Background: Ulvan is a natural polymer and type of sulfated polysaccharides from green seaweed that could have potential as a candidate for wound dressing material based on the support of its biopolymer characteristics such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Objective: In this study, we developed and prepared three different hydrogel films to explore the potency of ulvan for wound dressing application. Methods: Ulvan hydrogel films were prepared by the facile method through ionic crosslinking with boric acid and added glycerol as a plasticizer. The films were evaluated in regard to swelling degree, water vapor transmission (WVTR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), powder x-ray diffractometry (P-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical properties, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), antimicrobial, and antioxidant activity. Results: The hydrogel films showed that the different concentration of ulvan in the formula affects the characteristics of the hydrogel film. The higher the concentration of ulvan in UHF, the higher the value of viscosity (201±13.45 to 689±62.23 cps for UHF5 to UHF10), swelling degree (82% to 130% for UHF5 to UHF10 at 1 h), moisture content (24%±1.94% to 18.4%±0.51 for UHF5 to UHF10), and the WVTR were obtained in the range 1856-2590g/m 2 /24h. Meanwhile, the SEM showed porous hydrogel film. Besides, all hydrogel films can reduce hydroxyl radicals and inhibit gram-positive and negative bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus epidermidis). Conclusion:The swelling behavior and WVTR of these films are great and could have potential as a wound dressing biomaterial, supported by their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

α-mangostin (αM), a xanthone derivative compound isolated from the extract of mangosteen pericarp (Garcinia mangostana L), has potential anticancer properties for breast cancer. However, it has poor solubility in water and low selectivity towards cancer cells. The polymeric nanoparticle formulation approach can be used to overcome these problems. In this study, a chitosan biopolymer-based αM polymeric nanoparticle formulation was encapsulated using kappa carrageenan (αM-Ch/Cr) as a novel carrier for breast cancer therapy and evaluated for their physicochemical properties, drug release profile, and in vitro cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Polymeric nanoparticles formulated with varying concentrations of kappa carrageenan were successfully prepared by ionic gelation and spray pyrolysis techniques. αM-Ch/Cr nanoparticles formed perfectly round particles with a size of 200–400 nm and entrapment efficiency ≥ 98%. In vitro release studies confirmed that αM-Ch/Cr nanoparticles had a sustained release system profile. Interestingly, the formulation of polymeric nanoparticles significantly (p < 0.05) increased the cytotoxicity of αM against MCF-7 cell with IC50 value of 4.7 μg/mL compared to the non-nanoparticle with IC50 of 8.2 μg/mL. These results indicate that αM-Ch/Cr nanoparticles have the potential to improve the physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity effects of αM compounds as breast cancer therapy agents.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancer diseases with the increase of cases prevalence >5% every year. Multidrug resistance mechanisms and non-localized therapy become primary problems of chemotherapy drugs for curing colorectal cancer disease. Therefore, the enteric-coated nanoparticle system has been studied and proved to be able to resolve those problems with good performance for colorectal cancer. The highlight of our review aims to summarize and discuss the enteric-coated nanoparticle drug delivery system specific for colorectal cancer disease. The main and supporting literatures were collected from published research articles of journals indexed in Scopus and PubMed databases. In the oral route of administration, Eudragit pH-sensitive copolymer as a coating agent prevents the degradation of the nanoparticle system from the gastric fluid and releases drug to intestinal-colon track. Therefore, it provides a colon-specific targeting ability. Impressively, enteric-coated nanoparticles having a sustained release profile significantly increase the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapeutic drugs and achieve cell-specific target delivery. The enteric-coated nanoparticle drug delivery system represents an excellent modification to improve the effectiveness and performance of anticancer drugs for colorectal cancer disease in terms of the oral route of administration.

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