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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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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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Fermented bovine colostrum rich in bioactive peptides was obtained using Candida lipolytica strains in co-culture with kefir grains. During fermentation, the pH and total titratable acidity of the product were daily measured. The hydrolysis degree and the electrophoretic pattern of water-soluble extracts (WSE) of fermented colostrum were analysed. Fractions enriched in peptides with a molecular weight lower than 10 kDa were separated by ultracentrifugation. They showed better modulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and cell proliferation, but lower radical scavenging capacity, compared to corresponding WSE.

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Stable Schiff bases containing a furoxan moiety are synthesized as single regioisomers by the reaction of 3-methyl-2-oxy-furazan-4-carbaldehydewith various amino compounds at room temperature. The structures of synthesized compounds were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The effect of synthesized Schiff bases containing a furoxan moiety on biological generation of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide in plant tissues was investigated for the first time by fluorescence microscopy and the released NO identified as nitrite with Griess reagent. There is a good correlation between the biological generation of NO determined by fluorescence microscopy and with Griess reagent. Some of the synthesized compounds exhibited both nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species generation abilities and represent potential NO donors in plant tissues.

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Several 3,5-disubstituted isoxazoles were obtained in good yields by regiospecific 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions between aromatic nitrile oxides, generated in situ from the corresponding hydroxyimidoyl chlorides, with non-symmetrical activated alkynes in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper(I) iodide. Effects of 3,5-disubstituted isoxazoles on nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species generation in Arabidopsis tissues was studied using specific diaminofluoresceine dyes as fluorescence indicators.

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The aim of this study was to develop two new variants of porous composites based on collogen-chondroitin sulfate-hydroxyapatite (COL-CS-HA) mixtures. Electron microscopy examination showed that the composites had a microporous structure, with HA deposits non-homogeneously disposed on COL fibrous bundles. Their porosity was higher than 90 % and the biodegradation in the presence of collagenase was reduced after UV treatment of the scaffolds. Composite biocompatibility was evaluated by MTT assay and light microscopy after cultivation in a human osteoblast primary culture. All COL-based materials showed a good in vitro biocompatibility, but COL-CS-HA composites presented better cell proliferation and adhesion than COL material. These porous composites demonstrate potential for future application as cell scaffolds in bone tissue engineering.