Frog nest foams exhibit pharmaceutical foam-like properties.

Foams have frequently been used as systems for the delivery of cosmetic and therapeutic molecules; however, there is high variability in the foamability and long-term stability of synthetic foams. The development of pharmaceutical foams that exhibit desirable foaming properties, delivering appropriate amounts of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and that have excellent biocompatibility is of great interest. The production of stable foams is rare in the natural world; however, certain species of frogs have adopted foam production as a means of providing a protective environment for their eggs and larvae from predators and parasites, to prevent desiccation, to control gaseous exchange, to buffer temperature extremes, and to reduce UV damage.

Biological Performance of Electrospun Polymer Fibres.

The evaluation of biological responses to polymeric scaffolds are important, given that the ideal scaffold should be biocompatible, biodegradable, promote cell adhesion and aid cell proliferation. The primary goal of this research was to measure the biological responses of cells against various polymeric and collagen electrospun scaffolds (polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) polymers: PCL⁻drug, PCL⁻collagen⁻drug, PLA⁻drug and PLA⁻collagen⁻drug); cell proliferation was measured with a cell adhesion assay and cell viability using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and resazurin assays. The results demonstrated that there is a distinct lack of growth of cells against any irgasan (IRG) loaded scaffolds and far greater adhesion of cells against levofloxacin (LEVO) loaded scaffolds.

Electrospun collagen-based nanofibres: A sustainable material for improved antibiotic utilisation in tissue engineering applications.

For the creation of scaffolds in tissue engineering applications, it is essential to control the physical morphology of fibres and to choose compositions which do not disturb normal physiological function. Collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body, is a well-established biopolymer used in electrospinning compositions. It shows high in-vivo stability and is able to maintain a high biomechanical strength over time.

Fabrication and characterisation of drug-loaded electrospun polymeric nanofibers for controlled release in hernia repair.

The chemical distribution and mechanical effects of drug compounds in loaded electrospun scaffolds, a potential material for hernia repair mesh, were characterised and the efficacy of the material was evaluated. Polycaprolactone electrospun fibres were loaded with either the antibacterial agent, irgasan, or the broad-spectrum antibiotic, levofloxacin. The samples were subsequently characterised by rheological studies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle goniometry (CAG), in vitro drug release studies, antibacterial studies and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS).