Peptide-Polydopamine Nanocomposite Hydrogel for a Laser-Controlled Hydrophobic Drug Delivery

Current status of development and biomedical applications of peptide-based antimicrobial hydrogels

Microbial contamination poses a serious threat to human life and health. Through the intersection of material science and modern medicine, advanced bionic hydrogels have shown great potential for biomedical applications due to their unique bioactivity and ability to mimic the extracellular matrix environment. In particular, as a promising antimicrobial material, the synthesis and practical biomedical applications of peptide-based antimicrobial hydrogels have drawn increasing research interest. The synergistic effect of peptides and hydrogels facilitate the controlled release of antimicrobial agents and mitigation of their biotoxicity while achieving antimicrobial effects and protecting the active agents from degradation. This review reports on the progress and trends of researches in the last five years and provides a brief outlook, aiming to provide theoretical background on peptide-based antimicrobial hydrogels and make suggestions for future related work.

Evaluation of Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging of Polydopamine with Different Nanostructures

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in cellular metabolism and many oxidative stress-related diseases, while excessive accumulation of ROS will lead to genetic changes in cells and promote the occurrence of inflammatory diseases or cell death. Nature-inspired polydopamine (PDA) with tailored nanostructures emerges as an ROS scavenger and is considered as an effective approach to inflammation-related diseases. However, the effects of nanoparticle structure on PDA scavenging efficacy and efficiency remain uncovered. In this work, three typical PDA nanoparticles including solid PDA, mesoporous PDA, and hollow PDA are synthesized, and of which physiochemical properties are characterized. Furthermore, their ROS scavenging performance is investigated by in vitro evaluation of radical removal. Among the three nanoparticles, mesoporous PDA is demonstrated to have the highest scavenging capability, mainly due to its specific surface area. Finally, the study on three in vivo inflammation models is constructed. The results confirm that mesoporous PDA is the most potent scavenger of ROS and more effective in reducing reperfusion injury, improving renal function, and preventing periodontitis progression, respectively. Together with the good biosafety and biocompatibility profiles, PDA nanoparticles, mesoporous PDA in particular, can be a promising avenue of ROS scavenging in fight against the inflammatory diseases.

Nanocomposite Hydrogels-A Promising Approach towards Enhanced Bioavailability and Controlled Drug Delivery

Nanotechnology has emerged as the eminent focus of today's research to overcome challenges related to conventional drug delivery systems. A wide spectrum of novel delivery systems has been investigated to improve the therapeutic outcomes of drugs. The polymer-based nanocomposite hydrogels (NCHs) that have evolved as efficient carriers for controlled drug delivery are of particular interest in this regard. Nanocomposites amalgamate the properties of both nanoparticles (NPs) as well as hydrogels, exhibiting superior functionalities over conventional hydrogels. This multiple functionality is based upon advanced mechanical, electrical, optical as well as magnetic properties. Here is a brief overview of the various types of nanocomposites, such as NCHs based on Carbon-bearing nanomaterials, polymeric nanoparticles, inorganic nanoparticles, and metal and metal-oxide NPs. Accordingly, this article will review numerous ways of preparing these NCHs with particular emphasis on the vast biomedical applications displayed by them in numerous fields such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound healing, bioprinting, biosensing, imaging and gene silencing, cancer therapy, antibacterial therapy, etc. Moreover, various features can be tuned, based on the final application, by controlling the chemical composition of hydrogel network, which may also influence the released conduct. Subsequently, the recent work and future prospects of this newly emerging class of drug delivery system have been enlisted.

Laser-responsive sequential delivery of multiple antimicrobials using nanocomposite hydrogels

Precise control of antimicrobial delivery can prevent the adverse effects of antibiotics. By exploiting the photothermal activity of polydopamine nanoparticles along with the distinct transition temperatures of liposomes, a near-infrared (NIR) laser can be used to control the sequential delivery of an antibiotic and its adjuvant from a nanocomposite hydrogel-preventing bacterial growth.

Research Progress of Polydopamine Hydrogel in the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Diseases

Oral diseases represent one of the most prevalent diseases globally and are associated with serious health and economic burdens, greatly altering the quality of life of affected individuals. Various biomaterials play important roles in the treatment of oral diseases. To some extent, the development of biomaterials has promoted progress in clinically available oral medicines. Hydrogels have unique tunable advantages that make them useful in the next generation of regenerative strategies and have been widely applied in both oral soft and hard tissues repair. However, most hydrogels lack self-adhesive properties, which may result in low repair efficacy. Polydopamine (PDA), the primary adhesive component, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. PDA-modified hydrogels exhibit reliable and suitable adherence to tissues and easily integrate into tissues to promote repair efficiency. This paper reviews the latest research progress on PDA hydrogels and elaborates on the mechanism of the reaction between PDA functional groups and hydrogels, and summarizes the biological properties and the applications of PDA hydrogels in the prevention and treatment of the field of oral diseases. It is also proposed that in future research we should simulate the complex microenvironment of the oral cavity as much as possible, coordinate and plan various biological events rationally, and realize the translation from scientific research to clinical practice.

Controlled Bioactive Delivery Using Degradable Electroactive Polymers

Biomaterials capable of precisely controlling the delivery of agrochemicals/biologics/drugs/fragrances have significant markets in the agriscience/healthcare industries. Here, we report the development of degradable electroactive polymers and their application for the controlled delivery of a clinically relevant drug (the anti-inflammatory dexamethasone phosphate, DMP). Electroactive copolymers composed of blocks of polycaprolactone (PCL) and naturally occurring electroactive pyrrole oligomers (e.g., bilirubin, biliverdin, and hemin) were prepared and solution-processed to produce films (optionally doped with DMP). A combination of in silico/in vitro/in vivo studies demonstrated the cytocompatibility of the polymers. The release of DMP in response to the application of an electrical stimulus was observed to be enhanced by ca. 10–30% relative to the passive release from nonstimulated samples in vitro. Such stimuli-responsive biomaterials have the potential for integration devices capable of delivering a variety of molecules for technical/medical applications.