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For decades, royal jelly achieved notoriety and became an ultra-rich ingredient with numerous pharmacological properties especially for its use in production of topical ointments and creams. A novel formulation enriched with 2% royal jelly has been developed and characterized. Rheological results highlight a gel-like behavior of the product in the packaging, as it does not flow from the costumer's hand after application and behaves like a liquid, spreading evenly onto clean skin. A clear comparison in size distribution of pure and cream samples was noticed by dynamic light scattering analysis and completed further by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) which showed off shift changes in the gel sample as compared to pure compounds. MTT assays were conducted in quintuplicate on murine fibroblasts cell line (NCTC L-929) for testing the biocompatibility of the product in the range of 50-1000 mu g/mL over 24, 48 and 72 h. The designed formulation is typically intended to deliver active compounds to the skin surface and potentially into deeper layers. A molecular docking study was performed for binding mode prediction of P-gp protein residues with two ligands, quercetin and myricetin, in order to investigate their role in the internal modulation of drug transport across cell membranes within the skin.

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Bacterial cellulose is a biocompatible biomaterial with a unique macromolecular structure. Unlike plant-derived cellulose, bacterial cellulose is produced by certain bacteria, resulting in a sustainable material consisting of self-assembled nanostructured fibers with high crystallinity. Due to its purity, bacterial cellulose is appealing for biomedical applications and has raised increasing interest, particularly in the context of 3D printing for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Bacterial cellulose can serve as an excellent bioink in 3D printing, due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and ability to mimic the collagen fibrils from the extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissues. Its nanofibrillar structure provides a suitable scaffold for cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation, crucial for tissue regeneration. Moreover, its mechanical strength and flexibility allow for the precise printing of complex tissue structures. Bacterial cellulose itself has no antimicrobial activity, but due to its ideal structure, it serves as matrix for other bioactive molecules, resulting in a hybrid product with antimicrobial properties, particularly advantageous in the management of chronic wounds healing process. Overall, this unique combination of properties makes bacterial cellulose a promising material for manufacturing hydrogels and 3D-printed scaffolds, advancing the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

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Given the current global circumstances, marked by severe environmental pollution-including the contamination of food-along with daily stress and a sedentary lifestyle, many consumers choose to improve their quality of life by using, among others, minimally processed food, food supplements, and gemmo-derivatives. Recent lab and clinical studies have shown the positive impact of specific nutrients with antioxidant capacities in the treatment of several conditions generated by oxidative stress. This paper reviews antioxidant plant extracts utilized as components in various dietary supplements and gemmoderivatives, highlighting their chemical composition and biological properties in preventing diseases caused by oxidative stress. A modern approach to food science brings to the fore the concept of dietary supplements vs. functional food, nutraceuticals, and gemmo-derivatives. The definitions of these terms are not being unanimously regulated in this respect and describe each category of compound and product, also emphasizing the need to implement adequate nutrivigilance. In order to enhance the absorption and bioavailability of dietary supplements and gemmo-derivatives based on antioxidant plant extracts, some encapsulation techniques are outlined.

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Biocompatible drug-delivery systems for soft tissue applications are of high interest for the medical and pharmaceutical fields. The subject of this research is the development of hydrogels loaded with bioactive compounds (inulin, thyme essential oil, hydro-glycero-alcoholic extract of Vitis vinifera, Opuntia ficus-indica powder, lactic acid, citric acid) in order to support the vaginal microbiota homeostasis. The nanofibrillar phyto-hydrogel systems developed using the biocompatible polymers chitosan (CS), never-dried bacterial nanocellulose (NDBNC), and Poloxamer 407 (PX) incorporated the water-soluble bioactive components in the NDBNC hydrophilic fraction and the hydrophobic components in the hydrophobic core of the PX fraction. Two NDBNC-PX hydrogels and one NDBNC-PX-CS hydrogel were structurally and physical-chemically characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and rheology. The hydrogels were also evaluated in terms of thermo-responsive properties, mucoadhesion, biocompatibility, and prebiotic and antimicrobial effects. The mucin binding efficiency of hydrogel base systems was determined by the periodic acid/Schiff base (PAS) assay. Biocompatibility of hydrogel systems was determined by the MTT test using mouse fibroblasts. The prebiotic activity was determined using the probiotic strains Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum. Antimicrobial activity was also assessed using relevant microbial strains, respectively, E. coli and C. albicans. TEM evidenced PX micelles of around 20 nm on NDBNC nanofibrils. The FTIR and XRD analyses revealed that the binary hydrogels are dominated by PX signals, and that the ternary hydrogel is dominated by CS, with additional particular fingerprints for the biocompounds and the hydrogel interaction with mucin. Rheology evidenced the gel transition temperatures of 18-22 degrees C for the binary hydrogels with thixotropic behavior and, respectively, no gel transition, with rheopectic behavior for the ternary hydrogel. The adhesion energies of the binary and ternary hydrogels were evaluated to be around 1.2 J/m(2) and 9.1 J/m(2), respectively. The hydrogels exhibited a high degree of biocompatibility, with the potential to support cell proliferation and also to promote the growth of lactobacilli. The hydrogel systems also presented significant antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity.

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Diabetes is a condition correlated with a high number of diagnosed chronic wounds as a result of a complex pathophysiological mechanism. Diabetic chronic wounds are characterized by disorganized and longer stages, compared to normal wound healing. Natural polymer hydrogels can act as good wound dressings due to their versatile physicochemical properties, represented mainly by high water content and good biocompatibility. Natural bioactive hydrogels are polymers loaded with bioactive compounds providing antibacterial and antioxidant properties, modulation of inflammation and adherence to wounded tissue, compared to traditional dressings, which enables promising future applications for diabetic wound healing. Natural bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, polysaccharides and proteins have great advantages in promoting chronic wound healing in diabetes due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-allergic and wound healing properties. The present paper aims to review the wound healing mechanisms underlining the main issues of chronic wounds and those specifically occurring in diabetes. Also, the review highlights the recent state of the art related to the effect of hydrogels enriched with natural bioactive compounds developed as biocompatible functional materials for improving diabetic-related chronic wound healing and providing novel therapeutic strategies that could prevent limb amputation and increase the quality of life in diabetic patients.

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Osteochondral structure reconstruction by tissue engineering, a challenge in regenerative medicine, requires a scaffold that ensures both articular cartilage and subchondral bone remodeling. Functional hydrogels and scaffolds present a strategy for the controlled delivery of signaling molecules (growth factors and therapeutic drugs) and are considered a promising therapeutic approach. Icariin is a pharmacologically-active small molecule of prenylated flavonol glycoside and the main bioactive flavonoid isolated from Epimedium spp. The in vitro and in vivo testing of icariin showed chondrogenic and ostseoinductive effects, comparable to bone morphogenetic proteins, and suggested its use as an alternative to growth factors, representing a low-cost, promising approach for osteochondral regeneration. This paper reviews the complex structure of the osteochondral tissue, underlining the main aspects of osteochondral defects and those specifically occurring in osteoarthritis. The significance of icariin's structure and the extraction methods were emphasized. Studies revealing the valuable chondrogenic and osteogenic effects of icariin for osteochondral restoration were also reviewed. The review highlighted th recent state-of-the-art related to hydrogels and scaffolds enriched with icariin developed as biocompatible materials for osteochondral regeneration strategies.

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