Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Conventional chemotherapy is often limited by dose-limiting toxicity and the development of drug resistance. Co-delivery of a chemotherapeutic agent with a bioactive natural compound using nanotechnology offers a promising strategy to enhance anticancer activity, improve therapeutic outcomes, and reduce adverse effects. A nanoparticle-based nanoformulation co-loaded with DTX and HES was developed and optimized using a Box–Behnken statistical design. Critical formulation variables were systematically evaluated to obtain optimized particle size, high entrapment efficiency, and desirable drug release behavior. The optimized formulation was characterized for particle size distribution, drug encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug release. In vitro cytotoxicity studies were conducted on breast cancer cell lines to assess anticancer efficacy and potential synergism. The optimized DTX–HES nanoparticle exhibited a uniform nanoscale particle size of approximately 108 nm and high entrapment efficiency exceeding 90%. Sustained drug release was observed over 48 hours, indicating effective controlled-release behavior. In vitro cytotoxicity studies showed notable anticancer activity of the co-loaded nanoparticles compared to formulations containing individual drugs, indicating improved therapeutic performance of the combined DTX and HES system. The DTX–HES co-loaded nanoparticle represents a promising nanomedicine-based approach for breast cancer management. By combining dual drug action with controlled delivery, the formulation has the potential to improve therapeutic efficacy, reduce systemic toxicity, and overcome limitations associated with conventional chemotherapy.

Marine molluscs produce a class of proteinaceous materials, byssal proteins that possess unique mechanical and adhesive properties. In this sense, the extraordinary adhesion of mussel byssal proteins is inspiring a new class of surgical glues and sealants designed to perform in wet, dynamic physiological environments. Beyond their performance, these materials represent a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to conventional synthetic polymers. In parallel, sea-silk is most admirable biomaterials with high biocompatibility in the tissue engineering field. With its fibre-like structure and excellent biocompatibility, sea silk is emerging as a transformative scaffold for regenerative medicine, capable of guiding cell differentiation and accelerating wound repair. Polymeric glues and hydrogels inspired by mussel foot proteins achieve higher shear adhesion on biological tissues. These adhesives have successfully sealed wounds, supported transplanted cells, and repaired fetal membranes, highlighting the translational potential of marine byssal proteins and sea-silk in regenerative medicine, surgery, and eco-friendly adhesives. The critical challenge now lies in translating these natural wonders from the ocean to the clinic through scalable and cost-effective production. This review provides a critical overview of the chemistry, structure, and biomedical applications of these marine proteins, outlining their potential to revolutionize the field of advanced biomaterials.

Traumatic and neurodegenerative damage to the neural tissue is a topical medical problem because the regenerative ability of the central nervous system is low, and the structural system is rather complex. The established treatments and scaffold constructions tend to lack adequate biointegration, electric direction or prolonged stability necessary to restore the brain effectively. In an attempt to mitigate the challenges associated with nacre, this paper discusses why integration of 5D bioprinting with cellulose biomaterials has the potential to be used in regenerating neural tissue. Anatomical models of cortical and spinal architecture (via multi-angular and adaptive bioprinting and an AI-assisted model (digital twin) allowed the formation of scaffolds containing anatomical models with controlled cell orientation and increased synaptic connectivity. These aspects are due to the biocompatibility of Cellulose, mechanical tunability, and the ability to coexist with conducting polymers, including PEDOT: PSS, which enabled electroactive properties and increased biosensing capabilities. The findings show that it is possible to fabricate self-regulating, dynamic scaffolds that can be used to release growth factors and control stiffness to promote axonal regeneration. Nonetheless, it has inhibitory factors, including the kinetics of material degradation, serious real-time responsiveness, and scaling issues that are considerable for clinical translation. Nevertheless, despite these difficulties, promising projections of next-generation scaffold repair in neural regeneration by bioelectronics exist. Further studies can be conducted to optimise hybrid Cellulose-Electronic interfaces, AI-related predictive data modelling, and in vivo long-term validation, enabling individualised and clinically translational regenerative therapies.

