Bionanotechnology in Skin Nutritional Cosmetics for a Beauty from Within

A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials and Devices for Healthcare Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 6013

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Skin acts as a biological barrier serving as thermal insulation, immunological balance, prevention of water loss and protection of the body's internal organs from environmental aggressions, including pollution and sunlight. These aggressions affect the composition of sebum and the quality of the outermost primary barrier of skin (i.e., the stratum corneum (SC)), and promote various harmful damages, including systemic immunosuppression, oxidative stress and metabolic deficiencies. Among the more visible consequences, there are the signs of skin aging with the formation of the so-called aged-spots, fine lines and wrinkles which, together with some particular diseases, are of great interest for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

The role of cosmetics is to balance the cell turnover and improve the metabolism of xenobiotics, protecting the skin's structure and function, while advanced medications help to solve problems regarding skin alteration, including dysbiosis, wounds, burns and other diseases. Naturally, in order to be effective, the active ingredients of cosmetics, foods and advanced medications have to penetrate and be released through skin and mucous membranes, being safe and free of any toxic side effects. The great recent progress in nanobiotechnology has helped to solve the problem of the active ingredients' penetration, thus obtaining a higher effectiveness of cosmetics and dietary supplements to slow down the skin’s aging processes and to obtain better outcomes for skin wounds and burns.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased consumers’ focus on product sustainability regarding human health and environmental protection. Consequently, interest has increased not only regarding the source and convenience of the selected ingredients used for the formulations of cosmetics, advanced medications and dietary supplements, but also for their overall impact on both health and the environment. Thus, there has been increased demand for green and safe beauty products and medications because consumers and patients like to feel better, healthier, happier and more satisfied in themselves, especially amidst this unexpected pandemic. Additionally, there has been an increased demand for high-technology products made of natural bioingredients, which have to be skin- and environment-friendly and therefore packed in biodegradable containers, possibly plastic-free. For all these reasons, the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have increased their investments in research and innovation by science-driven studies with the aim to bettering the quality of life of all consumers with the help of bionanotechnology, with benefits for human health and the environment. It has been shown that the shape, size and surface properties of micro/nanoingredients may help these ingredients to penetrate skin tissue and mucous membranes, and their natural origin and recovery from waste material may be of help to rebalance the life of the global and complex environment, saving its biodiversity. Particles larger than 60 nm tend to have difficulty diffusing, for example, through the native extracellular matrix (ECM), and larger particles are unable to maneuver through it, while the excessive waste material and polluted micro/nano particles invading air, land and oceans are the main cause of environmental disasters and human diseases.

This Special Issue will try to propose some solutions through the recovery of bioactive micro/nano ingredients and tools that might be used for their effectiveness and safety at level of skin and mucous membranes showing the enhancement of their mechanism of action by the use of innovative particulates and smart carriers, able to enhance their penetration, safeguarding human health and the environment. Thus, the reported studies will try to solve the many problems regarding the selection and use of various bioactive natural ingredients, evidencing their possible penetration through skin and mucous membranes, connected not only to their physicochemical characteristics and biological effectiveness, but also to the utilized carriers. The vehicle should have the capacity to load, transport and release the active ingredients at the level of skin and mucous membrane layers, at the dose and time designed, thus being able to enhance their effectiveness to slow down the formation of wrinkles and repair wounds or burns in a short time, at low cost and without the formation of hypertrophic scars and/or keloids, thus giving the body a youthful and healthy appearance. Bionanotechnology seems to represent new support for enhancing the activity, effectiveness and safety of innovative and more functional bio-ingredients and carriers, which is the main aim of this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Pierfrancesco Morganti
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • bionanotechnology and cosmetics
  • bionanotechnology and skin nutraceuticals
  • bioingredients for the formulation of nutracosmeceuticals
  • natural cosmetics and biotechnology
  • cosmetics and health
  • the combined use of cosmetics and dietary supplements
  • advancement of hair color using
  • bionanotechnology
  • bionanotechnology and health
  • technicalities and specifics of cosmetics and cosmeceuticals

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 6744 KiB  
Article
Application of the Composite Fibers Based on Chitosan and Chitin Nanofibrils in Cosmetology
by Vera V. Kodolova-Chukhontseva, Elena N. Dresvyanina, Yulia A. Nashchekina, Irina P. Dobrovol’skaya, Sergei G. Bystrov, Elena M. Ivan’kova, Vladimir E. Yudin and Pierfrancesco Morganti
J. Funct. Biomater. 2022, 13(4), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb13040198 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1876
Abstract
Chitosan and composite fibers containing chitin nanofibrils have been developed for use in cosmetology. The tensile strength of the chitosan multifilaments is 160.6 ± 19.0 MPa, and of the composite multifilaments containing chitin, nanofibrils are 198.0 ± 18.4 MPa. Chitin nanofibrils introduced into [...] Read more.
Chitosan and composite fibers containing chitin nanofibrils have been developed for use in cosmetology. The tensile strength of the chitosan multifilaments is 160.6 ± 19.0 MPa, and of the composite multifilaments containing chitin, nanofibrils are 198.0 ± 18.4 MPa. Chitin nanofibrils introduced into the chitosan solution contribute to the creation of a new spatial arrangement of chitosan chains and their denser packing. The studies carried out by optical, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopy has shown that the serum, consisting of a mixture of lactic acid and sodium lactate, contains extended oriented structures—“liquid filaments”. It has been also shown that a mixture of serum and composite fibers based on chitosan and chitin nanofibrils has mucoadhesive, film-forming properties. The introduction of composite fibers containing chitin nanofibrils into the serum promotes the reinforcing effect of liquid filaments, the lifting effect of the film. The obtained composition can be used in cosmetology as a skin care product. Full article
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15 pages, 13375 KiB  
Article
Influence of Electric Field on Proliferation Activity of Human Dermal Fibroblasts
by Almaz Kamalov, Mikhail Shishov, Natalia Smirnova, Vera Kodolova-Chukhontseva, Irina Dobrovol’skaya, Konstantin Kolbe, Andrei Didenko, Elena Ivan’kova, Vladimir Yudin and Pierfrancesco Morganti
J. Funct. Biomater. 2022, 13(3), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb13030089 - 29 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3344
Abstract
In this work, an electrically conductive composite based on thermoplastic polyimide and graphene was obtained and used as a bioelectrode for electrical stimulation of human dermal fibroblasts. The values of the electrical conductivity of the obtained composite films varied from 10−15 to [...] Read more.
In this work, an electrically conductive composite based on thermoplastic polyimide and graphene was obtained and used as a bioelectrode for electrical stimulation of human dermal fibroblasts. The values of the electrical conductivity of the obtained composite films varied from 10−15 to 102 S/m with increasing graphene content (from 0 to 5.0 wt.%). The characteristics of ionic and electronic currents flowing through the matrix with the superposition of cyclic potentials ± 100 mV were studied. The high stability of the composite was established during prolonged cycling (130 h) in an electric field with a frequency of 0.016 Hz. It was established that the composite films based on polyimide and graphene have good biocompatibility and are not toxic to fibroblast cells. It was shown that preliminary electrical stimulation increases the proliferative activity of human dermal fibroblasts in comparison with intact cells. It is revealed that an electric field with a strength E = 0.02–0.04 V/m applied to the polyimide films containing 0.5–3.0 wt.% of the graphene nanoparticles activates cellular processes (adhesion, proliferation). Full article
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