Electroactive injectable hydrogel based on oxidized sodium alginate and carboxymethyl chitosan for wound healing.

Electroactive hydrogel is of great significance in restoring wound currents, promoting cell proliferation, and accelerating the wound healing process. However, the poor dispersity and underlying toxicity of electronic conductive fillers and high concentration of ionic conductors in traditional electroactive hydrogel limited its application in medical care. Herein, an electroactive oxidized sodium alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan/silver nanoparticles (OSA/CMCS/AgNPs) hydrogel was constructed with no additional conductive fillers or synthesized conductive polymers being added, in which the dynamic imine bonds were rapidly formed between aldehyde groups in OSA and amino groups in CMCS, and AgNPs were further in situ formed by UV irradiation.

Preparation of zinc phthalocyanine-loaded amphiphilic phosphonium chitosan nanomicelles for enhancement of photodynamic therapy efficacy.

To increase the solubility and the encapsulation of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT), a positively charged amphiphilic phosphonium chitosan nanomicelle with multi-benzene structure was developed, and its application to PDT was explored. N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine-(4-carboxybutyl) triphenylphosphonium bromide chitosan (CTPB-CS-NAP), a chitosan derivative with tunable amphiphilicity, was synthesized first. ZnPc was encapsulated in CTPB-CS-NAP at the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 4.

Construction of pH/glutathione responsive chitosan nanoparticles by a self-assembly/self-crosslinking method for photodynamic therapy.

A novel pH/glutathione (GSH) multi-responsive chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) material has been successfully designed and prepared by a self-assembly/self-crosslinking method for photodynamic therapy (PDT), which overcomes the shortcomings of traditional photosensitizer carriers, such as poor chemical stability, low loading efficiency and single-responsive photosensitizer release. Amphiphilic sulfhydryl chitosan (SA-CS-NAC) is first prepared by modifying chitosan (CS) with stearic acid (SA) and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and then subject to self-assembly and self-crosslinking in the presence of photosensitizer, indocyanine green (ICG), to form the ICG-loaded amphiphilic sulfhydryl chitosan nanoparticles (SA-CS-NAC@ICG NPs). The ICG entrapment efficiency and loading efficiency of the NPs are found to be 95.

Effects of salt concentration on the structure and properties of composite fiber of carboxymethyl cellulose/N-2-hydroxylpropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan prepared by polyelectoyte complexation-freeze drying.

The conventional electrospinning process for the preparation of fibers usually require complex equipment and complicated preparation processes, as well as chemical crosslinkers and organic solvents, which limits its application in the preparation of biomedical materials. In the current study, carboxymethyl cellulose/N-2-hydroxylpropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (CMC/HACC) composite fibers were fabricated by polyelectrolyte complexation (PEC) and freeze drying coupled method in both pure water and NaCl solution. The structures of the as-prepared fibers and the effects of NaCl concentration on the structures of fibers were studied by FTIR, solid C NMR, XRD, XPS and SEM.

Natural Hydrogels Applied in Photodynamic Therapy.

Natural hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) water-retaining materials with a skeleton consisting of natural polymers, their derivatives or mixtures. Natural hydrogels can provide sustained or controlled drug release and possess some unique properties of natural polymers, such as biodegradability, biocompatibility and some additional functions, such as CD44 targeting of hyaluronic acid. Natural hydrogels can be used with photosensitizers (PSs) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) to increase the range of applications.

Synthesis and application of a series of amphipathic chitosan derivatives and the corresponding magnetic nanoparticle-embedded polymeric micelles.

Magnetic nanoparticle-embedded polymeric micelles (MNP-PMs) prepared with amphipathic polymers are an important sustained-release carrier for hydrophobic drugs. The amphipathic chitosan derivatives (ACDs) based stimuli-responsive slow-release carriers have attracted considerable attentions because of the bioactivities and modifiability of chitosan. In the current study, a series of ACDs including alkylated N-(2-hydroxy) propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride (alkyl-HTCC) and alkylated polyethylene glycol N-(2-hydroxy) propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride (alkyl-PEG-HTCC) were prepared by the reductive amination of HTCC and PEG-HTCC, and their structures and properties were characterized.

Preparation of chitosan-Cu/NH physical hydrogel and its properties.

Chitosan (CTS) physical hydrogels crosslinked under gaseous ammonia atmospheres have attracted considerable attentions for their abilities to maximize the biological activities of CTS while maintaining their biocompatibility. However, poor mechanical properties significantly limit their application. The CTS-metal ion complexing hydrogels showed better mechanical properties.