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Plant-derived natural bioactive molecules are of great therapeutic potential but, so far, their application in nanomedicine has scarcely been studied. This work aimed at comparing two methodologies, i.e., adsorption and in situ incorporation, to prepare hybrid polyphenol/hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. Two flavonoids, baicalin and its aglycone derivative baicalein, and two phenolic acids derived from caffeic acid, rosmarinic and chlorogenic acids, were studied. Adsorption of these polyphenols on pre-formed hydroxyapatite nanoparticles did not modify particle size or shape and loading was less than 10% ( w / w ). In contrast, presence of polyphenols during the synthesis of nanoparticles significantly impacted and sometimes fully inhibited hydroxyapatite formation but recovered particles could exhibit higher loadings. For most hybrid particles, release profiles consisted of a 24 h burst effect followed by a slow release over 2 weeks. Antioxidant properties of the polyphenols were preserved after adsorption but not when incorporated in situ. These results provide fruitful clues for the valorization of natural bioactive molecules in nanomedicine., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Adsorption of particles across interfaces has been proposed as a way to create adhesion between hydrogels and biological tissues. Here, we explore how this particle bridging approach can be applied to attach a soft polymer substrate to biological tissues, using bioresorbable and nanostructured hydroxyapatite-bioactive glass microparticles. For this, microparticles of aggregated flower-like hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass (HA-BG) were synthesized via a bioinspired route. A deposition technique using suspension spreading was developed to tune the coverage of HA-BG coatings at the surface of weakly cross-linked poly(beta-thioester) films. By varying the concentration of the deposited suspensions, we produced coatings having surface coverages ranging from 4% to 100% and coating densities ranging from 0.02 to 1.0 mg cm -2 . The progressive dissolution of these coatings within 21 days in phosphate-buffered saline was followed by SEM. Ex vivo peeling experiments on pig liver capsules demonstrated that HA-BG coatings produce an up-to-two-fold increase in adhesion energy (9.8 ± 1.5 J m -2 ) as compared to the uncoated film (4.6 ± 0.8 J m -2 ). Adhesion energy was found to increase with increasing coating density until a maximum at 0.2 mg cm -2 , well below full surface coverage, and then it decreased for larger coating densities. Using microscopy observations during and after peeling, we show that this maximum in adhesion corresponds to the appearance of particle stacks, which are easily separated and transferred onto the tissue. Such bioresorbable HA-BG coatings give the possibility of combining particle bridging with the storage and release of active compounds, therefore offering opportunities to design functional bioadhesive surfaces., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Surgical site infections constitute a major health concern that may be addressed by conferring antibacterial properties to surgical tools and medical devices via functional coatings. Bio-sourced polymers are particularly well-suited to prepare such coatings as they are usually safe and can exhibit intrinsic antibacterial properties or serve as hosts for bactericidal agents. The goal of this Review is to highlight the unique contribution of photochemistry as a green and mild methodology for the development of such bio-based antibacterial materials. Photo-generation and photo-activation of bactericidal materials are illustrated. Recent efforts and current challenges to optimize the sustainability of the process, improve the safety of the materials and extend these strategies to 3D biomaterials are also emphasized.

Aseptic loosening and bacterial infections are the two main causes of failure for metallic implants used for joint replacement. A coating that is both bioactive and possesses antimicrobial properties may address such shortcomings and improve the performance of the implant. We have sought to study the properties of combining hydroxyapatite-based nanoparticles or coatings with baicalein, a plant-extracted molecule with both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. (B-type) carbonated hydroxyapatite nanoparticles prepared by a chemical wet method could subsequently adsorbed by soaking in a baicalein solution. The amount of adsorbed baicalein was determined to be 63 mg.g -1 by thermogravimetric measurements. In a second approach, baicalein was adsorbed on a biomimetic calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite planar coating (12 μm thick) deposited on Ti6Al4V alloy from an aqueous solution of calcium, phosphate, sodium and magnesium salts. Soaking of the hydroxyapatite coated on titanium alloy in a baicalein solution induced partial dissolution/remodeling of the upper surface of the coating. However, the observed remodeling of the surface was much more pronounced in the presence of a baicalein solution, compared to pure water. The presence of adsorbed baicalein on the HAp layer, although it could not be precisely quantified, was assessed by XPS and fluorescence analysis. Planar coatings exhibited significant antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus epidermidis. Baicalein-modified nanoparticles exhibited significant antioxidant properties. These results illustrate the potential of hydroxyapatite used as a carrier for natural biologically-active molecules and also discuss the challenges associated with their applications as antibacterial agents., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chlorogenic (CA) and rosmarinic (RA) acids are two natural bioactive hydroxycinnamic acids whose antioxidant properties can be modulated by the chelation of metal ions. In this work, the interactions of these two carboxylic phenols with calcium ions and the impact of such interactions on their antioxidant activity were investigated. UV-Vis absorbance, mass spectroscopy and 1 H and 13 C liquid NMR were used to identify complexes formed by CA and RA with calcium. Antioxidant activities were measured by the Bois method. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to evaluate the most stable configurations and correlated with NMR data. Taken together, these data suggest that calcium ions mainly interact with the carboxylate groups of both molecules but that this interaction modifies the reactivity of the catechol groups, especially for RA. These results highlight the complex interplay between metal chelation and antioxidant properties of natural carboxylic phenols.