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Topic Review
Milk Whey Hydrolysates as High Value-Added Natural Polymers
There are two types of milk whey obtained from cheese manufacture: sweet and acid. It retains around 55% of the nutrients of the milk. Milk whey is considered as a waste, creating a critical pollution problem, because 9 L of whey are produced from every 10 L of milk. Some treatments such as hydrolysis by chemical, fermentation process, enzymatic action, and green technologies (ultrasound and thermal treatment) are successful in obtaining peptides from protein whey. Milk whey peptides possess excellent functional properties such as antihypertensive, antiviral, anticancer, immunity, and antioxidant, with benefits in the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, and nervous system.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Cellulose Coarse-Grained
Cellulose is the most common biopolymer and widely used in our daily life. Due to its unique properties and biodegradability, it has been attracting increased attention in the recent years and various new applications of cellulose and its derivatives are constantly being found. The development of new materials with improved properties, however, is not always an easy task, and theoretical models and computer simulations can often help in this process.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Self-Healing Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications
Self-healing is the remarkable ability of living organisms to repair their own damage by themselves. Inspired from nature, the great challenge for researchers is to create and develop polymers and composites with high potential for self-healing, offering alternatives to the current options and moving toward materials with extended service lifetime for various applications. Most of recent publications in this area concern innovative (bio)materials with excellent healing performance, such as ionomers, semiconductors, self-assembling systems, hydrogels, micro- and nanoparticles, coatings, films and membranes, capsules, vascular networks, shape memory or stimuli-induced self-healing materials, etc. They are able to spontaneously repair themselves after damage or degradation, recovering structural integrity and functionality by increasing the rate of healing versus the rate of damage. A recent published approach  (Polymers 2022, 14, 130) is a synergetic combination of the polymer characteristics with those of proteins/peptides in order to prepare stable networks with high elasticity and self-healing ability, suitable for biomedical applications.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Natural and Synthetic Polymeric Biomaterials in Wound Management
Biomaterials are at the forefront of the future, finding a variety of applications in the biomedical field, especially in wound healing, thanks to their biocompatible and biodegradable properties. Wounds spontaneously try to heal through a series of interconnected processes involving several initiators and mediators such as cytokines, macrophages, and fibroblasts. The combination of biopolymers with wound healing properties may provide opportunities to synthesize matrices that stimulate and trigger target cell responses crucial to the healing process. 
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Biomimetic Smart Materials
Biomimicry, rooted in emulating nature’s sophisticated solutions, serves as the foundational framework for developing materials endowed with remarkable characteristics, including adaptability, responsiveness, and self-transformation. These advanced engineered biomimetic materials, featuring attributes such as shape memory and self-healing properties, undergo rigorous synthesis and characterization procedures, with the overarching goal of seamless integration into the field of additive manufacturing. The resulting synergy between advanced manufacturing techniques and nature-inspired materials promises to revolutionize the production of objects capable of dynamic responses to environmental stimuli. Extending beyond the confines of laboratory experimentation, these self-transforming objects hold significant potential across diverse industries, showcasing innovative applications with profound implications for object design and fabrication. Through the reduction of waste generation, minimization of energy consumption, and the reduction of environmental footprint, the integration of biomaterials, biopolymers, and additive manufacturing signifies a pivotal step towards fostering ecologically conscious design and manufacturing practices. Within this context, inanimate three-dimensional objects will possess the ability to transcend their static nature and emerge as dynamic entities capable of evolution, self-repair, and adaptive responses in harmony with their surroundings. The confluence of biomimicry and additive manufacturing techniques establishes a seminal precedent for a profound reconfiguration of contemporary approaches to design, manufacturing, and ecological stewardship, thereby decisively shaping a more resilient and innovative global milieu.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Biochar and Cementitious Composites
Cementitious materials are one of the most used infrastructure materials worldwide due to their low cost, well-developed production methods, and well adaptability to varying environmental conditions. Cementitious composites are mainly divided into three groups, i.e., concrete, mortar and paste. Being quasi brittle, they are prone to cracking, which greatly compromises their strength and durability. Due significance has been given to mitigate the brittle behavior of cementitious composites in the past: Various studies are available, intended at improving the tensile strain capacity of the cementitious materials. Apart from conventional steel reinforcement, inclusion of fibers has remained the focus of many studies.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Jun 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Solid Lipid Nanoparticles
Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are produced from physiologically biocompatible lipids. They have been proven to improve solubility, cellular uptake, and stability, reduce enzyme degradation, and prolong the circulation time of various drugs. SLNs have been applied in the oral, parenteral, transdermal, intranasal, ocular, and pulmonary drug delivery of different drugs, with enhanced safety, bioavailability, and overall therapeutic effects. In this entry, the authors summarize the primary features of SLNs, methods to prepare SLNs, and recent applications of SLNs in drug delivery. Owing to their advantages, SLNs are potential drug delivery systems to improve the management of various diseases and will, soon, be available for clinical use. 
  • 1.2K
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
Prospect Biomedical Applications of Novel Functional Metallic Glasses
The continuous development of novel materials for biomedical applications is resulting in an increasingly better prognosis for patients. The application of more advanced materials relates to fewer complications and a desirable higher percentage of successful treatments. New, innovative materials being considered for biomedical applications are metallic alloys with an amorphous internal structure called metallic glasses. They are currently in a dynamic phase of development both in terms of formulating new chemical compositions and testing their properties in terms of intended biocompatibility. 
