Multi-Responsive Optimization of Novel pH-Sensitive Hydrogel Beads Based on Basil Seed Mucilage, Alginate, and Magnetic Particles

Optimization of rapid self-healing and self-adhesive gluten/guar gum crosslinked gel for strain sensors and electronic devices

In this study, a smart strain sensor based on gluten/guar gum (GG) copolymer containing a combination of additives was developed. The mix proportions of strain sensors were designed using Taguchi method coupled with Grey relational analysis. L16 orthogonal array with three factors, viz. tannic acid (TA), glycerol and sodium chloride (NaCl) at four-levels each was optimized. The addition of TA substantially enhanced tensile strength, self-adhesion ability and conductivity. The self-adhesion ability could also be improved by adding NaCl in range of 0-5 wt%. The presence of glycerol in strain sensors could reduce the self-healing time which was found in the range of 28.75-150 s. In addition, the incorporation of glycerol into gel also improved stretchability of strain sensors. The best mix proportion of strain sensor was found to be 3.75 wt% TA, 30 vol% glycerol and 5 wt% NaCl. The best mixture of stain sensor showed the highest gauge factor (GF) of 0.61 % at a stretchability of 665 % and rapid self-healing at 70 s. This strain sensor could be applied to monitor human limb movements in a wide temperature range from -20 °C to 50 °C. Furthermore, the obtained gel was successfully used as electronic devices and self-powered sensors.

Nanocellulose Sponges Containing Antibacterial Basil Extract

Nanocellulose (NC) is a valuable material in tissue engineering, wound dressing, and drug delivery, but its lack of antimicrobial activity is a major drawback for these applications. In this work, basil ethanolic extract (BE) and basil seed mucilage (BSM) were used to endow nanocellulose with antibacterial activity. NC/BE and NC/BE/BSM sponges were obtained from nanocellulose suspensions and different amounts of BE and BSM after freeze-drying. Regardless of the BE or BSM content, the sponges started to decompose at a lower temperature due to the presence of highly volatile active compounds in BE. A SEM investigation revealed an opened-cell structure and nanofibrillar morphology for all the sponges, while highly impregnated nanofibers were observed by SEM in NC/BE sponges with higher amounts of BE. A quantitative evaluation of the porous morphology by microcomputer tomography showed that the open porosity of the sponges varied between 70% and 82%, being lower in the sponges with higher BE/BSM content due to the impregnation of cellulose nanofibers with BE/BSM, which led to smaller pores. The addition of BE increased the specific compression strength of the NC/BE sponges, with a higher amount of BE having a stronger effect. A slight inhibition of S. aureus growth was observed in the NC/BE sponges with a higher amount of BE, and no effect was observed in the unmodified NC. In addition, the NC/BE sponge with the highest amount of BE and the best antibacterial effect in the series showed no cytotoxic effect and did not interfere with the normal development of the L929 cell line, similar to the unmodified NC. This work uses a simple, straightforward method to obtain highly porous nanocellulose structures containing antibacterial basil extract for use in biomedical applications.

Editorial on the Special Issue "Modification of Hydrogels and Their Applications in Biomedical Engineering"

Hydrogels and hydrophilic polymer networks play an important role in biomedical engineering due to their good biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties, similarly to some soft tissues [...].

Mucilage polysaccharide as a plant secretion: Potential trends in food and biomedical applications

Current trends are shifting away from using synthetic compounds in favor of discovering new natural component sources that will allow them to create goods that are healthful, environmentally friendly, sustainable, and profitable. The food industry, in light of these trends, has opted to look for safe natural ingredients that will allow the production of low-fat, artificial-additive-free, gluten-free, prebiotic, and fortified foods. Similarly, the pharmaceutical and medical industries have attempted to apply natural ingredients to address the challenges related to biomaterials more efficiently than synthetic ingredients. Against this background, plant mucilage has proven to be a polysaccharide with excellent health features and technological properties, useful for both food and biomedical applications. Many studies have shown that its inclusion in different food matrices improves the quality of the products obtained under appropriate reformulations. At the same time, plant mucilage has been indicated to be a very interesting matrix in biomedical field especially tissue engineering applications since it has been emerged to favor tissue regeneration with its highly biocompatible structure. This concise review discusses the most recent advances of the applications of plant mucilage in different foods as well as its recent use in biomedical field. In this context, firstly, a general definition of mucilage was made and information about plant-based mucilage, which is frequently used, about the plant parts they are found in, their content and how they are obtained are presented. Then, the use of mucilage in the food industry including bakery products, meat emulsions, fermented dairy products, ice cream, and other foods is presented with case studies. Afterwards, the use of plant mucilage in the biomedical field, which has attracted attention in recent years, especially in applications with tissue engineering approach such as scaffolds for tissue regeneration, wound dressings, drug delivery systems and pharmaceutical industry was evaluated.

Advancements in the Use of Hydrogels for Regenerative Medicine: Properties and Biomedical Applications

Due to their particular water absorption capacity, hydrogels are the most widely used scaffolds in biomedical studies to regenerate damaged tissue. Hydrogels can be used in tissue engineering to design scaffolds for three-dimensional cell culture, providing a novel alternative to the traditional two-dimensional cell culture as hydrogels have a three-dimensional biomimetic structure. This material property is crucial in regenerative medicine, especially for the nervous system, since it is a highly complex and delicate structure. Hydrogels can move quickly within the human body without physically disturbing the environment and possess essential biocompatible properties, as well as the ability to form a mimetic scaffold in situ. Therefore, hydrogels are perfect candidates for biomedical applications. Hydrogels represent a potential alternative to regenerating tissue lost after removing a brain tumor and/or brain injuries. This reason presents them as an exciting alternative to highly complex human physiological problems, such as injuries to the central nervous system and neurodegenerative disease.