Facile Formation of Sulfurized Nanorod-Like ZnO/Zn(OH)2 and Hierarchical Flower-Like γ-Zn(OH)2 /ϵ-Zn(OH)2 from a Green Synthesis and Application as Luminescent Solar Concentrator.

This research endeavors to overcome the significant challenge of developing materials that simultaneously possess photostability and photosensitivity to UV-visible irradiation. Sulfurized nanorod (NR)-like ZnO/Zn(OH)2 and hierarchical flower-like γ-Zn(OH)2 /ϵ-Zn(OH)2 were identified from XRD diffraction patterns and Raman vibrational modes. The sulfurized material, observed by FEG-SEM and TEM, showed diameters ranging from 10 and 40 nm and lengths exceeding 200 nm. The S2- ions intercalated Zn2+ , modulating NRs to dumbbell-like microrods. SAED and HRTEM illustrated the atomic structure in (101) crystal plane. Its direct band gap of 3.0 eV was attributed to the oxygen vacancies, which also contribute to the deep-level emissions at 422 and 485 nm. BET indicated specific surface area of 4.4 m2 g-1 and pore size as mesoporosity, which are higher compared to the non-sulfurized analogue. These findings were consistent with the observed photocurrent, photostability and photoluminescence (PL), further supporting the suitability of sulfurized NR-like ZnO/Zn(OH)2 as a promising candidate for Luminescent solar concentrators (LSC)-photovoltaic (PV) system.

Designing Highly Photoactive Hybrid Aerogels for In-Flow Photocatalytic Contaminant Removal Using Silica-Coated Bacterial Nanocellulose Supports.

This study explores the use of silica-coated bacterial nanocellulose (BC) scaffolds with bulk macroscopic yet nanometric internal pores/structures as functional supports for high surface area titania aerogel photocatalysts to design flexible, self-standing, porous, and recyclable BC@SiO2-TiO2 hybrid organic-inorganic aerogel membranes for effective in-flow photo-assisted removal of organic pollutants. The hybrid aerogels were prepared by sequential sol-gel deposition of the SiO2 layer over BC, followed by coating of the resulting BC@SiO2 membranes with a porous titania aerogel overlayer of high surface area using epoxide-driven gelation, hydrothermal crystallization, and subsequent supercritical drying. The silica interlayer between the nanocellulose biopolymer scaffold and the titania photocatalyst was found to greatly influence the structure and composition, particularly the TiO2 loading, of the prepared hybrid aerogel membranes, allowing the development of photochemically stable aerogel materials with increased surface area/pore volume and higher photocatalytic activity. The optimized BC@SiO2-TiO2 hybrid aerogel showed up to 12 times faster in-flow photocatalytic removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution in comparison with bare BC/TiO2 aerogels and outperformed most of the supported-titania materials reported earlier. Moreover, the developed hybrid aerogels were successfully employed to remove sertraline drug, a model emergent contaminant, from aqueous solution, thus further demonstrating their potential for water purification.

Review of Bacterial Nanocellulose as Suitable Substrate for Conformable and Flexible Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

As the development of nanotechnology progresses, organic electronics have gained momentum in recent years, and the production and rapid development of electronic devices based on organic semiconductors, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs), and organic field effect transistors (OFETs), among others, have excelled. Their uses extend to the fabrication of intelligent screens for televisions and portable devices, due to their flexibility and versatility. Lately, great efforts have been reported in the literature to use them in the biomedical field, such as in photodynamic therapy. In tandem, there has been considerable interest in the design of advanced materials originating from natural sources. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a natural polymer synthesized by many microorganisms, notably by non-pathogenic strains of Komagataeibacter (K. xylinus, K. hansenii, and K. rhaeticus). BNC shows distinct physical and mechanical properties, including its insolubility, rapid biodegradability, tensile strength, elasticity, durability, and nontoxic and nonallergenic features, which make BNC ideal for many areas, including active and intelligent food packaging, sensors, water remediation, drug delivery, wound healing, and as conformable/flexible substrates for application in organic electronics. Here, we review BNC production methods, properties, and applications, focusing on electronic devices, especially OLEDs and flexible OLEDs (FOLEDs). Furthermore, we discuss the future progress of BNC-based flexible substrate nanocomposites.

