ZnO/CPAN Modified Contact Lens with Antibacterial and Harmful Light Reduction Capabilities

Fortified electrospun collagen utilizing biocompatible Poly Glycerol Sebacate prepolymer (PGSp) and zink oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) for diabetics wound healing: Physical, biological and animal studies

Collagen, a naturally occurring fibrous protein, is a potential resource of biological materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine because it is structurally biocompatible, has low immunogenicity, is biodegradable, and is biomimetic. Numerous studies have documented in the literature how Collagen nanofibers exhibit limited cell adhesion, poor viscosity, and no interior fibril structure. The biomedical industry is using Poly Glycerol Sebacate prepolymer(PGSp), a biodegradable and biocompatible polyester with high adhesion and very viscous appearance, more often. Here, unique electrospun Collagen/PGSp/ZnO/NPs blend nanofibers for skin tissue application were developed and described with varied PGSp percent. Additionally, when ternary blends of Collagen, PGSp, and Zink Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are used, the antibacterial properties of the scaffolds are improved. The bead-free electrospun nanofibers were produced by raising the PGSp concentration to 30%w/w. SEM, EDS, tensile, MTT, FTIR, SDS-page, swelling test, contact-angle, antimicrobial, biodegradation, XRD, and cell attachment procedures were used to characterize the crosslinked nanofibers. The ternary blend nanofibers with a weight ratio of Collagen/PGSp 30%/ZnONPs 1% had higher stress/strain strength (0.25 mm/mm), porosity (563), cell survival, and degradation time. Moreover, after applying for wound healing in diabetic rats, Collagen/PGSp 30%/could be show improving wound healing significantly compared to other groups.

A surface-engineered contact lens for tear fluid biomolecule sensing

The eyes provide rich physiological information and offer diagnostic potential as a sensing site, and probing tear constituents via the wearable contact lens could be explored for healthcare monitoring. Herein, we propose a novel adhesive contrast contact lens platform that can split tear film by natural means of tear secretion and blinking. The adhesive contrast is realized by selective grafting of a lubricant onto a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based contact lens, leading to high pinning zones on a non-adhesive background. The difference in contact angle hysteresis facilitates the liquid splitting. Further, the method offers control over the droplet volume by controlling the zone dimension. The adhesive contrast contact lens is coupled with fluorescent spectroscopic as well as colorimetric techniques to realize its potential as a diagnostic platform. The adhesive contrast contact lens is exploited to detect the level of lactoferrin in tear by sensitizing split droplets with Tb3+ ions. The adhesive contrast contact lens integrated with a fluorescence spectrometer was able to detect the lactoferrin level up to a concentration of 0.25 mg mL-1. Additionally, a colorimetric detection based on the fluorescence of the lactoferrin-terbium complex is demonstrated for the measurement of lactoferrin, with a limit of detection in the physiological range up to 0.5 mg mL-1.

Dual-light defined in situ oral mucosal lesion therapy through a mode switchable anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory mucoadhesive hydrogel

Oral mucosal ulcer is the most prevalent oral mucosal lesion, affecting the quality of life. Due to the moist and highly dynamic oral lining, the existing oral mucoadhesives are unable to serially address the challenges of residency, hemorrhage, bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction. Herein, a dual-light defined oral mucoadhesive (ZPTA-G/HMA) was proposed, with a methacrylate gelatin-methacrylate hyaluronic acid (GelMA-HAMA, G/HMA) double network hydrogel as a matrix, tannic acid (TA) as a high content anchor moiety provider for the moist oral mucosa, and polydopamine modified zinc oxide (ZnO@PDA, ZP) as a photocatalytic antibacterial substance. This platform had good adhesive and hemostatic properties both in vitro and in vivo. Under 520 nm green light (GL) irradiation, ZPTA-G/HMA would anchor to the wet mucosa surface by crosslinking and exert broad-spectrum antibacterial ability (even including Candida albicans) by in situ producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, under 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, the increased release of TA combined with the photothermal effect of ZP endowed ZPTA-G/HMA with enhanced anti-inflammatory and pro-healing performance. Collectively, ZPTA-G/HMA could be switched by light sources to achieve the dual-mode real-time adjustment of in situ anti-bacterial function and controlled anti-inflammation, combined with ideal mucosal residence, thus promising in developing personalized sequential strategies for varied oral mucosal lesions.

