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31 Results Found

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
2,013 Views
22 Pages

29 August 2025

Thermoresponsive Pluronic hydrogels offer a promising platform for localised antibiotic delivery. However, how drug loading affects the structural integrity and gelation of these systems remains underexplored. This study evaluates the impact of vanco...

(This article belongs to the Section Gel Chemistry and Physics)
  • Article
  • Open Access
44 Citations
10,530 Views
18 Pages

Rhodamine-Functionalized Mechanochromic and Mechanofluorescent Hydrogels with Enhanced Mechanoresponsive Sensitivity

  • Lijun Wang,
  • Wanfu Zhou,
  • Quan Tang,
  • Haiyang Yang and ,
  • Qiang Zhou and
  • Xingyuan Zhang
  • + 1 author+ 0 author

6 September 2018

Smart materials responsible to external stimuli such as temperature, pH, solvents, light, redox agents, and mechanical or electric/magnetic field, have drawn considerable attention recently. Herein, we described a novel rhodamine (Rh) mechanophore-ba...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart and Functional Elastomers, Hydrogels, and Ionogels)
  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
5,627 Views
14 Pages

A Micellar-Hydrogel Nanogrid from a UV Crosslinked Inulin Derivative for the Simultaneous Delivery of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Drugs

  • Delia Mandracchia,
  • Adriana Trapani,
  • Sara Perteghella,
  • Cinzia Di Franco and ,
  • Maria Luisa Torre,
  • Enrica Calleri and
  • Giuseppe Tripodo
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

Hydrogels are among the most common materials used in drug delivery, as polymeric micelles are too. They, preferentially, load hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, respectively. In this paper, we thought to combine the favorable behaviors of both hydro...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro and Nano Encapsulation Techniques)
  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
4,032 Views
16 Pages

24 March 2024

A heterograft copolymer with an alginate backbone, hetero-grafted by polymer pendant chains displaying different lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs), combined with a pH-responsive poly(2-vinyl pyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (P2VP-b-PEO) di...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in Greece: 2nd Edition)
  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
3,419 Views
20 Pages

Induced Radionuclides and Their Activity Concentration in Gel Dosimeters Irradiated by Carbon Ion Beam

  • Masumitsu Toyohara,
  • Shinichi Minohara,
  • Yohsuke Kusano,
  • Hiroaki Gotoh and ,
  • Yoichiro Tanaka,
  • Masaru Yuhara,
  • Yu Yamashita and
  • Yoshiaki Shimono
  • + 3 authors+ 0 author

23 March 2022

Radioactivity was measured in a micellar gel dosimeter, a polymer gel dosimeter, and water was irradiated by carbon ion beams at various beam energy conditions. Monte Carlo simulation was also performed to estimate the radioactivity. Short-lived posi...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gel Dosimetry)
  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
4,510 Views
16 Pages

12 June 2021

A self-assembled co-hydrogel system with sol-gel two-phase coexistence and mucoadhesive properties was developed based on the combined properties of fluoroalkyl double-ended poly(ethylene glycol) (Rf-PEG-Rf) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), respectively...

(This article belongs to the Section Polymer Physics and Theory)
  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
3,478 Views
19 Pages

Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Hydrogel Containing Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum Essential-Oil-Loaded Polymeric Micelles for Enhanced Treatment of Melanoma

  • Katya Kamenova,
  • Ivan Iliev,
  • Anna Prancheva,
  • Pencho Tuleshkov and ,
  • Krasimir Rusanov,
  • Ivan Atanassov and
  • Petar D. Petrov
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

29 September 2024

Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum essential oil (OEO) is a natural oil with high therapeutic potential. For some applications, however, the development of novel formulations is still needed to improve the bioavailability and stability of OEO. In this stud...

(This article belongs to the Section Gel Applications)
  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,333 Views
13 Pages

Aggregation and Gelation Behavior of Stereocomplexed Four-Arm PLA-PEG Copolymers Containing Neutral or Cationic Linkers

  • Francesca Signori,
  • Jos W. H. Wennink,
  • Simona Bronco,
  • Jan Feijen and ,
  • Marcel Karperien,
  • Ranieri Bizzarri and
  • Pieter J. Dijkstra
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

7 February 2023

Poly(lactide) (PLA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels were prepared by mixing phosphate buffer saline (PBS, pH 7.4) solutions of four-arm (PEG-PLA)2-R-(PLA-PEG)2 enantiomerically pure copolymers having the opposite chirality of the poly...