Alzheimer's disease diagnosis based on detection of autoantibodies against Aß using Aß40 peptide in liposomes.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and affect more than 50 million people worldwide. Thus, there is a high demand by non-invasive methods for an early diagnosis. This work explores the AD diagnostic using the amyloid beta 1-40 (Aß40) peptide encapsulated into dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl glycerol (DPPG) liposomes and immobilized on polyethylene imine previously deposited on screen-printed carbon electrodes to detect autoantibodies against Aß40, a potential biomarker found in plasma samples. METHODS: The immunosensor assembly was accompanied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) images that showed globular aggregates from 20 to 200 nm corresponding liposomes and by cyclic voltammetry (CV) through increase of the voltammogram area each material deposited. After building the immunosensor, when it was exposed to antibody anti-Aß40, there was an increase in film roughness of approximately 9 nm, indicating the formation of the immunocomplex. RESULTS: In the detection by CV, the presence of specific antibody, in the range of 0.1 to 10 µg/ml, resulted in an increase in the voltammograms area and current in 0.45 V reaching 3.2 µA.V and 5.7 µA, respectively, in comparison with the control system, which remained almost unchanged from 0.1 µg/ml. In patient samples, both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma, was possible separated among positive and negative samples for AD using CV profile and area, with a difference of 0.1 µA.V from the upper error bar of healthy samples for CSF sample and 0.6 µA.V for plasma sample. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed the feasibility of the method employed for the non-invasive diagnostic of Alzheimer's disease detecting natural autoantibodies that circulate in plasma through a simple and easy-to-interpret method.

N-(2-hydroxy)-propyl-3-trimethylammonium, O-palmitoyl chitosan: Synthesis, physicochemical and biological properties.

Two samples of N-(2-hydroxy)-propyl-3-trimethylammonium, O-palmitoyl chitosan (DPCat) with different average degrees of quaternization named as DPCat35 (DQ¯ = 35%) and DPCat80 (DQ¯ = 80%), were successfully synthesized by reacting glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) with O-palmitoyl chitosan (DPCh) derivative (DS¯ = 12%). Such amphiphilic derivatives of chitosan were fully water-soluble at 1.0 < pH < 12.0 and showed significant electrostatic stability enhancement of a self-assembly micellar nanostructure (100-320 nm) due to its positively-charged out-layer. In vitro mucoadhesive and cytotoxicity essays toward healthy fibroblast cells (Balb/C 3T3 clone A31 cell), human prostate cancer (DU145) and liver cancer (HepG2/C3A) cell lines revealed that the biological properties of DPCat derivatives were strongly dependent on DQ¯. Additionally, DPCat35 had better interactions with the biological tissue and with mucin glycoproteins at pH 7.4 as well as exhibited potential to be used on the development of drug delivery systems for prostate and liver cancer treatment.

Bacterial Nanocellulose in Dentistry: Perspectives and Challenges.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural polymer that has fascinating attributes, such as biocompatibility, low cost, and ease of processing, being considered a very interesting biomaterial due to its options for moldability and combination. Thus, BC-based compounds (for example, BC/collagen, BC/gelatin, BC/fibroin, BC/chitosan, etc.) have improved properties and/or functionality, allowing for various biomedical applications, such as artificial blood vessels and microvessels, artificial skin, and wounds dressing among others. Despite the wide applicability in biomedicine and tissue engineering, there is a lack of updated scientific reports on applications related to dentistry, since BC has great potential for this. It has been used mainly in the regeneration of periodontal tissue, surgical dressings, intraoral wounds, and also in the regeneration of pulp tissue. This review describes the properties and advantages of some BC studies focused on dental and oral applications, including the design of implants, scaffolds, and wound-dressing materials, as well as carriers for drug delivery in dentistry. Aligned to the current trends and biotechnology evolutions, BC-based nanocomposites offer a great field to be explored and other novel features can be expected in relation to oral and bone tissue repair in the near future.

Highlights in Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Multifunctional Controlled Drug Delivery Nanoplatform for Infectious Diseases Treatment.

