Stimuli-responsive glucuronoxylan polysaccharide from quince seeds for biomedical, food packaging, and environmental applications.

Mucilage is a gelatinous mixture of polysaccharides secreted from the seed coat and/or pericarp of many plant seeds when soaked in water. Mucilage affected seed germination while maintaining hydration levels during scarcity. Cydonia oblonga (quince) seeds are natural hydrocolloids extruding biocompatible mucilage mainly composed of polysaccharides. Quince seed mucilage (QSM) has fascinated researchers due to its applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. On a commercial scale, QSM preserved the sensory and physiochemical properties of various products such as yogurt, desserts, cakes, and burgers. QSM is responsive to salts, pH, and solvents and is mainly investigated as edible coatings in the food industry. In tablet formulations, modified and unmodified QSM as a binder sustained the release of various drugs such as cefixime, capecitabine, diclofenac sodium, theophylline, levosulpiride, diphenhydramine, metoprolol tartrate, and acyclovir sodium. QSM acted as a reducing and capping agent to prepare nanoparticles for good antimicrobial resistance, photocatalytic characteristics, and wound-healing potential. The present review discussed the extraction optimization, chemical composition, stimuli-responsiveness, and viscoelastic properties of mucilage. The potential of mucilage in edible films, tissue engineering, and water purification will also be discussed.

Correction: Recent trends in ozone sensing technology.

Correction for 'Recent trends in ozone sensing technology' by Muhammad Mudassir Iqbal et al., Anal. Methods, 2023, 15, 2798-2822, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3AY00334E.

Recent trends in ozone sensing technology.

The harmful impact of ozone on humans and the environment makes the development of economical, accurate, and efficient ozone monitoring technologies necessary. Therefore, in the present review, we critically discuss developments in the methods for the synthesis of ozone sensing materials such as metal oxides (Ni, Co, Pd, In, Cu, Zn, Fe, Sn, W, Ti and Mo), carbon nanotubes, organic compounds, perovskites, and quartz. Additionally, the recent advancements and innovations in ozone technology will be discussed. In this review, we focus on assembling ozone-sensing devices and developing related wireless communication, data transferring, and analyzing technologies together with satellite, airborne, and ground-based novel ozone-sensing strategies for monitoring the atmosphere, urban areas, and working environments. Furthermore, the developments in ozone-monitoring miniaturized devices technology will be considered. The effects of different factors, such as spatial-temporal variation, humidity, and calibration, on ozone measurements will also be discussed. It is anticipated that this review will bridge the knowledge gaps among materials chemists, engineers, and industry.

Hydrogel assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles with enhanced microbicidal and in vivo wound healing potential.

The present study reports a hydrogel-based sunlight-assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with enhanced antimicrobial and wound healing potential. The hydrogel extracted from the seeds of Cydonia oblonga was used as a reducing and capping agent to synthesize Au NPs for the first time. The as-synthesized Au NPs were characterized for an average size, shape, surface functionalization, antimicrobial, and wound healing capabilities. The cubic and rectangular-shaped Au NPs with an average edge length of 74 ± 4.57 nm depicted a characteristic surface plasmon resonance band at 560 nm. The hydrogel-based Au NPs inhibited the growth of microorganisms in zones with 12 mm diameter. In-vitro experiments showed that a minimum inhibitory concentration of Au NPs (16 µg/mL) was sufficient to mimic the 95% growth of pathogenic microorganisms in 24 h. In vivo treatment of wounds with Au NPs in murine models revealed a 99% wound closure within 5 days. Quantitative PCR analysis performed to decipher the role of Au NPs in enhanced wound healing showed an increase in the expression levels of NANOG and CD-34 proteins.