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Biopolymers for Enhanced Health Benefits—2nd Edition
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Biopolymers for Enhanced Health Benefits—2nd Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecules".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2025) | Viewed by 2963

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Leonard-Ionut Atanase

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biomaterials, Faculty of Medical Dentistry, “Apollonia” University of Iasi, 700511 Iasi, Romania
2. Academy of Romanian Scientists, 050045 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: block and graft copolymers; micelles; colloids; emulsions; drug delivery; polysaccharides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent times, biopolymers have gained increasing importance among research groups around the world as biomaterials for a variety of biological activities. Plants, yeast, fungi, bacteria, and mammals are among the living species that produce biopolymers. Biopolymers are polymers that fall into three categories: polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids. Biopolymers play a variety of critical roles in these living creatures, including in their structure, signaling, defense, pathogenicity, and so on. Biopolymers have a diverse chemical structure, and their physicochemical properties make them suitable for clinical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications due to their versatile characteristics, such as their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low immunogenicity, which are key features in the design of novel advanced materials. Furthermore, the modification of biopolymers with different functional groups has resulted in improved features such as the generation of stimuli-responsive materials, improved interaction with guest biomolecules, and physical property enhancements. As a result, several systems using biopolymers in a variety of formulations (i.e., hydrogels, fibers, films, micro/nanoparticles, etc.) have been developed for application in multiple domains, such as tissue engineering, scaffolds, implant coatings, drug delivery, nutraceutical encapsulation systems, wound healing, bioimaging, for diagnostic purposes, and so on. Furthermore, antibacterial, antibiofilm, anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, and antiviral actions have been demonstrated in biopolymer-based advanced materials.

Since Volume 1 of the Special Issue “Biopolymers for Enhanced Health Benefits” was successful, we have reopened this issue again for the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms, ISSN 1422-0067, IF 5.6, JCR Category Q1). This Special Issue intends to collate recent original reviews and cutting-edge research works that focus on the innovative biopolymer-based materials employed in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and biomedical science.

Prof. Dr. Leonard-Ionut Atanase
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanocomposites
  • biomedical materials
  • stimuli-responsive materials
  • wound healing
  • biomaterials
  • tissue engineering
  • regenerative medicine
  • targeted and controlled drug delivery
  • in vitro and in vivo biological activities
  • polymers for biomedical application
  • surface modification and their characterization
  • antibacterial & antiviral
  • microbial biofilms
  • medical-related antimicrobial/antiviral polymers

