Influence of pH on the release of an active principle from 3D printed carrageenan-k combined with alginate or xanthan gum

3D printing of pharmaceutical dosage forms: Recent advances and applications

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also referred to as additive manufacturing, is considered to be a game-changing technology in many industries and is also considered to have potential use cases in pharmaceutical manufacturing, especially if individualization is desired. In this review article the authors systematically researched literature published during the last 5 years (2019 - spring 2024) on the topic of 3D printed dosage forms. Besides all kinds of oral dosage forms ranging from tablets and capsules to films, pellets, etc., numerous reports were also identified on parenteral and cutaneous dosage forms and also rectal, vaginal, dental, intravesical, and ophthalmic preparations. In total, more than 500 publications were identified and grouped according to the site of administration, and an overview of the manuscripts is presented here. Furthermore, selected publications are described and discussed in more detail. The review highlights the very different approaches that are currently used in order to develop 3D printed dosage forms but also addresses remaining challenges.

Stimuli-responsive carrageenan-based biomaterials for biomedical applications

Carrageenan-based biomaterials have attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their unique biological properties, including their biodegradability, compatibility, and lack of adverse effects. These biomaterials exhibit a variety of beneficial properties, such as antiviral, antitumor, and immunomodulatory effects, which set them apart from other polysaccharides. Stimuli-responsive carrageenan-based biomaterials have attracted particular attention due to their unique properties, such as reducing systemic toxicity and controlling drug release. In this review, a comprehensive investigation of stimuli-responsive carrageenan-based biomaterials was conducted under the influence of various stimuli such as pH, electric field, magnetic field, temperature, light, and ions. These structures exhibited good stimulus-responsive properties and involved corresponding physical and chemical changes, such as changes in swelling ratio and gelling power among others. The biomedical application of carrageenan-based stimuli-responsive biomaterials in the field of tissue engineering, anticancer, antibacterial, and food monitoring has been investigated, showing the great potential of these structures. Although there are promising developments in the design and use of stimuli-responsive carrageenan-based biomaterials, further research is advisable to further investigate their potential applications, particularly in animal models. Extensive studies are needed to investigate the benefits and limitations of these materials to ensure their safety and effective use in biomedical applications.

Innovative chitin-glucan based material obtained from mycelium of wood decay fungal strains

Fungi are an alternative source to animal-based chitin. In fungi, chitin fibrils are strongly interconnected and bound with glucans that justify the unique matrix. The present study aimed to extract chitin and glucans from the mycelium of several wood decay fungal strains in order to obtain flexible materials and to check correlations between chitin content and the mechanical properties of these materials. Five strains were chosen in consideration of their different cell wall chemical composition (high content of α-glucans, β-glucans or chitin) to evaluate how these differences could influence the mechanical and chemical characteristics of the material. The fungal strains were cultivated in liquid-submerged dynamic fermentation (both flasks and bioreactor). Chitin and glucans were crosslinked with acetic acid and plasticized with glycerol to obtain flexible sheets. Abortiporus biennis, Fomitopsis iberica and Stereum hirsutum strains were found to adapt to produce material with adequate flexibility. The obtained materials were characterized by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for the understanding of the material composition. The material obtained from each species was mechanically tested in terms of tear strength, elongation at break, and Young's modulus.