Recent Applications of Contact Lenses for Bacterial Corneal Keratitis Therapeutics: A Review

Corneal keratitis is a common but severe infectious disease; without immediate and efficient treatment, it can lead to vision loss within a few days. With the development of antibiotic resistance, novel approaches have been developed to combat corneal keratitis. Contact lenses were initially developed to correct vision. Although silicon hydrogel-based contact lenses protect the cornea from hypoxic stress from overnight wear, wearing contact lenses was reported as an essential cause of corneal keratitis. With the development of technology, contact lenses are integrated with advanced functions, and functionalized contact lenses are used for killing bacteria and preventing infectious corneal keratitis. In this review, we aim to examine the current applications of contact lenses for anti-corneal keratitis.

Lab-on-a-Contact Lens: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities in Diagnostics and Therapeutics

The eye is one of the most complex organs in the human body, containing rich and critical physiological information (e.g., intraocular pressure, corneal temperature, and pH) as well as a library of metabolite biomarkers (e.g., glucose, proteins, and specific ions). Smart contact lenses (SCLs) can serve as a wearable intelligent ocular prosthetic device capable of noninvasive and continuous monitoring of various essential physical/biochemical parameters and drug loading/delivery for the treatment of ocular diseases. Advances in SCL technologies and the growing public interest in personalized health are accelerating SCL research more than ever before. Here, the current status and potential of SCL development through a comprehensive review from fabrication to applications to commercialization are discussed. First, the material, fabrication, and platform designs of the SCLs for the diagnostic and therapeutic applications are discussed. Then, the latest advances in diagnostic and therapeutic SCLs for clinical translation are reviewed. Later, the established techniques for wearable power transfer and wireless data transmission applied to current SCL devices are summarized. An outlook, future opportunities, and challenges for developing next-generation SCL devices are also provided. With the rise in interest of SCL development, this comprehensive and essential review can serve as a new paradigm for the SCL devices.

Polymer-Based Nanofiber-Nanoparticle Hybrids and Their Medical Applications

The search for higher-quality nanomaterials for medicinal applications continues. There are similarities between electrospun fibers and natural tissues. This property has enabled electrospun fibers to make significant progress in medical applications. However, electrospun fibers are limited to tissue scaffolding applications. When nanoparticles and nanofibers are combined, the composite material can perform more functions, such as photothermal, magnetic response, biosensing, antibacterial, drug delivery and biosensing. To prepare nanofiber and nanoparticle hybrids (NNHs), there are two primary ways. The electrospinning technology was used to produce NNHs in a single step. An alternate way is to use a self-assembly technique to create nanoparticles in fibers. This paper describes the creation of NNHs from routinely used biocompatible polymer composites. Single-step procedures and self-assembly methodologies are used to discuss the preparation of NNHs. It combines recent research discoveries to focus on the application of NNHs in drug release, antibacterial, and tissue engineering in the last two years.

Advances in the Application of Nanomaterials as Treatments for Bacterial Infectious Diseases

Bacteria-targeting nanomaterials have been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. These nanomaterials show great potential as antimicrobial agents due to their broad-spectrum antibacterial capacity and relatively low toxicity. Recently, nanomaterials have improved the accurate detection of pathogens, provided therapeutic strategies against nosocomial infections and facilitated the delivery of antigenic protein vaccines that induce humoral and cellular immunity. Biomaterial implants, which have traditionally been hindered by bacterial colonization, benefit from their ability to prevent bacteria from forming biofilms and spreading into adjacent tissues. Wound repair is improving in terms of both the function and prevention of bacterial infection, as we tailor nanomaterials to their needs, select encapsulation methods and materials, incorporate activation systems and add immune-activating adjuvants. Recent years have produced numerous advances in their antibacterial applications, but even further expansion in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases is expected in the future.