Enzyme-controlled, nutritive hydrogel for mesenchymal stromal cell survival and paracrine functions.

Culture-adapted human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) are appealing candidates for regenerative medicine applications. However, these cells implanted in lesions as single cells or tissue constructs encounter an ischemic microenvironment responsible for their massive death post-transplantation, a major roadblock to successful clinical therapies. We hereby propose a paradigm shift for enhancing hMSC survival by designing, developing, and testing an enzyme-controlled, nutritive hydrogel with an inbuilt glucose delivery system for the first time.

A Combination of the Natural Molecules Gallic Acid and Carvacrol Eradicates and Mature Biofilms.

Wound infection, especially the development of bacterial biofilms, delays wound healing and is a major public health concern. Bacteria in biofilms are more tolerant to antimicrobial agents, and new treatments to eradicate mature biofilms are needed. Combining antimicrobial molecules with different mechanisms of action is an attractive strategy to tackle the heterogeneous nature of microbial communities in biofilms.

Dual Nanostructured Lipid Carriers/Hydrogel System for Delivery of Curcumin for Topical Skin Applications.

This work focuses on the development and evaluation of a dual nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC)/Carbopol-based hydrogel system as a potential transporter for the topical delivery of curcumin to the skin. Two populations of different sized negatively charged NLCs (P1, 70-90 nm and P2, 300-350 nm) were prepared and characterized by means of dynamic light scattering. NLCs presented an ovoid platelet shape confirmed by transmission electron microscopy techniques.

Poly-L-Lysine and Human Plasmatic Fibronectin Films as Proactive Coatings to Improve Implant Biointegration.

The success of stable and long-term implant integration implies the promotion, control, and respect of the cell microenvironment at the site of implantation. The key is to enhance the implant-host tissue cross talk by developing interfacial strategies that guarantee an optimal and stable seal of soft tissue onto the implant, while preventing potential early and late infection. Indeed, implant rejection is often jeopardized by lack of stable tissue surrounding the biomaterial combined with infections which reduce the lifespan and increase the failure rate of implants and morbidity and account for high medical costs.

Rational formulation design of injectable thermosensitive chitosan-based hydrogels for cell encapsulation and delivery.

This work reports a rational design of injectable thermosensitive chitosan systems for cell encapsulation and delivery. Using mixtures of two phosphate salts, beta-glycerophosphate and ammonium hydrogen phosphate, we demonstrate that the pH and the osmolarity can be adjusted separately by varying the molar ratios between the salts and the d-glucosamine monomers. We found the existence of a critical temperature above which gelation time decays following a power-law.