Infectious diseases are a major global concern being responsible for high morbidity and mortality mainly due to the development and enhancement of multidrug-resistant microorganisms exposing the fragility of medicines and vaccines commonly used to these treatments. Taking into account the scarcity of effective formulation to treat infectious diseases, nanotechnology offers a vast possibility of ground-breaking platforms to design new treatment through smart nanostructures for drug delivery purposes. Among the available nanosystems, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) stand out due their multifunctionality, biocompatibility and tunable properties make them emerging and actual nanocarriers for specific and controlled drug release. Considering the high demand for diseases prevention and treatment, this review exploits the MSNs fabrication and their behavior in biological media besides highlighting the most of strategies to explore the wide MSNs functionality as engineered, smart and effective controlled drug release nanovehicles for infectious diseases treatment. Graphical Abstract Schematic representation of multifunctional MSNs-based nanoplatforms for infectious diseases treatment.

Near-infrared/visible-emitting nanosilica modified with silylated Ru(II) and Ln(III) complexes.

Three luminescent silica-based nanohybrids were fabricated by grafting of silylated Ru(II) and Nd/Yb(III) complexes onto mesoporous silica nanoparticles obtained by microemulsion method. The prepared nanohybrids were characterized by Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy, solid state-nuclear magnetic resonance, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The chemical integrity and the grafting of all complexes inside MSNs nanopores as well as a good distribution of metal complexes onto MSNs surface were achieved for all nanohybrids. Photophysical results revealed that by monitoring the excitation on Ru(II) moieties from SiO 2 -RuNd and SiO 2 -RuYb nanohybrids, the sensitization of NIR-emitting Nd/Yb(III) ions were successfully detected via energy transfer processes. Energy transfer rates (k EnT) of 0.20 × 107 and 0.11 × 107 s-1 and efficiencies of energy transfer (η EnT) of 40% and 27.5% were obtained for SiO 2 -RuNd and SiO 2 -RuYb nanohybrids, respectively. These results confirm the preparation of promising dual (near-infrared/visible)-emitting silica-based nanohybrids as new nanotools for applications as nanosensores and nanomarkers.

Luminescent nanohybrids based on silica and silylated Ru(II)-Yb(III) heterobinuclear complex: new tools for biological media analysis.

Lanthanide (Ln) complexes emitting in the near-infrared (NIR) region have fostered great interest as upcoming optical tags owing to their high spatial and temporal resolution emission as well deeper light penetration in biological tissues for non-invasive monitoring. For use in live-cell imaging, lanthanide complexes with long-wavelength absorption and good brightness are especially critical. Light-harvesting ligands of Ln complexes are typically excited in the ultraviolet region, which in turn trigger simultaneously autofluorescence and long-exposition damage of living systems. The association of d-metalloligands rather than organic chromophores enables the excitation of NIR-emitting Ln complex occurs in the visible region. Taking advantage of the long-lived excited states and intense absorption band in the ultraviolet (UV) to NIR region of Ru(II), we successfully design a dual-emitting (in the visible and NIR region) d-f heterobinuclear complex based on Ru(II) metalloligand and Yb(III) complex. In addition, we developed luminescent nanohybrids by grafting of Ru(II)-Yb(III) heterobinuclear complexes containing silylated ligands on the surface of mesoporous and dense silica matrix. The nanomarkers were successfully applied for imaging of murine melanoma B16-F10 and neonatal human dermal fibroblast HDFn cell cultures by one-photon or two-photon absorption using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Great cellular uptake, low cytotoxicity and the possibility to achieve visible and NIR emission via two-photons excitation show that the nanohybrids are remarkable markers for in vitro and a potential tool for in vivo applications.

Three-dimensional printing and in vitro evaluation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) scaffolds functionalized with osteogenic growth peptide for tissue engineering.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biodegradable and thermoprocessable biopolymer, making it a promising candidate for applications in tissue engineering. In the present study a structural characterization and in vitro evaluation were performed on PHB scaffolds produced by additive manufacturing via selective laser sintering (SLS), followed by post-printing functionalization with osteogenic growth peptide (OGP) and its C-terminal sequence OGP(10-14). The PHB scaffolds were characterized, including their morphology, porosity, thermal and mechanical properties, moreover OGP release. The results showed that SLS technology allowed the sintering of the PHB scaffolds with a hierarchical structure with interconnected pores and intrinsic porosity (porosity of 55.8 ±â€¯0.7% and pore size in the 500-700 µm range), and good mechanical properties. Furthermore, the SLS technology did not change thermal properties of PHB polymer. The OGP release profile showed that PHB scaffold promoted a controlled release above 72 h. In vitro assays using rat bone marrow stem cells showed good cell viability/proliferation in all the PHB scaffolds. Additionally, SEM images suggested advanced morphological differentiation in the groups containing osteogenic growth peptide. The overall results demonstrated that PHB biopolymer is potential candidate for 3D printing via SLS technology, moreover the OGP-containing PHB scaffolds showed ability to sustain cell growth to support tissue formation thereby might be considered for tissue-engineering applications.

