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Polymers
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Hydrogels, Biopolymers, and Applications as Antimicrobial Agents
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Hydrogels, Biopolymers, and Applications as Antimicrobial Agents

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 2159

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Samir Haj Bloukh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Ajman University, Ajman P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates
Interests: antimicrobial resistance; virulogy; immunology; microbiology; biopolymers; iodophors; infection control; polyiodides; plant-based antimicrobials; disinfectants
Dr. Zehra Edis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Ajman University, Ajman P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates
Interests: green chemistry; biobased/biodegradable polymers; biomaterial-polymer formulations; polymeric iodophors; antimicrobial bio-based polymeric formulations; bio-nano composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a danger to the future of mankind. The WHO has been warning for years against the increasing number of resistant pathogens against the available synthetic antimicrobials. AMR is linked to raised treatment costs and durations, as well as a surge in morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the uncontrolled use of antimicrobials to save patients escalated a silent AMR pandemic. Alternative pathways are needed to stop the ongoing surge of AMR. New investigations include hydrogels and biopolymers with different applications in the prevention or treatment of wounds and infections. Such materials could include plant-based formulations and iodophors, as well as essential oils and other sustainable materials. These compounds could serve to mitigate the spread and control of infections in alternative ways against AMR.

This Special Issue of Polymers invites all investigations with alternative approaches related to infection control. All studies highlighting public health, as well as materials science and their applications, are welcome and not limited to public health issues. With this Special Issue, we would like to raise awareness against microbial resistance and collect innovative approaches towards securing sustainable quality and safety for mankind on planet Earth.

Prof. Dr. Samir Haj Bloukh
Dr. Zehra Edis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • antimicrobial resistance
  • hydrogels
  • biopolymers
  • iodophors
  • infection control

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 4170 KiB  
Article
Development of a Chitosan-Silver Nanocomposite/β-1,3-Glucan/Hyaluronic Acid Composite as an Antimicrobial System for Wound Healing
by Cheng-Jung Yao, Shu-Jyuan Yang, Ming-Jium Shieh and Tai-Horng Young
Polymers 2025, 17(3), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17030350 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 882
Abstract
An ideal wound dressing should be biocompatible, exhibit high antibacterial activity, and promote blood coagulation in the wound. In this study, we used chitosan as a multifunctional template to synthesize silver nanoparticles embedded in chitosan (Ag NP@CHI), which were then combined with β-1,3-glucan/hyaluronic [...] Read more.
An ideal wound dressing should be biocompatible, exhibit high antibacterial activity, and promote blood coagulation in the wound. In this study, we used chitosan as a multifunctional template to synthesize silver nanoparticles embedded in chitosan (Ag NP@CHI), which were then combined with β-1,3-glucan/hyaluronic acid (HA) to form an Ag NP@CHI/β-1,3-glucan/HA composite material with biocompatibility, wound healing-promoting properties, and antibacterial activity. A high concentration of chitosan led to the formation of smaller crystalline structures of Ag NPs and improved their dispersion within the chitosan matrix, but decreased their antibacterial potency. The Ag NP@CHI prepared with 1.0 mg/mL chitosan had the smallest particle size and good antibacterial activity. Compared to Ag NP@CHI, the prepared Ag NP@CHI/β-1,3-glucan/HA composite significantly enhanced biocompatibility, cell migration, hemocompatibility, and blood coagulation, with a minor reduction in antibacterial efficiency due to restricted ionic silver release and diffusion. With its high biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, promotion of blood coagulation and wound healing, and antibacterial efficiency, Ag NP@CHI@β-1,3-glucan/HA demonstrates potential as a wound healing composite in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogels, Biopolymers, and Applications as Antimicrobial Agents)
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16 pages, 5048 KiB  
Article
Formation and Characterization of Chitosan-Based Polyelectrolyte Complex Containing Antifungal Phenylpropanoids
by Andrés F. Olea, Héctor Carrasco, Franco Santana, Laura Navarro, Raúl Guajardo-Maturana, Cristian Linares-Flores and Nancy Alvarado
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3348; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233348 - 29 Nov 2024
Viewed by 868
Abstract
In this work, a novel chitosan-based polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) was prepared using chitosan as the cationic polyelectrolyte, while a potassium salt of poly(maleic anhydride-alt-tetradecene) (PMA-14) served as the anionic counterpart. These PECs were used for the encapsulation of two nitroeugenol derivatives: 4-allyl-2-methoxy-6-nitrophenol ( [...] Read more.
In this work, a novel chitosan-based polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) was prepared using chitosan as the cationic polyelectrolyte, while a potassium salt of poly(maleic anhydride-alt-tetradecene) (PMA-14) served as the anionic counterpart. These PECs were used for the encapsulation of two nitroeugenol derivatives: 4-allyl-2-methoxy-6-nitrophenol (3) and 2-allyl-6-nitrophenol (4). The results confirm complex formation and efficient encapsulation of active compounds. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) was influenced by the chemical structure of the compounds, with 32.18% EE for 3 and 20.36% EE for 4. The resulting systems were characterized by fluorescence probing techniques, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential. On the other hand, antifungal assays revealed that, in free form, 3 exhibits a much higher activity against Botritys cinerea than 4. However, no effect of encapsulation of both compounds on antifungal performance was observed. Results from molecular dynamic studies indicate that a stabilization effect is induced by compounds 3 and 4 during PEC formation, which is attributed to specific interactions between polyelectrolytes and guest molecules. These results are in line with the EE values measured for 3 and 4 and explain the low release from PECs of these molecules. Thus, the potential development of PEC-based systems for the delivery of bioactive compounds requires a deeper comprehension of parameters determining the relationship between encapsulation efficiency and delivery kinetics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogels, Biopolymers, and Applications as Antimicrobial Agents)
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