Hepatitis B surface antigen incorporated in dissolvable microneedle array patch is antigenic and thermostable.

Alternatives to syringe-based administration are considered for vaccines. Intradermal vaccination with dissolvable microneedle arrays (MNA) appears promising in this respect, as an easy-to-use and painless method. In this work, we have developed an MNA patch (MNAP) made of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) and chondroitin sulphate (CS).

Fragmentation of poly(lactic acid) nanosheets and patchwork treatment for burn wounds.

Freestanding poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanosheets are mass-produced by a simple combination of a spin-coating-assisted multi-layering process and a peeling technique. The resulting PLLA nanosheets are fragmented by homogenization and then reconstructed into a "patchwork" sheet on various surfaces without any adhesive reagents. The patchwork is shown to offer excellent protection against burn wound infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and may therefore be an alternative to conventional burn therapy for prevention of infection.

An ultrathin poly(L-lactic acid) nanosheet as a burn wound dressing for protection against bacterial infection.

Burn wounds are highly susceptible to bacterial infection due to impairment of the skin's integrity. Therefore, prevention of bacterial colonization/infection in the wound is crucial for the management of burns, including partial-thickness burn injuries. Although partial-thickness burn injuries still retain the potential for reepithelialization, the complication of wound infection severely impairs the reepithelialization even in such superficial burn injuries.

Free-Standing Biodegradable Poly(lactic acid) Nanosheet for Sealing Operations in Surgery.

A free-standing biodegradable nanosheet composed of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was shown to have excellent sealing efficacy for a gastric incision as a novel wound dressing material that did not require adhesive agents, and the PLLA nanosheet-induced wound repair showed neither scars nor tissue adhesion. This material may, therefore, be an ideal alternative to conventional tissue repairing procedures using suture/ligation in surgery.

Novel platelet substitutes: disk-shaped biodegradable nanosheets and their enhanced effects on platelet aggregation.

We have studied biocompatible spherical carriers carrying a dodecapeptide, HHLGGAKQAGDV (H12), on their surface as platelet substitutes. This peptide is a fibrinogen γ-chain carboxy-terminal sequence (γ400-411) and specifically recognizes the active form of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa on activated platelets. Our purpose is to assess the possibility of making a novel platelet substitute consisting of disk-shaped nanosheets having a large contact area for the targeting site, rather than conventional small contact area spherical carriers.