scaffold. Altogether with in vivo study, the hybrid hydrogel highlighted the advance of the dual synergistic of curcumin and gelatin in development of smart scaffold system, which promoted the efficacy in the regeneration of the structure and the barrier's function of damaged skin such as wound or skin cancer., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Bacterial infection and damage caused by dressing removal are two concerning problems which prolong the healing process in treatment of skin injuries. In this study, plasma treated electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold was coated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) embedded in gelatin (Gel) by multi-immersion technique to optimize its antibacterial performance and reduce wound-scaffold adhesion. Water interaction test was used to examine the hydrophilization of PCL electrospun fibers after plasma treatment. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and weight calculation were employed to investigate the morphology and absorptive ability of the GelAg multi-coated PCL membrane (EsPCLGelAg). Antibacterial property of the membrane was evaluated using agar diffusion method against gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Mice model was also used to examine the efficiency of the membrane in healing process and its ability to prevent damage of newly formed tissue when peeling off. SEM results showed that the thickness of GelAg layer on EsPCL membrane increases correspondingly to the number of coating times. In vitro and in vivo data also demonstrated that the greater number of GelAg coating times, the more significant the antibacterial property of the membrane while not sticking to the wound site. These results suggest that multi-coating technique can be applied to optimize the antibacterial property of EsPCLGelAg scaffold and prevent removal-induced damage for wound dressing applications., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A common and prevailing complication for patients with abdominal surgery is the peritoneal adhesion that follows during the post-operative recovery period. Biodegradable polymers have been suggested as a barrier to prevent the peritoneal adhesion. In this work, as a preventive method, PVA/Gelatin hydrogel-based membrane was investigated with various combinations of PVA and gelatin (50/50, 30/70/, and 10/90). Membranes were made by casting method using hot PVA-gelatin solution and the gelatin was cross-linked by exposing UV irradiation for 5 days to render stability of the produced sheathed form in the physiological environment. Physical crosslinking was chosen to avoid the problems of potential cytotoxic effect of chemical crosslinking. Their materials characterization and mechanical properties were evaluated by SEM surface characterization, hydrophilicity, biodegradation rate, and so forth. Cytocompatibility was observed by in vitro experiments with cell proliferation using confocal laser scanning microscopy and the MTT assay by L-929 mouse fibroblast cells. The fabricated PVA/Gel membranes were implanted between artificially defected cecum and peritoneal wall in rats and were sacrificed after 1 and 2 weeks post-operative to compare their tissue adhesion extents with that of control group where the defected surface was not separated by PVA/Gel membrane. The PVA/Gel membrane (10/90) significantly reduced the adhesion extent and showed to be a potential candidate for the anti-adhesion application., (Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

In this study, two distinct systems of biomaterials were fabricated and their potential use as a bilayer scaffold (BS) for skin bioengineering applications was assessed. The initial biomaterial was a polycaprolactone/poly(lacto-co-glycolic acid) (PCL/PLGA) membrane fabricated using the electrospinning method. The PCL/PLGA membrane M-12 (12% PCL/10% PLGA, 80:20) displayed strong mechanical properties (stress/strain values of 3.01 ± 0.23 MPa/225.39 ± 7.63%) and good biocompatibility as demonstrated by adhesion of keratinocyte cells on the surface and ability to support cell proliferation. The second biomaterial was a hydrogel composed of 2% chitosan and 15% gelatin (50:50) crosslinked with 5% glutaraldehyde. The CG-3.5 hydrogel (with 3.5% glutaraldehyde (v/v)) displayed a high porosity, ≥97%, good compressive strength (2.23 ± 0.25 MPa), ability to swell more than 500% of its dry weight and was able to support fibroblast cell proliferation. A BS was fabricated by underlaying the membrane and hydrogel casting method to combine these two materials. The physical properties and biocompatibility were preliminarily investigated and the properties of the two biomaterials were shown to be complementary when combined. The upper layer membrane provided mechanical support in the scaffold and reduced the degradation rate of the hydrogel layer. Cell viability was similar to that in the hydrogel layer which suggests that addition of the membrane layer did not affect the biocompatibility.

In this study, multilayered scaffolds composed of polycaprolactone (PCL)-gelatin/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-gelatin/PLGA-chitosan artificial blood vessels were fabricated using a double-ejection electrospinning system. The mixed fibers from individual materials were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the cross-linking process on the microstructure, mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the fibers were examined. The tensile stress and liquid strength of the cross-linked artificial blood vessels were 2.3MPa and 340 mmHg, respectively, and were significantly higher than for the non-cross-linked vessel (2.0MPa and 120 mmHg). The biocompatibility of the cross-linked artificial blood vessel scaffold was examined using the MTT assay and by evaluating cell attachment and cell proliferation. The cross-linked PCL-gelatin/PLGA-gelatin/ PLGA-chitosan artificial blood vessel scaffold displayed excellent flexibility, was able to withstand high pressures and promoted cell growth; thus, this novel material holds great promise for eventual use in artificial blood vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Wounds with damages to the subcutaneous are difficult to regenerate because of the tissue damages and complications such as bacterial infection. (2) Methods: In this study, we created burn wounds on pigs and investigated the efficacy of three biomaterials: polycaprolactone-gelatin-silver membrane (PCLGelAg) and two commercial burn dressings, Aquacel® Ag and UrgoTulTM silver sulfadiazine. In vitro long-term antibacterial property and in vivo wound healing performance were investigated. Agar diffusion assays were employed to evaluate bacterial inhibition at different time intervals. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill assays were used to compare antibacterial strength among samples. Second-degree burn wounds in the pig model were designed to evaluate the efficiency of all dressings in supporting the wound healing process. (3) Results: The results showed that PCLGelAg membrane was the most effective in killing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria bacteria with the lowest MBC value. All three dressings (PCLGelAg, Aquacel, and UrgoTul) exhibited bactericidal effect during the first 24 h, supported wound healing as well as prevented infection and inflammation. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that the PCLGelAg membrane is a practical solution for the treatment of severe burn injury and other infection-related skin complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin (CUR) is a natural active ingredient that attracted much attention for its chemotherapeutic activity against tumors without causing toxicity in healthy cells. However, it has certain limitations for being used in chemotherapy such as low aqueous solubility and hydrolytic instability in the physiological environment. In this study, self‐assembled poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether‐grafted gelatin (Gel‐mPEG) nanogels were fabricated as delivery systems to improve the applicability of CUR in cancer treatment. CUR‐loaded Gel‐mPEG nanogels exhibited desired size range, relatively colloidal stability, and provided enhanced CUR stability in aqueous solutions. Especially, they showed significant high CUR loading capacity and better anticancer activity than free CUR as compared to previously reported CUR‐loaded nanogels according to the best of our knowledge. Moreover, the in vitro release of CUR from the nanogels was controlled and prolonged up to 96 h. These results demonstrated that Gel‐mPEG nanogels are the promising modality for the efficient delivery of CUR in cancer treatment. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47544. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hematin has been used as an alternative enzyme catalyst to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) due to its iron-containing activity center. Although hematin and it derivatives have been widely used for polymerization of phenol/analine compounds, it has some drawbacks such as the limited solubility and reaction only at high pH condition. Herein, we report a nanosized biomimetic catalyst, hematin-decorated polyamidoamine dendrimer (G3.0-He) that can effectively catalyze the in situ hydrogelation of phenol-conjugated polymers under neutral pH condition. We demonstrate that G3.0-He particles are smaller than 100 nm and have excellent enzyme-mimetic functions. Interestingly, the nanosized catalyst is not inactivated at high H 2 O 2 concentration. Compared to pure hematin, G3.0-He has significantly higher dispersion in acidic and neutral media, and preserves the percentage of survival of fibroblasts over 90%. Notably, G3.0-He possesses an exquisite HRP-mimicking activity in gelation of gelatin derivative with phenolic hydroxyl (tyamine) moieties under mild physiological conditions. The in vitro study demonstrated that Gel-Tyr hydrogel by G3.0-He catalyzed reaction had excellent cytocompatibility and an excellent scaffold for adhesion to fibroblast cells. Therefore, the designed minimalistic G3.0-He catalyst could serve as an effective catalytic alternative for HRP enzyme in the preparation of biomedical hydrogels. • The hematin conjugated G3.0-He was synthesized and characterizated for mimicking HRP enzyme. • The nanosized G3.0-He catalyst performed a highly solubility, stability and cytocompatibility. • The mimetic G3.0-He could be an effective catalytic in preparation of biomedical hydrogel and biochemical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fabrication of nanosilver-loaded hydrogels stabilized by chitosan or gelatin. • Fabrication of nanosilver membrane from chitosan and gelatin hydrogels. • Effect of capping agents on the characteristics of nanosilver. • Impact of capping agent on the antibacterial effectiveness of hydrogel and membrane. This study aims to investigate the effect of chitosan and gelatin as a stabilizer of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and on their application designs. Ag NPs hydrogels was synthesized and stabilized by capping agents (chitosan and gelatin). Then, Ag NPs membrane was prepared by coating Ag NPs hydrogel on PCL fibrils. Optical and microscopic observation as well as structural properties were studied to compare two stabilizers. Antimicrobial testing was done on both Ag NPs hydrogels and membranes. The results suggest that gelatin provides better stabilizing activity and superior antimicrobial potency in membrane form while chitosan exhibits better antibacterial inhibition in hydrogel form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (B-PMO) are an outstanding nanocarrier due to their biodegradability and high drug load capacities. The present study describes a synthesis of a phenylene-containing tetrasulfide based B-PMO, named P4S. The incorporation of aromatic phenylene groups into the framework creates a strong interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) with aromatic rings in the cordycepin molecules. This results in the low release profile under various conditions. In addition, the replacement of this linker slowed the degradation of nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles are evaluated and compared with a biodegradable ethane-containing tetrasulfide based PMO and a non-degradable MCM-41. The biodegradability of P4S is also demonstrated in a reducing environment and the 100 nm spherical nanoparticles completely decomposed within 14 days. The porous structure of P4S has a high loading of hydrophilic cordycepin (approximately 731.52 mg g−1) with a slow releasing speed. The release rates of P4S NPs are significantly lower than other materials, such as liposomes, gelatin nanoparticles, and photo-crosslinked hyaluronic acid methacrylate hydrogels, in the same solution. This specific release behavior could guarantee drug therapeutic effects with minimum side-effects and optimized drug dosages. Most importantly, according to the in vitro cytotoxicity study, cordycepin-loaded P4S NPs could retain the toxicity against liver cancer cell (HepG2) while suppressed the cytotoxicity against normal cells (BAEC). Phenylene-containing tetrasulfide biodegradable mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles shows a high cordycepin loading with a slow releasing speed and a great biodegradability in the reducing environment. [Display omitted] • A nanocarrier is synthesized by incorporating two organic moieties into the framework. • The presence of aromatic rings slows the degradation up to 2 weeks. • The nanocarrier has a high cordycepin loading with a slow releasing speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]