Bacterial cellulose skin masks-Properties and sensory tests.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a versatile material produced by microorganisms in the form of a membranous hydrogel, totally biocompatible, and endowed with high mechanical strength. Its high water-holding capacity based on its highly porous nanofibrillar structure allows BC to incorporate and to release substances very fast, thus being suitable for the preparation of skincare masks. AIMS: The preparation and characterization of cosmetic masks based on BC membranes and active cosmetics. METHODS: The masks were prepared by the simple incorporation of the cosmetic actives into BC membranes, used as a swelling matrix. The masks were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), sensory tests, and skin moisture tests on volunteers. RESULTS: The results of sensory tests revealed the good performance of BC, being considered effective by the panel of volunteers, specially for adhesion to the skin (7.7 at the score scale), and improvement of the skin moisture (the hydration effect increased 76% in 75% of the volunteers that used vegetable extract mask formulation [VEM]), or a decrease in skin hydration (80% of the volunteers showed 32.6% decrease on skin hydration using propolis extract formulation [PEM] treatment), indicating the BC nanofiber membranes can be used to skincare applications. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate the BC can be used as an alternative support for cosmetic actives for skin treatment.

Desarrollo de cobertura y su evaluación en el tratamiento de las heridas crónicas / Desenvolvimento de cobertura e sua avaliação no tratamento de feridas crônicas / Development of coverage and its evaluation in the treatment of chronic wounds

Objective. To describe the development of the bacterial cellulose coating with anti-inflammatory Ibuprofen (BC/Ibu) and to evaluate the cicatrization process with its use in patients with chronic wounds of venous and diabetic etiology. Methods. Longitudinal descriptive study. The cellulose membrane, cultivated with bacteria Gluconacetobacter xylinus and with incorporation of Ibuprofen, was used in the treatment of patients with chronic wounds in public health services in a Brazilian municipality. The ideal coverage characteristics were evaluated through physical, chemical and cell proliferation tests. Results. The sample consisted of 14 patients (10 women and 4 men), 8 with venous ulcer, 5 with diabetic foot and one with mixed wound. There was reduction of area and pain in 9 lesions; total healing of 3 wounds; and debridement of the devitalized tissue in 5 wounds with increased area. The use of the membrane was important in the reduction of pain, exudation and ease in the accomplishment of the curative. Conclusion. BC/Ibu favored the cicatrization process of patients with chronic vasculogenic wounds.(AU)

Objetivo. Describir el desarrollo de la cobertura de celulosa bacteriana con antiinflamatorio Ibuprofeno (CB/Ibu) y evaluar el proceso de cicatrización en la utilización en pacientes con heridas crónicas de etiología venosa y diabética. Métodos. Estudio descriptivo longitudinal. La membrana de celulosa, cultivada con bacterias Gluconacetobacter xylinus y con incorporación del Ibuprofeno se utilizó en el tratamiento de pacientes con heridas crónicas en servicios de atención pública de un municipio brasileño. Se evaluaron características de cobertura ideal mediante pruebas físicas, químicas y de proliferación celular. Resultados. La muestra fue constituida por 14 pacientes (10 mujeres y 4 hombres): 8 con úlcera venosa, 5 con pie diabético y uno con herida mixta. Se redujo el área y el dolor en 9 lesiones; la cicatrización total de 3 heridas; y el debridamiento del tejido desvitalizado en 5 heridas con aumento del área. El uso de la membrana de celulosa disminuyó el dolor de la exudación y facilitó la realización del vendaje. Conclusión. La CB/Ibu favoreció el proceso de cicatrización de los pacientes con heridas crónicas vasculogénicas.(AU)

