A near-infrared light absorbable hydrogel with antibacterial effect for mild photothermal regeneration of infected wounds.

Bacterial wounds are currently a growing concern in clinical practice, with the rising challenge posed by antibiotic resistance and inflammation. Traditional photothermal therapy (PTT) presents great efficiency in treating infected wounds; however, it has the limitation of thermal damage to healthy tissues. To overcome this challenge, the strategy of mild-PTT is proposed using hyaluronic acid-coated bismuth sulfide (BiS) nanoparticles (BiH NPs) alongside allantoin within gelatin/sodium alginate-based hydrogel formulation to eliminate bacterial infections and facilitate the wound healing procedure.

Hijacking plant skeletons for biomedical applications: from regenerative medicine and drug delivery to biosensing.

The field of biomedical engineering continually seeks innovative technologies to address complex healthcare challenges, ranging from tissue regeneration to drug delivery and biosensing. Plant skeletons offer promising opportunities for these applications due to their unique hierarchical structures, desirable porosity, inherent biocompatibility, and adjustable mechanical properties. This review comprehensively discusses chemical principles underlying the utilization of plant-based scaffolds in biomedical engineering.

Emerging 2D Nanomaterials-Integrated Hydrogels: Advancements in Designing Theragenerative Materials for Bone Regeneration and Disease Therapy.

This review highlights recent advancements in the synthesis, processing, properties, and applications of 2D-material integrated hydrogels, with a focus on their performance in bone-related applications. Various synthesis methods and types of 2D nanomaterials, including graphene, graphene oxide, transition metal dichalcogenides, black phosphorus, and MXene are discussed, along with strategies for their incorporation into hydrogel matrices. These composite hydrogels exhibit tunable mechanical properties, high surface area, strong near-infrared (NIR) photon absorption and controlled release capabilities, making them suitable for a range of regeneration and therapeutic applications.

NIR-Responsive injectable hydrogel cross-linked by homobifunctional PEG for photo-hyperthermia of melanoma, antibacterial wound healing, and preventing post-operative adhesion.

Current therapeutic approaches for skin cancer face significant challenges, including wound infection, delayed skin regeneration, and tumor recurrence. To overcome these challenges, an injectable adhesive near-infrared (NIR)-responsive hydrogel with time-dependent enhancement in viscosity is developed for combined melanoma therapy and antibacterial wound healing acceleration. The multifunctional hydrogel is prepared through the chemical crosslinking between poly(methyl vinyl ether--maleic acid) and gelatin, followed by the incorporation of CuO nanosheets and allantoin.

Diatom-guided bone healing via a hybrid natural scaffold.

Bone tissue engineering (BTE) involves the design of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds that aim to address current challenges of bone defect healing, such as limited donor availability, disease transmission risks, and the necessity for multiple invasive surgeries. Scaffolds can mimic natural bone structure to accelerate the mechanisms involved in the healing process. Herein, a crosslinked combination of biopolymers, including gelatin (GEL), chitosan (CS), and hyaluronic acid (HA), loaded with diatom (Di) and β-sitosterol (BS), is used to produce GCH-Di-S scaffold by freeze-drying method.

Emerging strategies to bypass transplant rejection via biomaterial-assisted immunoengineering: Insights from islets and beyond.

Novel transplantation techniques are currently under development to preserve the function of impaired tissues or organs. While current technologies can enhance the survival of recipients, they have remained elusive to date due to graft rejection by undesired in vivo immune responses despite systemic prescription of immunosuppressants. The need for life-long immunomodulation and serious adverse effects of current medicines, the development of novel biomaterial-based immunoengineering strategies has attracted much attention lately.

Immune homeostasis modulation by hydrogel-guided delivery systems: a tool for accelerated bone regeneration.

Immune homeostasis is delicately mediated by the dynamic balance between effector immune cells and regulatory immune cells. Local deviations from immune homeostasis in the microenvironment of bone fractures, caused by an increased ratio of effector to regulatory cues, can lead to excessive inflammatory conditions and hinder bone regeneration. Therefore, achieving effective and localized immunomodulation of bone fractures is crucial for successful bone regeneration.

Metal-coordination synthesis of a natural injectable photoactive hydrogel with antibacterial and blood-aggregating functions for cancer thermotherapy and mild-heating wound repair.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising approach for treating cancer. However, it suffers from the formation of local lesions and subsequent bacterial infection in the damaged area. To overcome these challenges, the strategy of mild PTT following the high-temperature ablation of tumors is studied to achieve combined tumor suppression, wound healing, and bacterial eradication using a hydrogel.

Nanostructured multifunctional stimuli-responsive glycopolypeptide-based copolymers for biomedical applications.

Inspired by natural resources, such as peptides and carbohydrates, glycopolypeptide biopolymer has recently emerged as a new form of biopolymer being recruited in various biomedical applications. Glycopolypeptides with well-defined secondary structures and pendant glycosides on the polypeptide backbone have sparked lots of research interest and they have an innate ability to self-assemble in diverse structures. The nanostructures of glycopolypeptides have also opened up new perspectives in biomedical applications due to their stable three-dimensional structures, high drug loading efficiency, excellent biocompatibility, and biodegradability.

Inhibition of Different Pain Pathways Attenuates Oxidative Stress in Glial Cells: A Mechanistic View on Neuroprotective Effects of Different Types of Analgesics.

Neuropathic pain results from trauma or diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS) and triggers a cascade of events in different CNS parts that eventually lead to oxidative injury. This study was aimed to investigate the protective effects of some selected analgesics in neuropathic pain-induced oxidative damage in the isolated glial cells of the rat brain. In this experiment, rats were randomly divided into 5 main groups.

Erratum: Correction of Title.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.15171/apb.2018.

Microneedles for painless transdermal immunotherapeutic applications.

Immunotherapy has recently garnered plenty of attention to improve the clinical outcomes in the treatment of various diseases. However, owing to the dynamic nature of the immune system, this approach has often been challenged by concerns regarding the lack of adequate long-term responses in patients. The development of microneedles (MNs) has resulted in the improvement and expansion of immuno-reprogramming strategies due to the housing of high accumulation of dendritic cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, and mast cells in the dermis layer of the skin.

Cardioprotective effects of memantine in myocardial ischemia: Ex vivo and in vivo studies.

Myocardial infarction (MI) refers to the loss of cardiomyocytes due to inadequate coronary blood flow and subsequently a reduced oxygen supply. Activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has been linked to myocardial infarction. The aim of the present study was to determine the cardioprotective effects of memantine, in myocardial infarction both in ex vivo and in vivo models.

Memantine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, attenuates cardiac remodeling, lipid peroxidation and neutrophil recruitment in heart failure: A cardioprotective agent?

In addition to their role in the central nervous system (CNS), N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors activation contributes to myocardial pathogenesis. This study sought to determine the potential cardioprotective effects of pre-treatment with memantine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, in heart failure (HF). A subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (5 mg/kg/day) for 14 days was used for the induction of heart failure in rats.

The Eeffect of Metformin Combined with Calcium-Vitamin D Against Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Metformin is one of the most popular drugs tested against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The present study aimed to investigate whether calcium-vitamin D cosupplementation will intensify the effect of metformin on the prevention of high-fat, high-fructose (HFFr) diet-induced hepatic steatosis. Male wistar rats (210±16 g) were assigned into the following seven groups: a Control group to receive a standard chow and six HFFr-fed groups to receive diets containing either normal (0.