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Biosensors for Bacterial/Viral Detection
Biosensors are measurement devices that can sense several biomolecules, and are widely used for the detection of relevant clinical pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, showing outstanding results. Because of the latent existing risk of facing another pandemic like the one we are living through due to COVID-19, researchers are constantly looking forward to developing new technologies for diagnosis and treatment of infections caused by different bacteria and viruses. Regarding that, nanotechnology has improved biosensors' design and performance through the development of materials and nanoparticles that enhance their affinity, selectivity, and efficacy in detecting these pathogens, such as employing nanoparticles, graphene quantum dots, and electrospun nanofibers. 
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Definition and Measurement of Pore Structure
Porous structure is an important three-dimensional morphological feature of the peripheral nerve guidance conduit (NGC), which permits the infiltration of cells, nutrients, and molecular signals and the discharge of metabolic waste. Porous structures with precisely customized pore sizes, porosities, and connectivities are being used to construct fully permeable, semi-permeable, and asymmetric peripheral NGCs for the replacement of traditional nerve autografts in the treatment of long-segment peripheral nerve injury.
  • 1.2K
  • 19 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Peptide-Based Gene Delivery Vectors
Gene therapy is the ultimate therapeutic technology for diseases related to gene abnormality. However, the use of DNA alone has serious problems, such as poor stability and difficulty in entering target cells. The development of a safe and efficient gene delivery system is the cornerstone of gene therapy. Of particular interest, multifunctional peptides are rationally designed as non-viral vectors for efficient gene delivery. As components of gene delivery vectors, these peptides play critically important roles in skeleton construction, the implementation of targeting strategies, cell membrane penetration, endosome rupture, and nuclear transport.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Functionalization of Long-Period Fiber Grating-Based Biosensors
Long-period fiber grating (LPFG)-based biosensors are being increasingly proposed due to their intrinsic advantages over conventional sensors, including their compactness, potential remote control and immunity to electromagnetic interference. When designing a biosensor, it is a key technological step to select the sensitive material suitable for the biological target. Therefore, the functionalization of LPFG-based biosensor is a fundamental step in realizing biochemical applications. Several common functionalization methods are introduced in detailed, such as covalent immobilization of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane silanization and graphene oxide  functionalization, and noncovalent immobilization of layer-by-layer assembly method.
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Photoresponsive Supramolecular Systems
Photosensitive supramolecular systems have garnered attention due to their potential to catalyze highly specific tasks through structural changes triggered by a light stimulus. The tunability of their chemical structure and charge transfer properties provides opportunities for designing and developing smart materials for multidisciplinary applications. Photoswitchable systems designed to catalyze chemical reactions must incorporate the appropriate photochromic units into the system to translate the structural switching states into a different chemical reactivity. 
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Polymers for Tissue Engineering
Tissue Engineering (TE) is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses materials science in combination with biological and engineering sciences. Polymeric porous scaffolds play a critical role in TE strategies for providing a favorable environment for tissue restoration and establishing the interaction of the biomaterial with cells and inducing substances.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Fibers
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), or nosocomial infections, are a global health and economic problem in developed and developing countries, particularly for immunocompromised patients in their intensive care units (ICUs) and surgical site hospital areas. Recurrent pathogens in HAIs prevail over antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For this reason, natural antibacterial mechanisms are a viable alternative for HAI treatment. Natural fibers can inhibit bacterial growth, which can be considered a great advantage in these applications.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Hydrogels via Diels–Alder Crosslinking
The Diels–Alder (DA) reaction is a promising tool for obtaining covalently crosslinked hydrogels due to its reaction bioorthogonality, the absence of by-products, and the application of mild conditions without a catalyst. The resulting hydrogels are in demand for use in various fields of materials science and biomedicine.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Feb 2023
Topic Review
DNA-Based Artificial Transmembrane Channels for Biomedical Applications
Biomolecular channels on the cell membrane are essential for transporting substances across the membrane to maintain cell physiological activity. Artificial transmembrane channels used to mimic biological membrane channels can regulate intra/extracellular ionic and molecular homeostasis, and they elucidate cellular structures and functionalities. Due to their program design, facile preparation, and high biocompatibility, DNA nanostructures have been widely used as scaffolds for the design of artificial transmembrane channels and exploited for ionic and molecular transport and biomedical applications. DNA-based artificial channels can be designed from two structural modules: DNA nanotubes/nanopores as transport modules for mass transportation and hydrophobic segments as anchor modules for membrane immobilization. 
  • 1.2K
  • 19 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Bioapplications of Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers
Amphiphilic Janus dendrimers (JDs) can be defined as dendritic macromolecules made of two dendrons with opposite polarities, which either differ from each other by their terminal groups, or their structures differ entirely. Amphiphilic JDs are named following a more or less general scheme that encompass in this order, the lipophilic dendrons, the core if exists, and the hydrophilic dendrons. The unique architectures of amphiphilic Janus dendrimers, with multifunctional terminal groups, different structures of branches in a single molecule (beside the capacity of self-assembly in aqueous media forming dendrimersomes, which in turn benefit from properties like predictable size and thickness, stability and biocompatibility), constitute premises for a wide range of biomedical applications where conventional dendrimers have failed.
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Lyotropic Liquid Crystals for Efficient Intestinal Lymphatic Targeting
Lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) are liquids that have crystalline structures. LLCs as drug delivery systems that can deliver hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and amphiphilic agents. Due to their unique phases and structures, LLCs can protect both small molecules and biologics from the gastrointestinal tract’s harsh environment, thus making LLCs attractive as carriers for oral drug delivery.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Lipid-Based Nano-Systems
Lipid-based delivery systems can be similarly designed to encapsulate and protect bioactive ingredients and enhance their functionality, stability, and bioavailability. Lipid-based delivery systems are composed of lipids such as triglycerides, phospholipids, and waxes, which form a stable matrix that can encapsulate various types of bioactive ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Mar 2023
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