Objetivo. Descrever o desenvolvimento da cobertura de celulose bacteriana com anti-inflamatório Ibuprofeno (CB/Ibu) e avaliar o processo de cicatrização com a sua utilização em pacientes com feridas crônicas de etiologia venosa e diabética. Métodos. Estudo descritivo longitudinal. A membrana de celulose, cultivada com bactérias Gluconacetobacter xylinus e com incorporação do Ibuprofeno, foi utilizada no tratamento de pacientes com feridas crônicas em serviços de atendimento público de um município brasileiro. Foram avaliadas as características de cobertura ideal mediante testes físicos, químicos e de proliferação celular. Resultados. A amostra foi constituída por 14 pacientes (10 mulheres e 4 homens), sendo 8 com úlcera venosa, 5 com pé diabético e um com ferida mista. Houve redução da área e da dor em 9 lesões; cicatrização total de 3 feridas; e o debridamento do tecido desvitalizado em 5 feridas com aumento da área. O uso da membrana além da diminuição da dor, da exsudação e facilidade na realização do curativo. Conclusão. A CB/Ibu favoreceu o processo cicatrização dos pacientes com feridas crônicas vasculogênicas. (AU)

Nanocellulose-collagen-apatite composite associated with osteogenic growth peptide for bone regeneration.

Despite advances in the field of biomaterials for bone repair/regeneration, some challenges for developing an ideal bone substitute need to be overcome. Herein, this study synthesized and evaluated in vitro a nanocomposite based on bacterial cellulose (BC), collagen (COL), apatite (Ap) and osteogenic growth peptide (OGP) or its C-terminal pentapeptide [OGP(10-14)] for bone regeneration purposes. The BC-COL nanocomposites were successfully obtained by carbodiimide-mediated coupling as demonstrated by spectroscopy analysis. SEM, FTIR and 31P NMR analyses revealed that in situ synthesis to apatite was an effective route for obtaining of bone-like apatite. The OGP-containing (BC-COL)-Ap stimulated the early development of the osteoblastic phenotype. Additionally, the association among collagen, apatite, and OGP peptides enhanced cell growth compared with OGP-containing BC-Ap. Furthermore, none of the nanocomposites showed cytotoxic, genotoxic or mutagenic effects. These promising results suggest that the (BC-COL)-Ap associated with OGP peptides might be considered a potential candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.

Synthesis and factorial design applied to a novel chitosan/sodium polyphosphate nanoparticles via ionotropic gelation as an RGD delivery system.

Chitosan nanoparticles have been extensively studied for both drug and protein/peptide delivery. The aim of this study was to develop an optimized chitosan nanoparticle, by ionotropic gelation method, using 32 full factorial design with a novel polyanion, sodium polyphosphate, well known under the trade name Graham salt. The effects of these parameters on the particle size, zeta potential, and morphology and association efficiency were investigated. The optimized nanoparticles showed an estimated size of 166.20±1.95nm, a zeta potential of 38.7±1.2mV and an efficacy of association of 97.0±2.4%. The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) revealed spherical nanoparticles with uniform size. Molecular interactions among the components of the nanoparticles and peptide were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The obtained results indicated that, the developed nanoparticles demonstrated high biocompatible, revealing no or low toxicity in the human cancer cell line (Caco-2). In conclusion, this work provides parameters that contribute to production of chitosan nanoparticles and sodium polyphosphate with desirable size, biocompatible and enabling successful use for protein/peptides delivery.

Facile Synthesis of Sub-20 nm Silver Nanowires through a Bromide-Mediated Polyol Method.

Essentially all of the Ag nanowires reported in the literature have sizes larger than 30 nm in diameter. In this article, we report a simple and robust approach to the synthesis of Ag nanowires with diameters below 20 nm and aspect ratios over 1000 using a one-pot polyol method. The Ag nanowires took a penta-twinned structure, and they could be obtained rapidly (<35 min) and in high morphology purity (>85% of the as-obtained solid product) under atmospheric pressure. The key to the success of this synthesis is to restrain the nanowires from lateral growth by employing both Br(-) ions and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) with a high molecular weight of 1 300 000 g/mol to cap the {100} side faces, together with the use of a syringe pump to slowly introduce AgNO3 into the reaction solution. By optimizing the ratios between the capping agents and AgNO3, we were able to slow down the reduction kinetics and effectively direct the Ag nanowires to grow along the longitudinal direction only. The nanowires showed great mechanical flexibility and could be bent with acute angles without breaking. Because of their small diameters, the transverse localized surface plasmon resonance peak of the Ag nanowires could be pushed down to the ultraviolet region, below 400 nm, making them ideal conductive elements for the fabrication of touch screens, solar cells, and smart windows.