Polyphenol enriched polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-glycerol mucoadhesive films were developed using pineapple (Ananas comosus) peel/crown agro waste to enhance mucosal adhesion and biological functionality. Pineapple peel exhibited high moisture content (90.07%), and aqueous Soxhlet extraction yielded the highest total phenolic content (0.7274 mg GAE/g dry extract). The optimized blank formulation (P5G1) demonstrated uniform thickness (0.130 ± 0.018 mm), tensile strength (28.5 ± 1.1 MPa), elongation (9.2 ± 0.35%), folding endurance (285 ± 12 folds), and surface pH (6.78 ± 0.07). Incorporation of 1% ethanolic (EPE) and aqueous (APE) polyphenolic extracts significantly modified mechanical behavior. Tensile strength decreased to 4.2 ± 0.5 MPa (EPE-P5G1) and 15.6 ± 0.9 MPa (APE-P5G1), while elongation increased to 50.3 ± 1.8% and 28.8 ± 1.1%, respectively, indicating extract induced plasticization. Mucoadhesive strength increased markedly from 0.20 N (Blank) to 0.34 N (EPE-P5G1) and 0.43 N (APE-P5G1), demonstrating enhanced interfacial interaction with mucosal tissue. Water contact angle reduction confirmed improved hydrophilicity, correlating with swelling and adhesion behavior. APE-P5G1 exhibited sustained polyphenol release up to 45 min, whereas EPE-P5G1 showed rapid release within 10 min. Antioxidant activity reached 56% (APE) and 54% (EPE) DPPH scavenging at 50 µg/mL. MTT assay revealed high cytocompatibility with IC50 values of 22.69 µg/mL (APE), 18.14 µg/mL (EPE), and 14.88 µg/mL (blank). Overall, aqueous extract loaded films demonstrated superior adhesion, controlled release, and biological functionality, indicating strong potential as sustainable mucoadhesive delivery platforms.

Rapid and effective hemostasis for unknown bleeding points and irregularly shaped wounds is very important. Here, water-soluble quaternized chitin (QC2) with relatively low hemolysis ratio was synthesized homogeneously in NaOH/urea aqueous solution. Then a novel self-gelling hemostatic powder was prepared based on QC2 and sodium hyaluronate (HA) through simply mixing the QC2 aqueous solution with HA aqueous solution, freeze-drying and grinding. The obtained QC2/HA powder can quickly transform into a gel via electrostatic interaction after absorbing blood, and adhere to the wound surface, concentrating blood cells and platelets to trigger coagulation and preventing blood loss. The QC2/HA powder could adhere to wet tissue after absorbing interfacial water showing good tissue adhesion property and good coagulation effect in vitro, which are important for effective hemostatic materials. The formed QC2/HA hydrogel displayed good self-healing feature due to the reversible electrostatic interaction, and good biodegradability and biocompatibility. Moreover, in the rat tail and rat liver models, the QC22.5/HA1 self-gelling powder showed much better hemostatic effect than the blank control and the traditional hemostatic chitosan. Therefore, we believe that the QC22.5/HA1 powder has great potential as a new biodegradable hemostatic material in the future.

Segmental mandibular reconstruction following major ablative surgery, tumor resection, trauma, or osteonecrosis remains a formidable clinical challenge due to the region’s complex anatomical, functional, and aesthetic demands. Although autologous vascularized bone grafts, such as the fibula free flap, remain the gold standard, they are limited by donor-site morbidity, restricted vertical height, and geometric incongruence. Bone tissue engineering offers a promising alternative by combining biomaterial scaffolds, osteogenic cells, and bioactive molecules to regenerate functional bone. Advances in scaffold design, particularly the use of nanocomposites, three-dimensional printing, and bioresorbable polymers, have enabled the fabrication of biomimetic constructs that promote vascularization and osseointegration. The integration of stem cells and the controlled release of growth factors, such as BMP-2 and VEGF, further enhance osteoinduction and bone regeneration. Recent translational studies demonstrate the feasibility of prevascularized and in situ-vascularized engineered bone constructs for the repair of large mandibular defects. However, clinical translation remains constrained by challenges in achieving consistent vascularization, functional innervation, mechanical integrity, and long-term functional integration. This review summarizes current advances in biomaterial design, bioreactor-based preconditioning, and vascularization strategies for tissue-engineered mandibular reconstruction. It also discusses emerging clinical and preclinical evidence and future directions toward scalable, patient-specific regenerative solutions. Continued interdisciplinary collaboration among tissue engineers,biomaterial scientists, surgeons, and regulatory stakeholders will be critical to translating these innovations into reliable clinical therapies.

Herein, the microwave method of synthesising ZnO/pectin and ZnO/polyethelene glycol nanohybrid composites using Clitoria ternate flower extract has been synthesised and evaluated by spectral and biological methods. The spectral characterization of ZnO nanoparticles and their composites was performed using FTIR, XRD, TGA, UV, SEM-EDX, and TEM, whereas biological evaluation was performed using antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antioxidant studies. The potential cytotoxicity against the HT-29 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line showed an inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 22.7 ± 0.05 µg/mL. ZnO nanoparticles and polymer nanocomposites synthesized via green microwave processing with C. ternatea extract exhibited strong antibacterial activity, with inhibition zones of 11–22 mm for E. coli and 6–19 mm for S. aureus (ZnO/pectin showed superior efficacy). Similar trends were observed in antibiofilm, antioxidant, antifungal, and anticancer assays, with ZnO/pectin achieving an IC50 of 22.7 ± 0.05 µg/mL against HT-29 cells.

Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, whilst conventional therapy is constrained by severe side effects and drug resistance. Curcumin, derived from turmeric demonstrates anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. However, translation into clinical use is hindered by low solubility/bioavailability and rapid degradation. These constraints have been addressed somewhat via advanced drug delivery technology, including nano-formulation or by chemical modification. Nano-formulations also permit targeted delivery of curcumin, as necessary in chronic therapy, where minimization of side effects is the prime focus. However, delivery to target tissue does not necessarily correlate with improved cellular uptake because physiological barriers that must be traversed before deployment into cells. In this regard, mucoadhesive nano-delivery may be indispensable in improving drug retention on mucosal surfaces. Crucially, mucopenetration of nano-formulations ensure effective transfer into cells, and improved bioavailability of the payload. In composing this review, relevant literature identified in major databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus, on curcumin, mucopenetration, nanocarriers, and cancer was sought. Studies were selected based relevance to formulation methods and biological evaluation. Data suggests a limited exploration of mucopenetrative nano-formulations of curcumin for improving cellular uptake. This review emphasizes the importance of imparting such functionality on nano-particulate delivery systems as an opportunity for enhanced therapeutics, using curcumin as a case study. We highlight the mechanisms of cellular uptake, efficacy, advantages that contribute to realizing the full clinical significance of curcumin in cancer treatment. Although preliminary findings are promising, direct evidence supporting curcumin-specific mucopenetrative nano-formulations in clinically relevant cancer models remains very limited.

Chemical and physically crosslinked hydrogels, as pharmaceutical carrier compounds with antibacterial and sustained release features, hold high potential for clinical uses. In this study, synthesized biodegradable tetracycline drug-loaded hydrogels were used to treat bacterial infections with the aim of controlling systemic side effects and slow release in order to provide an effective antibacterial delivery system to progress patient adherence by declining the repetition of prescribed drugs. Sodium alginate and carboxymethyl cellulose were solved in water, and after complete solvation of the polymer, adipic acid dihydrazide as a cross-linker was added to the polymer solution to afford chemically crosslinked hydrogel. The produced hydrogel was purified by the dialysis bag. FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectra identified the presence of an amide group. Surface examination of hydrogel showed a soft texture with a porous structure. Chemical tetracycline drug-loaded hydrogel showed slow-release tetracycline and better antibacterial effects against S. aureus and E. coli strains. Chemical tetracycline drug-loaded hydrogel was slower to release than physical tetracycline drug-loaded hydrogel against bacterial strains. Furthermore, feed-forward input propagation was employed to assess the effect of the time on drug released as response. It confirmed that the prognostic capability of training algorithms is in the order of Levenberg Marquardt (LM) > Bayesian Regularization (BR) > Gradient Descent (GD) for chemically crosslinked hydrogels and GD > BR > LM for physically crosslinked hydrogels. The findings clearly established manufactured hydrogel as an attractive candidate for effective drug delivery while also paving the way for extended delivery systems in other biomedical applications.

Bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) and adipose-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) are both multipotent with therapeutic potential. In this study, a study for bone tissue engineering was performed using both cell types on three-dimensional (3D) bacterial nanocellulose–chitosan–gelatin–hydroxyapatite (BNC-CS-GT-HAp) scaffolds compared to other bacterial nanocellulose-based scaffolds. BM-MSCs and AD-MSCs show superior potential for osteogenic differentiation, mineralization and extracellular matrix formation on BNC-CS-GT-HAp scaffolds. However, compared with AD-MSCs, BM-MSCs demonstrate greater cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, evidenced by higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineral deposition and osteogenic gene expression over 28 days of cultivation. Further investigation of BM-MSCs for a long-term cultivation of 56 days showed extensive bone matrix formation, persistent ECM and mineral deposition, and enhanced scaffold mechanical reinforcement. Under the cultivation of BM-MSCs on BNC-CS-GT-HAp for 56 days, the production of collagen increased to 4.89%wt/wt and the compressive strength increased to 283 MPa. This indicates the potential of BM-MSCs for osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration, even after extended periods in vitro. The results demonstrate the potential of BNC-CS-GT-HAp scaffolds as a promising candidate for in vivo bone regeneration applications.