Mechanical properties and biocompatibility of in situ enzymatically cross-linked gelatin hydrogels.

Objectives: Gelatin, a degraded collagen, has been widely used as a scaffolding material in tissue engineering applications. In this work, we aimed at the development of in situ, cross-linking, cytocompatible hydrogels by the use of transglutaminase as a cross-linker for potential application in the regeneration of tissues.

Methods: Hydrogels were prepared from gelatin of different concentrations and bloom degree (175 (G175) or 300 (G300) bloom gelatin) and cross-linked with various amounts of microbial transglutaminase (mTG) at 37°C.

New Aspects in the Formulation of Drugs Based on Three Case Studies.

The improvement of pharmaceutical dosage forms, such as tablets, towards drug delivery control and cost efficiency is of great importance in formulation technologies. Here, three examples: in situ coating, freeze casting and protein-based biocomposites are presented that address the above mentioned issues and contribute to further developments in formulation technologies. The in situ coating increases the economic efficiency by saving process steps in comparison to a conventional tableting process and provides a crystalline coating for a tailorable drug delivery rate.