Evolution of nanostructured skin patches towards multifunctional wearable platforms for biomedical applications

Recent advances in the field of skin patches have promoted the development of wearable and implantable bioelectronics for long-term, continuous healthcare management and targeted therapy. However, the design of electronic skin (e-skin) patches with stretchable components is still challenging and requires an in-depth understanding of the skin-attachable substrate layer, functional biomaterials and advanced self-powered electronics. In this comprehensive review, we present the evolution of skin patches from functional nanostructured materials to multi-functional and stimuli-responsive patches towards flexible substrates and emerging biomaterials for e-skin patches, including the material selection, structure design and promising applications. Stretchable sensors and self-powered e-skin patches are also discussed, ranging from electrical stimulation for clinical procedures to continuous health monitoring and integrated systems for comprehensive healthcare management. Moreover, an integrated energy harvester with bioelectronics enables the fabrication of self-powered electronic skin patches, which can effectively solve the energy supply and overcome the drawbacks induced by bulky battery-driven devices. However, to realize the full potential offered by these advancements, several challenges must be addressed for next-generation e-skin patches. Finally, future opportunities and positive outlooks are presented on the future directions of bioelectronics. It is believed that innovative material design, structure engineering, and in-depth study of fundamental principles can foster the rapid evolution of electronic skin patches, and eventually enable self-powered close-looped bioelectronic systems to benefit mankind.

Perspectives on: Chitosan Drug Delivery Systems Based on their Geometries

Chitosan is a natural polymer that has many physicochemical (polycationic, reactive OH and NH2 groups) and biological (bioactive, biocompatible, biodegradable) properties. These unique properties make chitosan an excellent material for the development of new biomedical applications. One of the most well known biomedical chitosan applications is in drug delivery systems. Chitosans have been used in the design of many different types of drug carriers for various administration routes such as oral, bucal, nasal, transdermal, parenteral, vaginal, cervical, intrauterine and rectal. Chitosan can be engineered into different shapes and geometries such as nanoparticles, microspheres, membranes, sponges and rods. This paper is a perspective on the preparation of the chitosan drug delivery systems based on different structural geometries. In this respect, special preparation techniques are used to prepare chitosan drug carriers by altering such parameters as crosslinker concentration, chitosan molecular weight, drug/polymer ratio and processing conditions all of which affect the morphology of chitosan drug carriers and release rate of the loaded drug.

Chitin Nanofibrils Linked to Chitosan Glycolate as Spray, Gel, and Gauze Preparations for Wound Repair

Recent advances in process chemistry have made it possible to make chitosan and chitin nanofibril materials more flexible and useful for the development of new biorelated products. In this study, the effectiveness of three chitin nanofibril/chitosan glycolate-based preparations, a spray (Chit-A), a gel (Chit-B), and a gauze (Chit-C), in healing cutaneous lesions are assessed macroscopically and by light microscopy immunohistochemistry. These evaluations are compared to the results obtained using a laser co-treatment. The wound repair provided by the three preparations is clearly evident even without the synergistic effect of the laser co-treatment. These results confirm the effectiveness of chitin nanofibril/chitosan glycolate-based products in restoring subcutaneous architecture. The spray seems to be most effective in healing superficial lesions, including extensive ones; the gel is more effective in repairing shallow lesions as well as an aesthetic factor while the gauze is effective in slow-healing dermo-epidermal wounds.

Healing efficacy of an EGF impregnated triple gel based wound dressing: in vitro and in vivo studies

To accomplish an ideal wound healing process which promotes healthy tissue growth with less scaring, a novel gel based topical drug delivery system composed of 3 different polymers chitosan, dextran sulfate, and polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (CDP) was prepared. The physicochemical properties of the prepared gels were investigated in vitro. Gels showed a maximum swelling ratio of 50 ± 1.95 times of dried gel in PBS at pH 7.4. The swelling ratios increase in acidic and alkaline pH to 55.3 ± 1.75 and 65.5 ± 2.42, respectively. In the rheological test, prepared gels revealed viscoelastic properties and a small linear viscoelastic region of 0.166%. In vivo wound healing promoting activities of CDP gels containing 20 μg/mL EGF were evaluated on surgically induced dermal wounds in rats using pathologic examination. The application of CDP gel with incorporated EGF significantly reduced the defect on the rat's skin and enhanced epithelial healing compared with the topical application of the EGF-free CDP gel. The results clearly substantiate the beneficial effects of the topical application of CDP containing EGF in the acceleration of healthy wound healing process with less scarring.

New paramagnetic supramolecular adducts for MRI applications based on non-covalent interactions between Gd(III)-complexes and β- or γ-cyclodextrin units anchored to chitosan

Gd(III) complexes are used as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents because they greatly enhance the relaxation rate of water protons of tissues in which they distribute, an effect that is much more marked if the paramagnetic complex is part of a macromolecular system. Furthermore applications in molecular imaging, require that as many units of contrast agent as possible be directed to the site of interest. To this end we synthesised a polymer made of chitosan functionalized with beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins (CDs) that is able to form high-affinity adducts with suitably functionalized Gd(III) complexes. beta- and gamma-CDs were first treated with maleic anhydride to afford 6-monosubstituted derivatives that reacted regioselectively with the amino groups of chitosan. Reaction times and yields were markedly improved by carrying out these reactions under high-intensity ultrasound or microwave irradiation. Compared to the CD monomers, beta- and gamma-CD-chitosan adducts show large increases both in terms of their binding affinity towards Gd(III) complexes and in relaxivity values and they appear promising carriers for the in vivo vehiculation of Gd(III) complexes.