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 12583 KiB  
Article
Dual Biopolymer Layer Using Nanoparticles with Active Substance Enclosed in Microcapsules: Innovative Solution for Slow Release of Ginkgo biloba L. Extract for Potential Therapies
by Przemysław Sitarek, Monika Owczarek, Tomasz Kowalczyk, Wirginia Kukula-Koch, Magdalena Lasoń-Rydel and Lucyna Herczyńska
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 3066; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26073066 - 27 Mar 2025
Viewed by 424
Abstract
The dynamic development of various branches of medicine and pharmacy, along with the emergence of new preventive and alternative therapies for various diseases, creates opportunities for new solutions utilizing carriers of active substances. Their therapeutic effect may occur through direct contact with skin [...] Read more.
The dynamic development of various branches of medicine and pharmacy, along with the emergence of new preventive and alternative therapies for various diseases, creates opportunities for new solutions utilizing carriers of active substances. Their therapeutic effect may occur through direct contact with skin lesions or indirectly, where medicinal substances penetrate the capillary network in the deeper layers of the skin and reach the bloodstream. The aim of the research was to obtain carriers with a matrix consisting of two renewable-source polymers (chitosan and ethylcellulose) and a core material derived from Ginkgo biloba green leaf extract (GBE). The obtained ethylcellulose microcapsules with encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles with extract {Et[Ch(GB)NP]} were characterized with respect to size, shape, surface morphology (SEM microscopy), and active substance release kinetics (UV-VIS and mathematical release models). The kinetics of active substance release were analyzed using UV-VIS spectroscopy and mathematical release models. The released active components were assessed microbiologically for activity against six bacterial strains and two fungal strains, as well as chromatographically using HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS fingerprinting. The microcapsules with a dual polymer layer exhibited a slow release of the core material, which demonstrated microbiological activity. The strongest antimicrobial effects were observed against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella enteritidis, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 410 µg/mL. The release of the core material from the double-layer polymer structures was more efficient in a physiological saline environment, with the best fit for the extract release kinetics following a zero-order model (regression coefficient R2 = 0.9939). The obtained microcapsules with a dual polymer layer show great potential for therapeutic applications in the medical industry. Their controlled release properties and antibacterial effectiveness make them a promising carrier for active substances in modern therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers for Enhanced Health Benefits—2nd Edition)
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25 pages, 22466 KiB  
Article
Comparative In Vitro Study between Biocompatible Chitosan-Based Magnetic Nanocapsules and Liposome Formulations with Potential Application in Anti-Inflammatory Therapy
by Gabriela Vochița, Anca Niculina Cadinoiu, Delia-Mihaela Rață, Leonard Ionuț Atanase, Marcel Popa, Athar Mahdieh, Cosmin-Teodor Mihai, Alexandru-Bogdan Stache, Cristina-Veronica Moldovan, Elena Simona Băcăiţă, Iustina Petra Condriuc and Daniela Gherghel
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(15), 8454; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25158454 - 2 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1642
Abstract
This study describes the comparison between the interaction of a series of peptide-functionalized chitosan-based nanocapsules and liposomes with two cell lines, i.e., mouse macrophages RAW 264.7 and human endothelial cells EA.hy926. Both types of nanocarriers are loaded with magnetic nanoparticles and designed for [...] Read more.
This study describes the comparison between the interaction of a series of peptide-functionalized chitosan-based nanocapsules and liposomes with two cell lines, i.e., mouse macrophages RAW 264.7 and human endothelial cells EA.hy926. Both types of nanocarriers are loaded with magnetic nanoparticles and designed for anti-inflammatory therapy. The choice of these magnetic nanostructures is argued based on their advantages in terms of size, morphology, chemical composition, and the multiple possibilities of modifying their surface. Moreover, active targeting might be ensured by using an external magnetic field. To explore the impact of chitosan-based nanocapsules and liposomes on cell cytophysiology, the cell viability, using the MTT assay, and cell morphology were investigated. The results revealed low to moderate cytotoxicity of free nanocapsules and significant cytotoxicity induced by chitosan-coated liposomes loaded with dexamethasone, confirming its release from the delivery system. Thus, after 48 h of treatment with nanocapsules, the viability of RAW 264.7 cells varied between 88.18% (OCNPM-1I, 3.125 µg/mL) and 76.37% (OCNPM-1, 25 µg/mL). In the same conditions, EA.hy926 cell viability was between 99.91% (OCNPM-3, 3.125 µg/mL) and 75.15% (OCNPM-3, 25 µg/mL) at the highest dose (25 µg/mL), the values being comparable for both cell lines. Referring to the cell reactivity after dexamethasone-loaded liposome application, the lowest viability of RAW 264.7 cells was 41.25% (CLDM5CP-1, 25 µg/mL) and 58.20% (CLDMM2CP-1 1.25 µg/mL) in the endothelial cell line, proving a selective character of action of nanocarriers. The cell morphology test, performed to support and confirm the results obtained by the MTT test, revealed a differentiated response for the two types of nano-carriers. As expected, an intense cytotoxic effect in the case of dexamethasone-loaded liposomes and a lack of cytotoxicity for drug-free nanocapsules were noticed. Therefore, our study demonstrated the biocompatible feature of the studied nanocarriers, which highlights them for future research as potential drug delivery systems for pharmacological applications, including anti-inflammatory therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers for Enhanced Health Benefits—2nd Edition)
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