Polymeric hydrogels have drawn considerable attention as a biomedical material for their unique mechanical and chemical properties, which are very similar to natural tissues. Among the conventional hydrogel materials, self-healing hydrogels (SHH) are showing their promise in biomedical applications in tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery. Additionally, their responses can be controlled via external stimuli (e.g., pH, temperature, pressure, or radiation). Identifying a suitable combination of viscous and elastic materials, lipophilicity and biocompatibility are crucial challenges in the development of SHH. Furthermore, the trade-off relation between the healing performance and the mechanical toughness also limits their real-time applications. Additionally, short-term and long-term effects of many SHH in the in vivo model are yet to be reported. This review will discuss the mechanism of various SHH, their recent advancements, and their challenges in tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery.
This study focused on the interface of highly porous activated carbon (AC) electrodes fabricated from banana leaves with a series of polymeric binders like polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), along with examining their suitability in AC-based supercapacitor applications. The SEM analysis demonstrated that after the activation of carbon materials the number of pores significantly increased. During the study, a greater CV curve area was exhibited for the PVA binder than for PVDF and CMC. The specific capacitance values of the three binders were 170 Fg-1, 160 Fg-1, and 40 Fg-1, respectively, in GCD. Moreover, all of the binders' GCD curves were found to be quasi-symmetrical. However, the PVA binder showed a relatively better triangular shape and longer discharge time compared to CMC and PVDF. All these results demonstrate that PVA can be a better choice as a polymer binder in AC-based supercapacitors.
The poor solubility, lack of targetability, quick renal clearance, and degradability of many therapeutic and imaging agents strongly limit their applications inside the human body. Amphiphilic copolymers having self-assembling properties can form core-shell structures called micelles, a promising nanocarrier for hydrophobic drugs, plasmid DNA, oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and imaging agents. Fabrication of micelles loaded with different pharmaceutical agents provides numerous advantages including therapeutic efficacy, diagnostic sensitivity, and controlled release to the desired tissues. Moreover, due to their smaller particle size (10-100 nm) and modified surfaces with different functional groups (such as ligands) help them to accumulate easily in the target location, enhancing cellular uptake and reducing unwanted side effects. Furthermore, the release of the encapsulated agents may also be triggered from stimuli-sensitive micelles at different physiological conditions or by an external stimulus. In this review article, we discuss the recent advancement in formulating and targeting different natural and synthetic micelles including block copolymer micelles, cationic micelles, and dendrimers-, polysaccharide- and protein-based micelles for the delivery of different therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Finally, their applications, outcomes, and future perspectives have been summarized.
Obesity is a metabolic condition that accounts for life-threatening disorders like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes. There are several anti-obesity drugs currently available on the market, but many of them show poor bioavailability due to low water solubility. Several attempts have been made by researchers to improve the solubility of orally administered drugs, but many of them did not work properly. Herein, we introduced a block copolymer micelle consisting of poly (lactic acid)-co-poly (ethylene glycol) to improve the solubility of the anti-obesity drug "Fenofibrate.” The block copolymer was synthesized using the polycondensation method, while the micelle was formed when water was added dropwise to the copolymer. Finally, laser light scattering and DLS analysis were used to confirm the micelle formation. The size of the micelle increased from 158 nm to 249 nm after the fenofibrate drug loading inside the hydrophobic core. The polymer PLA-co-PEG can be used as a carrier for orally administered fenofibrate drugs in the future for better water solubility and efficiency.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.