Functionalization of cotton nonwoven with cyclodextrin/lawsone inclusion complex nanofibrous coating for antibacterial wound dressing.

Functionalizing cotton to induce biological activity is a viable approach for developing wound dressing. This study explores the development of cotton-based wound dressing through coating with biologically active nanofibers. Bioactive compounds like lawsone offer dual benefits of wound healing and infection prevention, however, their limited solubility and viability hinder their applications. To address this, Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD) and Hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CD) were employed. Inclusion complexations of CD/lawsone were achieved at 2:1 and 4:1 M ratios, followed by the fabrication of CD/lawsone nanofibrous systems via electrospinning. Phase solubility studies indicated a twofold increase in lawsone water-solubility with HP-ß-CD. Electrospinning yielded smooth and uniform nanofibers with an average diameter of ∼300-700 nm. The results showed that while specific crystalline peaks of lawsone are apparent in the samples with a 2:1 M ratio, they disappeared in 4:1, indicating complete complexation. The nanofibers exhibited ∼100 % loading efficiency of lawsone and its rapid release upon dissolution. Notably, antibacterial assays demonstrated the complete elimination of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus colonies. The CD/lawsone nanofibers also showed suitable antioxidant activity ranging from 50 % to 70 %. This integrated approach effectively enhances lawsone's solubility through CD complexation and offers promise for bilayer cotton-based wound dressings.

Biosynthesis of exopolysaccharide from waste molasses using Pantoea sp. BCCS 001 GH: a kinetic and optimization study.

The bacterium Pantoea sp. BCCS 001 GH produces an exopolysaccharide (EPS) named Pantoan through using sugar beet molasses (SBM) as an inexpensive and widely available carbon source. This study aims to investigate the kinetics and optimization of the Pantoan biosynthesis using Pantoea sp. BCCS 001 GH in submerged culture. During kinetics studies, the logistic model and Luedeking-Piret equation are precisely fit with the obtained experimental data. The response surface methodology (RSM)-central composite design (CCD) method is applied to evaluate the effects of four factors (SBM, peptone, Na2HPO4, and Triton X-100) on the concentration of Pantoan in batch culture of Pantoea sp. BCCS 001 GH. The experimental and predicted maximum Pantoan production yields are found 9.9 ± 0.5 and 10.30 g/L, respectively, and the best prediction factor concentrations are achieved at 31.5 g/L SBM, 2.73 g/L peptone, 3 g/L Na2HPO4, and 0.32 g/L Triton X-100 after 48 h of submerged culture fermentation, at 30 °C. The functional groups and major monosaccharides (glucose and galactose) of a purified Pantoan are described and confirmed by 1HNMR and FTIR. The produced Pantoan is also characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and the rheological properties of the biopolymer are investigated. The present work guides the design and optimization of the Pantoea sp. BCCS 001 GH culture media, to be fine-tuned and applied to invaluable EPS, which can be applicable in food and biotechnology applications.

Updates in immunocompatibility of biomaterials: applications for regenerative medicine.

INTRODUCTION: Biomaterials, either metallic, ceramic, or polymeric, can be used in medicine as a part of the implants, dialysis membranes, bone scaffolds, or components of artificial organs. Polymeric biomaterials cover a vast range of biomedical applications. The biocompatibility and immunocompatibility of polymeric materials are of fundamental importance for their possible therapeutic uses, as the immune system can intervene in the materials' performance. Therefore, based on application, different routes can be utilized for immunoregulation. AREAS COVERED: As different biomaterials can be modulated by different strategies, this study aims to summarize and evaluate the available methods for the immunocompatibility enhancement of more common polymeric biomaterials based on their nature. Different strategies such as surface modification, physical characterization, and drug incorporation are investigated for the immunomodulation of nanoparticles, hydrogels, sponges, and nanofibers. EXPERT OPINION: Recently, strategies for triggering appropriate immune responses by functional biomaterials have been highlighted. As most strategies correspond to the physical and surface properties of biomaterials, specific modulation can be conducted for each biomaterial system. Besides, different applications require different modulations of the immune system. In the future, the selection of novel materials and immune regulators can play a role in tuning the immune system for regenerative medicine.

Characterization and Physical and Biological Properties of Tissue Conditioner Incorporated with Carum copticum L.