(This article belongs to the Collection Feature Papers in Molecular Nanoscience)
  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
7,964 Views
21 Pages

Precise Control over the Rheological Behavior of Associating Stimuli-Responsive Block Copolymer Gels

  • Jérémy Brassinne,
  • Flanco Zhuge,
  • Charles-André Fustin and
  • Jean-François Gohy

7 December 2015

“Smart” materials have considerably evolved over the last few years for specific applications. They rely on intelligent macromolecules or (supra-)molecular motifs to adapt their structure and properties in response to external triggers. Here, a supra...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stimuli-Responsive Gels)
  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
2,332 Views
16 Pages

Ion-Cross-Linked Hybrid Photochromic Hydrogels with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Shape Memory Behaviour

  • Shijun Long,
  • Fan Chen,
  • Han Ren,
  • Yali Hu and ,
  • Chao Chen,
  • Yiwan Huang and
  • Xuefeng Li
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

10 April 2024

Shape-shifting polymers usually require not only reversible stimuli-responsive ability, but also strong mechanical properties. A novel shape-shifting photochromic hydrogel system was designed and fabricated by embedding hydrophobic spiropyran (SP) in...

(This article belongs to the Section Smart and Functional Polymers)
  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
2,553 Views
13 Pages

NIR-Mediated Deformation from a CNT-Based Bilayer Hydrogel

  • Shijun Long,
  • Chang Liu,
  • Han Ren,
  • Yali Hu and ,
  • Chao Chen,
  • Yiwan Huang and
  • Xuefeng Li
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

19 April 2024

Shape-shifting polymers are widely used in various fields such as intelligent switches, soft robots and sensors, which require both multiple stimulus-response functions and qualified mechanical strength. In this study, a novel near-infrared-light (NI...

(This article belongs to the Section Polymer Physics and Theory)
  • Article
  • Open Access
24 Citations
4,283 Views
12 Pages

2 July 2021

Hydrogels based on biopolymers, such as alginate, are commonly used as scaffolds in tissue engineering applications as they mimic the features of the native extracellular matrix (ECM). However, in their native state, they suffer from drawbacks includ...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Block Copolymers with Crystallizable Blocks: Synthesis, Self-Assembly and Applications)
  • Article
  • Open Access
45 Citations
6,438 Views
23 Pages

Improvement of Imiquimod Solubilization and Skin Retention via TPGS Micelles: Exploiting the Co-Solubilizing Effect of Oleic Acid

  • Martina Ghezzi,
  • Silvia Pescina,
  • Andrea Delledonne,
  • Ilaria Ferraboschi and ,
  • Cristina Sissa,
  • Francesca Terenziani,
  • Paula De Freitas Rosa Remiro,
  • Patrizia Santi and
  • Sara Nicoli
  • + 4 authors+ 0 author

Imiquimod (IMQ) is an immunostimulant drug approved for the topical treatment of actinic keratosis, external genital-perianal warts as well as superficial basal cell carcinoma that is used off-label for the treatment of different forms of skin cancer...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Drug Delivery: Innovative Controlled Release Systems)
  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
5,044 Views
19 Pages

27 May 2019

The rheological properties of hydrogels prepared by physical interactions between oppositely charged polyelectrolyte and surfactant in micellar form were studied. Specifically, hyaluronan was employed as a negatively charged polyelectrolyte and Septo...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Biointerfaces)
  • Article
  • Open Access
42 Citations
6,654 Views
14 Pages

Olive Oil/Pluronic Oleogels for Skin Delivery of Quercetin: In Vitro Characterization and Ex Vivo Skin Permeability

  • Mohammed Elmowafy,
  • Arafa Musa,
  • Taghreed S. Alnusaire,
  • Khaled Shalaby and ,
  • Maged M. A. Fouda,
  • Ayman Salama,
  • Mohammad M. Al-Sanea,
  • Mohamed A. Abdelgawad,
  • Mohammed Gamal and
  • Shahinaze A. Fouad
  • + 5 authors+ 0 author

31 May 2021

The main objective of this study was to prepare and characterize oleogel as potential carrier for quercetin skin delivery. The formulations were prepared by adding olive oil (5–30%) to Pluronic F127 hydrogel and were evaluated for particle size, zeta...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers for Tissue Engineering)
  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
72 Citations
9,316 Views
15 Pages

16 February 2018

Nanogels are hydrogels formed by connecting nanoscopic micelles dispersed in an aqueous medium, which give an opportunity for incorporating hydrophilic payloads to the exterior of the micellar networks and hydrophobic payloads in the core of the mice...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,511 Views
21 Pages

Background: Oral colon-targeted delivery for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) faces significant challenges, including limited gastrointestinal stability, premature drug release, and insufficient mucosal retention. Methods: To address these limitation...