Draft Genome Sequence of Komagataeibacter intermedius Strain AF2, a Producer of Cellulose, Isolated from Kombucha Tea.

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Komagataeibacter intermedius strain AF2, which was isolated from Kombucha tea and is capable of producing cellulose, although at lower levels compared to another bacterium from the same environment, K. rhaeticus strain AF1.

Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan Nanoparticles for Zidovudine Nasal Delivery.

Zidovudine (AZT) is the antiretroviral drug most frequently used for the treatment of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Its low oral bioavailability demands the development of innovative strategies to overcome the first pass metabolism. The nasal route is an option for enhanced therapeutic efficacy and to reduce the extent of the first-pass effect. In this article, AZT loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by a modified ionotropic gelation method with sodium tripolyphosphate. The increase proportion of CS (NP1 10:01 (w/w)) promoted the formation of smaller nanoparticles (260 nm), while raising the proportion of TPP (NP2 5:1 w/w) increased the nanoparticles size (330 nm). The incorporation of AZT increased the nanoparticles size for both AZT-loaded nanoparticles AZT-loaded NP1 (406 nm) and AZT-loaded NP2 (425 nm). The incorporation of AZT into NP1 did not change the electrophoretic mobility, however, in AZT-loaded NP2 there was a significant increase. The positive surface of the nanoparticles is very important for the mucoadhesive properties due interaction with the sialic groups of the mucin. Nuclear resonance magnetic data showed that the higher concentration of chitosan in the nanoparticles favored the interaction of few phosphate units (pyrophosphate) by ionic interaction Scanning electron microscopy, revealed that the nanoparticles are nearly spherical shape with porous surface. The entrapment efficiency of AZT, was 17.58% ± 1.48 and 11.02% ± 2.05 for NP1 and NP2, respectively. The measurement of the mucoadhesion force using mucin discs and nasal tissue obtained values of NP1 = 2.12 and NP2 = 4.62. In vitro permeation study showed that the nanoparticles promoted an increase in the flux of the drug through the nasal mucosa. In view of these results, chitosan nanoparticles were found to be a promising approach for the incorporation of hydrophilic drugs and these results suggest that the CS-containing nanoparticles have great potential for nasal AZT administration.

Draft Genome Sequence of Komagataeibacter rhaeticus Strain AF1, a High Producer of Cellulose, Isolated from Kombucha Tea.

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Komagatabaeicter rhaeticus strain AF1, which was isolated from Kombucha tea and is capable of producing high levels of cellulose.

Sleeving nanocelluloses by admicellar polymerization.

This investigation reports the first application of admicellar polymerization to cellulose nanofibers in the form of bacterial cellulose, microfibrillated cellulose, and cellulose nanowhiskers using styrene and ethyl acrylate. The success of this physical sleeving was assessed by SEM, FTIR, and contact angle measurements, providing an original and simple approach to the modification of cellulose nanofibers in their pristine aqueous environment.

Antimicrobial Brazilian Propolis (EPP-AF) Containing Biocellulose Membranes as Promising Biomaterial for Skin Wound Healing.

Among remarkable discoveries concerning propolis, such as antifungal, antiviral, and antioxidant activities, its anti-inflammatory, and mainly its antibacterial, properties deserve special attention when skin wound healing is concerned. Based on this and knowing the distinctive performance of bacterial (BC) membranes on wound healing, in this work it is proposed to demonstrate the potent antimicrobial activity and wound healing properties of a novel propolis containing biocellulose membrane. The obtained propolis/BC membrane was able to adsorb propolis not only on the surface, but also in its interstices demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and thermogravidimetric assays. Additionally, the polyphenolic compounds determination and the prominent antibacterial activity in the membrane are demonstrated to be dose dependent, supporting the possibility of obtaining propolis/BC membranes at the desired concentrations, taking into consideration its application and its skin residence time. Finally, it could be suggested that propolis/BC membrane may favor tissue repair in less time and more effectively in contaminated wounds.