AIM: One of the main problems in dentistry is the injury caused by the long-term application of an ill-fitting denture. The existence of multiple microorganisms along with the susceptibility of the tissue conditioners to colonize them can lead to denture stomatitis. This study is aimed at developing a tissue conditioner incorporated with Carum copticum L. (C. copticum L.) for the effective treatment of these injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Carum copticum L. essential oil composition was determined by gas chromatography-mass (GC-mass) spectrometry. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil against the standard strains of bacterial and fungal species was determined by broth microdilution methods as suggested by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The physical and chemical properties of the prepared tissue conditioner were investigated by viscoelasticity, FTIR assays, and the release study performed. Furthermore, the antibiofilm activity of the Carum copticum L. essential oil-loaded tissue conditioner was evaluated by using the XTT reduction assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS: The main component of the essential oil is thymol, which possesses high antimicrobial activity. The broth microdilution assay showed that the essential oil has broad activity as the minimum inhibitory concentration was in the range of 32-128 µg mL-1. The viscoelasticity test showed that the essential oil significantly diminished the viscoelastic modulus on the first day. The FTIR test showed that Carum copticum L. essential oil was preserved as an independent component in the tissue conditioner. The release study showed that the essential oil was released in 3 days following a sustained release and with an ultimate cumulative release of 81%. Finally, the Carum copticum L. essential oil exhibited significant activity in the inhibition of microbial biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner. Indeed, the lowest and highest amounts of biofilm formation on the tissue conditioner disks are exhibited in the Streptococcus salivarius and Candida albicans by up to 22.4% and 71.4% at the 64 µg mL-1 concentration of C. copticum L. with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The obtained results showed that the Carum copticum L. essential oil-loaded tissue conditioner possessed suitable physical, biological, and release properties for use as a novel treatment for denture stomatitis.

Fabrication of amphotericin B-loaded electrospun core-shell nanofibers as a novel dressing for superficial mycoses and cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Amphotericin B (AmB) is an antifungal and antiparasitic agent that is the main drug used for the treatment of mycoses infections and leishmaniasis. However, its high toxicity and side effects are the main difficulties attributed to its application. In this study, to minimize its harmful effects, AmB-loaded core-shell nanofibers were fabricated, using polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and AmB as the core, and polyethylene oxide and gelatin as the shell-forming components. The nanofibers were characterized, using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile test, drug release, and MTT assay. The results showed that the prepared nanofibers were smooth and had a core-shell structure with almost no cytotoxicity against fibroblast cells and the release study suggested that the core-shell structure decreased the burst release. The disk diffusion assay revealed that the nanofibrous mats at different AmB concentrations exhibited significant activity against all the eight evaluated fungal species with the inhibition zones of 1.4-2.6 cm. The flow cytometry assay also showed that the prepared nanofibrous mat significantly killed Leishmania major promastigotes up to 84%. The obtained results indicated that this AmB-loaded nanofibrous system could be a suitable candidate for a topical drug delivery system for the treatment of both superficial mycoses and cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Dual drug delivery of vancomycin and imipenem/cilastatin by coaxial nanofibers for treatment of diabetic foot ulcer infections.

Diabetic foot ulcer infections are the main causes of hospitalization in diabetics. The present study aimed to develop vancomycin and imipenem/cilastatin loaded core-shell nanofibers to facilitate the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Therefore, novel core-shell nanofibers composed of polyethylene oxide, chitosan, and vancomycin in shell and polyvinylpyrrolidone, gelatin, and imipenem/cilastatin in core compartments were prepared using the electrospinning technique. The nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile test, and drug release. The antibacterial activity of drug-loaded nanofibers in different drugs concentrations was evaluated against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by disk diffusion method. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of fibers was investigated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay. The obtained results showed that the prepared nanofibers were smooth having a core-shell structure with almost no cytotoxicity. The nanofibrous mats exhibited significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus and MRSA with the inhibition zones of 2.9 and 2.5 cm and gram-negative bacteria species of E. coli and P. aeruginosa with the inhibition zones of 1.9 and 2.8 cm, respectively. With respect to the significant antibacterial activities of these nanofibrous mats, they might be used as suitable drug delivery devices not only for diabetic foot ulcer infections but also for other chronic wounds.

Glucantime-loaded electrospun core-shell nanofibers composed of poly(ethylene oxide)/gelatin-poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan as dressing for cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis, one of the main concerns of the World Health Organization, is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania species. The main objective of this study was to prepare a topical drug delivery system that can deliver glucantime to the site of cutaneous Leishmania wounds. Using the electrospinning method, a core-shell nanofibrous mat composed of macromolecules including polyethylene oxide, gelatin, poly (vinyl alcohol) and chitosan was prepared. The prepared nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), tensile test and in vitro drug release test. The anti-Leishmania activities of drug-loaded nanofibers against Leishmania promastigotes and its cytotoxicity on fibroblasts were determined respectively by flow-cytometry and indirect MTT methods. Results of morphological studies showed that uniform nanofibers were prepared without any bead with average diameter of 404 nm. The TEM investigation confirmed the core-shell structure of the fibers. The in-vitro drug release assay was executed using Franz diffusion cell, which indicted 84% of glucantime was released during the first 9 h. The results indicated that 4 and 6 cm2 of nanofibers mat were significantly killed promatigotes up to 78%. Moreover, the MTT assay also showed that the fabricated nanofibers do not possess any cytotoxicity towards fibroblast cells.