(This article belongs to the Section Drug Delivery and Controlled Release)
  • Article
  • Open Access
49 Citations
11,395 Views
19 Pages

Self-Healing of Pluronic® F127 Hydrogels in the Presence of Various Polysaccharides

  • Alexandra Lupu,
  • Luiza Madalina Gradinaru,
  • Daniela Rusu and
  • Maria Bercea

5 September 2023

Thermoresponsive Pluronic® F127 (PL) gels in water were investigated through rheological tests in different shear conditions. The gel strength was tuned with the addition of 1% polysaccharide solution. In the presence of xanthan gum (XG), the vis...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogel-Based Novel Biomaterials: Achievements and Prospects)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
4,630 Views
16 Pages

Dynamic Light Scattering Based Microrheology of End-Functionalised Triblock Copolymer Solutions

  • Ren Liu,
  • Alessio Caciagli,
  • Jiaming Yu,
  • Xiaoying Tang and ,
  • Rini Ghosh and
  • Erika Eiser
  • + 1 author+ 0 author

17 January 2023

Nano-sized particles functionalised with short single-stranded (ss)DNAs can act as detectors of complementary DNA strands. Here we consider tri-block-copolymer-based, self-assembling DNA-coated nanoparticles. The copolymers are chemically linked to t...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Block Copolymers: Synthesis, Self-Assembly and Application)
  • Article
  • Open Access
806 Views
26 Pages

Drug Nanocrystal-Loaded Thermo-Reversible Hydrogels of Dexamethasone Palmitate for Intratympanic Drug Delivery

  • Su Yeon Noh,
  • Jee Hyun Kang,
  • In Gyu Yang,
  • Min Young Jeong and ,
  • Seung Hwan Shin,
  • Jiwon Lee,
  • Hye Ryeong Yoon,
  • Woo Jae Lee,
  • Subin Kim and
  • Myung Joo Kang
  • + 9 authors+ 4 authors

Intratympanic (IT) injection of corticosteroids is a standard clinical treatment for sensorineural hearing loss; however, achieving both biocompatibility and efficient cochlea drug delivery remains a significant challenge. Herein, we engineered a nov...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Nanomaterials in Drug Delivery and Drug Release)
  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
3,544 Views
17 Pages

Development of New Hybrid Casein-Loaded PHEMA-PEGDA Hydrogels with Enhanced Mineralisation Potential

  • Georgiana-Dana Dumitrescu,
  • Andrada Serafim,
  • Raluca-Elena Ginghina,
  • Horia Iovu and ,
  • Rodica Marinescu,
  • Elena Olăreț and
  • Izabela-Cristina Stancu
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

22 January 2022

Casein is a micellar protein rich in glutamic and aspartic acids as well as in phosphoserine. Considering its native affinity for calcium and the connection of sub-micelles through calcium phosphate nanoclusters, this protein holds promise for stimul...

(This article belongs to the Section Biomaterials)
  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
3,421 Views
18 Pages

Gellan Gum-Based In Situ Hydrogels for Nasal Delivery of Polymeric Micelles Loaded with Risperidone

  • Bence Sipos,
  • Mária Budai-Szűcs,
  • Gábor Katona and
  • Ildikó Csóka

28 May 2025

Nasal drug delivery faces numerous challenges related to the ineffectiveness of most nasal formulations without a mucoadhesive nature, prolonging residence time on the nasal mucosa. Another challenge is the low administrable dosage strength, which ca...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Polymer-Based Smart Hydrogels: Design, Properties and Applications)
  • Article
  • Open Access
19 Citations
5,889 Views
17 Pages

Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of Undecylenic Acid Grafted to Hyaluronan for Encapsulation of Antioxidants and Chemical Crosslinking

  • Gloria Huerta-Ángeles,
  • Martina Brandejsová,
  • Kateřina Kopecká,
  • František Ondreáš and ,
  • Tomáš Medek,
  • Ondrej Židek,
  • Jaromír Kulhánek,
  • Hana Vagnerová and
  • Vladimir Velebný
  • + 4 authors+ 0 author

24 December 2019

In this work, a new amphiphilic derivative made of 10-undecylenic acid grafted to hyaluronan was prepared by mixed anhydrides. The reaction conditions were optimized, and the effect of the molecular weight (Mw), reaction time, and the molar ratio of...

