Fabrication of self-assembled micelles based on amphiphilic oxidized sodium alginate grafted oleoamine derivatives via Schiff base reduction amination reaction for delivery of hydrophobic food active ingredients

Dodecyl glycoside intercalated organo-montmorillonite promoted biomimetic alginate/microcrystalline cellulose/nano-hydroxyapatite composite hydrogels for bone tissue engineering

To eliminate the brittleness of single ceramic materials and the poor mechanical properties, uncontrollable swelling and low biological activity of biological polysaccharides, thereby forming the tissue engineering scaffold capable of simulating natural bone tissue, alginate/microcrystalline cellulose/hydroxyapatite/organo-montmorillonite (ALG/MCC/HAP/OMMT) composite hydrogels were fabricated by in-situ crosslinking of alginate/microcrystalline cellulose mixed aqueous solution under the action of D-glucono-δ-lactone (GDL), using organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) as the filler and hydroxyapatite (HAP) as reinforcing agent and crosslinking agent. The experimental results indicated that non-ionic dodecyl polyglucoside (APG) intercalated into the interlayer of montmorillonite (MMT) through efficient wet ball milling technology to achieve the miscibility and effective dispersion of OMMT in alginate matrix. The presence of HAP and OMMT not only improved the mechanical properties, thermal stability, controllable swelling and degradability of the fabricated ALG/MCC/HAP/OMMT, but also enhanced their in vitro biomineralization performance. Furthermore, ALG/MCC/HAP/OMMT exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading rate (LR) for bovine serum albumin (BSA), and the BSA loading capacity increased with the increase of OMMT content. Meanwhile, ALG/MCC/HAP/OMMT also displayed good controlled release performance for BSA. Finally, the porous composite hydrogels formed by HAP, MCC and OMMT in alginate matrix presented good cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation properties under the synergistic effect of their respective characteristics. To note, the implantation experiment in rabbit radius indicated that the ALG/MCC/HAP/OMMT composite hydrogels could effectively promote new bone formation in vivo, which was expected to be applied to clinical research. The ultimate goal of this study is to clarify the regulation rule of OMMT content on the physicochemical properties and structure of ALG/MCC/HAP/OMMT composite hydrogel, protein loading and release, cell compatibility and bone repair in vivo by investigating the interaction between components in composite hydrogel, so as to acquire unique alginate composite hydrogel based bone tissue engineering scaffolds.

Targeted therapeutic strategy for oral squamous carcinoma using celecoxib-loaded GABA/wheat gluten-alginate nanocarrier hydrogel with glutathione down-regulation and enhanced CCND2-mediated apoptosis

The intricate architecture of the oral cavity results in insufficient surgical excision of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) potentially increasing the risk of metastasis and recurrence during treatment. In situ generating injectable hydrogels, characterized by minimally invasive methods, encapsulating stability, and pH-responsive breakdown have emerged as viable delivery systems. Herein, we aim to explore a particular therapeutic modality involving the use of celecoxib-loaded GABA/wheat gluten‑sodium alginate (SA/WG-GABA+COX(40)) nanocarriers in enhancing apoptosis of OSCC (HSC-3 & SCC-25). Eventually, drug release profiles show that loaded COX and GABA demonstrated 96.04% and 98.1% at 7.2 pH. Interestingly, crucial experimental techniques like MTT assay, AO/EB staining, DAPI labeling for SCC-25, and HSC-3 displayed the highest cell lysis percentages of 86.5% and 93.3%. Notably, OSCC cell proliferation and migration and cell multiplications were limited with formulated WG/SA-GABA+COX(40) which was evident from In vitro ROS assay, flow cytometry, and JC-1 analysis. In vivo histology, blood serum biochemistry, and tumor examination in xenograft nude mice demonstrated that SA/WG-GABA+COX(40) mice reduced HSC-3 tumor cell proliferation. Downregulation of glutathione and activation of CCND2 signaling pathway caused HSC-3 OSCC cell death. Henceforth, present findings offer an advanced drug delivery method for targeted chemotherapy in treating OSCC.

Wheat germ agglutinin modified mixed micelles overcome the dual barrier of mucus/enterocytes for effective oral absorption of shikonin and gefitinib

The combination of shikonin (SKN) and gefitinib (GFB) can reverse the drug resistance of lung cancer cells by affecting energy metabolism. However, the poor solubility of SKN and GFB limits their clinical application because of low bioavailability. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) can selectively bind to sialic acid and N-acetylglucosamine on the surfaces of microfold cells and enterocytes, and is a targeted biocompatible material. Therefore, we created a co-delivery micelle system called SKN/GFB@WGA-micelles with the intestinal targeting functions to enhance the oral absorption of SKN and GFB by promoting mucus penetration for nanoparticles via oral administration. In this study, Caco-2/HT29-MTX-E12 co-cultured cells were used to simulate a mucus/enterocyte dual-barrier environment, and HCC827/GR cells were used as a model of drug-resistant lung cancer. We aimed to evaluate the oral bioavailability and anti-tumor effect of SKN and GFB using the SKN/GFB@WGA-micelles system. In vitro and in vivo experimental results showed that WGA promoted the mucus penetration ability of micelles, significantly enhanced the uptake efficiency of enterocytes, improved the oral bioavailability of SKN and GFB, and exhibited good anti-tumor effects by reversing drug resistance. The SKN/GFB@WGA-micelles were stable in the gastrointestinal tract and provided a novel safe and effective drug delivery strategy.

Alginate based hemostatic materials for bleeding management: A review

Severe bleeding has caused significant financial losses as well as a major risk to the lives and health of military and civilian populations. Under some situations, the natural coagulation mechanism of the body is unable to achieve fast hemostasis without the use of hemostatic drugs. Thus, the development of hemostatic materials and techniques is essential. Improving the quality of life and survival rate of patients and minimizing bodily damage requires fast, efficient hemostasis and prevention of bleeding. Alginate is regarded as an outstanding hemostatic polymer because of its non-immunogenicity, biodegradability, good biocompatibility, simple gelation, non-toxicity, and easy availability. This review summarizes the basics of hemostasis and emphasizes the recent developments regarding alginate-based hemostatic systems. Structural modifications and mixing with other materials have widely been used for the improvement of hemostatic characteristics of alginate and for making multifunctional medical devices that not only prevent uncontrolled bleeding but also have antibacterial characteristics, drug delivery abilities, and curing effects. This review is hoped to prepare critical insights into alginate modifications for better hemostatic properties.