Role of Secondary Metabolites in Reducing the Negative Impact of Pest-Induced Stress in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.).

Brinjal, also known as eggplant, is a significant crop in the Solanaceae family, with a high economic value and widespread cultivation in Indian states. Its primary metabolites include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, organic acids, and polyphenolic compounds. Secondary metabolites contribute to the fruit's flavor, color, and potential health benefits, such as chlorogenic acid, anthocyanins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and other phytochemicals.

Shape-Programmable Chitosan Films as Soft Microrobots toward the Development of Chemo-Mechanical Sensors.

Recent advances in shape-morphing materials have shown promise for soft robotics, but such mechanodynamic behavior has yet to be applied in sensing platforms, especially with true reversibility. Here, we introduce a monocomponent chitosan film fabricated via a simple, cost-effective solvent-casting method that exhibits extraordinary properties. This film not only shows instantly reversible shape-morphing but also displays a bidirectional response to alkaline solutions.

Flexible and Robust Piezoelectric Chitosan Films with Enhanced Bioactivity.

Chitosan (CHT) is a known piezoelectric biomacromolecule; however, its usage is limited due to rapid degradation in an aqueous system. Herein, we prepared CHT film via a solvent casting method and cross-linked in an alkaline solution. Sodium hydroxide facilitated deprotonation, leading to increased intramolecular hydrogen bonding and mechanical properties.

4D hydrogels: fabrication strategies, stimulation mechanisms, and biomedical applications.

Shape-morphing hydrogels have emerged as a promising biomaterial due to their ability to mimic the anisotropic tissue composition by creating a gradient in local swelling behavior. In this case, shape deformations occur due to the non-uniform distribution of internal stresses, asymmetrical swelling, and shrinking of different parts of the same hydrogel. Herein, we discuss the four-dimensional (4D) fabrication techniques (extrusion-based printing, dynamic light processing, and solvent casting) employed to prepare shape-shifting hydrogels.

Progress in the development of piezoelectric biomaterials for tissue remodeling.

Piezoelectric biomaterials have demonstrated significant potential in the past few decades to heal damaged tissue and restore cellular functionalities. Herein, we discuss the role of bioelectricity in tissue remodeling and explore ways to mimic such tissue-like properties in synthetic biomaterials. In the past decade, biomedical engineers have adopted emerging functional biomaterials-based tissue engineering approaches using innovative bioelectronic stimulation protocols based on dynamic stimuli to direct cellular activation, proliferation, and differentiation on engineered biomaterial constructs.

Application of Nanoscale Materials and Nanotechnology Against Viral Infection: A Special Focus on Coronaviruses.

Introduction: In recent years, viral infections and associated diseases have become a big challenge for humanity due to high morbidity rates globally. However, timely, accurate, and rapid detection of viral infection may lead to the control of morbidity as well as provide enough time for vaccine preparation and early antiviral therapy. Existing virus detection methods based on immunological and molecular diagnosis found drawbacks, such as its time-consuming and costly one.