(This article belongs to the Collection Polysaccharides)
  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
5,161 Views
32 Pages

Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil Formulated as Polymeric Micelles Drug Delivery Systems

  • Larisa Bora,
  • Tobias Burkard,
  • Martina Herrero San Juan,
  • Heinfried H. Radeke and ,
  • Ana Maria Muț,
  • Lavinia Lia Vlaia,
  • Ioana Zinuca Magyari-Pavel,
  • Zorița Diaconeasa,
  • Sonia Socaci and
  • Corina Danciu
  • + 9 authors+ 4 authors

This study presents phytochemical characterization and biological evaluation of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OEO) formulated as polymeric micelles drug delivery systems as a possible non-invasive approach for the management of skin tags. GC-MS...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Carriers for Drug Delivery: From Structures to Functionality)
  • Article
  • Open Access
58 Citations
7,026 Views
25 Pages

Nanoparticles and Colloidal Hydrogels of Chitosan–Caseinate Polyelectrolyte Complexes for Drug-Controlled Release Applications

  • Aastha Lall,
  • Arnaud Kamdem Tamo,
  • Ingo Doench,
  • Laurent David and ,
  • Paula Nunes de Oliveira,
  • Christian Gorzelanny and
  • Anayancy Osorio-Madrazo
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

Chitosan–caseinate nanoparticles were synthesized by polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) formation. Caseinate is an anionic micellar nanocolloid in aqueous solutions, which association with the polycationic chitosan yielded polyelectrolyte complexes...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Tissue Engineering Applications)
  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
7,314 Views
14 Pages

22 September 2015

Fulvic (FAs) and humic acids (HAs) are chemically fascinating. In water, they have a strong propensity to aggregate, but this research reveals that tendency is regulated by ionic strength. In the environment, conductivity extremes occur naturally—fre...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Field-Flow Fractionation)
  • Article
  • Open Access
662 Views
17 Pages

Catheter-Deliverable Floating Hydrogels for Sustained Intravesical Drug Release

  • Jing Li,
  • Chao Ni,
  • Sitian Li,
  • Yutian Huang and
  • Jun Yue

23 July 2026

Recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) continues to pose a formidable clinical challenge, largely owing to the rapid clearance of therapeutic agents from the bladder caused by short intravesical residence time and periodic urinary voiding. Although...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Smart and Tough Hydrogels)
  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
3,941 Views
15 Pages

An Alternative Device for the Topical Treatment of Oral Cancer: Development and Ex-Vivo Evaluation of Imiquimod-Loaded Polysaccharides Formulations

  • Paula de Freitas Rosa Remiro,
  • Mariana Harue Taniguchi Nagahara,
  • Martina Ghezzi,
  • Alessia Filippini and ,
  • Anna Demurtas,
  • Silvia Pescina,
  • Patrizia Santi,
  • Cristina Padula,
  • Ângela Maria Moraes and
  • Sara Nicoli
  • + 5 authors+ 0 author

The topical use of imiquimod (IMQ), a non-specific immune response modifier, showed to be a promising therapeutic option for the early-stage treatment of some type of oral cancer, even when performed with a formulation (Aldara®) developed and app...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Issue in Honor of Professor Carla Caramella)
  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
5,124 Views
16 Pages

8 April 2021

Most reported wearable electronic devices lack self-healing chemistry and flexible function to maintain stable energy output while irreversible damages and complex deformations. In this work, we report a dual-dynamic network electrolyte synthesized b...

(This article belongs to the Section Energy Materials)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
5,028 Views
13 Pages

16 January 2025

Environmental changes, such as applied medication, nutrient depletion, and accumulation of metabolic residues, affect cell culture activity. The combination of these factors reflects on the local temperature distribution and local oxygen concentratio...

(This article belongs to the Section Nanoelectronics, Nanosensors and Devices)
  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
3,886 Views
31 Pages

3D Porous Collagen Matrices—A Reservoir for In Vitro Simultaneous Release of Tannic Acid and Chlorhexidine

  • Lavinia Brăzdaru,
  • Teodora Staicu,
  • Mădălina Georgiana Albu Kaya,
  • Ciprian Chelaru and ,
  • Corneliu Ghica,
  • Viorel Cîrcu,
  • Minodora Leca,
  • Mihaela Violeta Ghica and
  • Marin Micutz
  • + 4 authors+ 0 author

The treatment of wounds occurring accidentally or as a result of chronic diseases most frequently requires the use of appropriate dressings, mainly to ensure tissue regeneration/healing, at the same time as treating or preventing potential bacterial...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogels in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications)