This study was supported by EU FP7 grant GlowBrain (REGPOT–2012–CT2012– 316120) to S.G. and by a University of Trento Startup Grant and the Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto Grant n. 2011.0251 to S.C. Since the central nervous system shows very little capability for self-repair following ischemic injury, regenerative medicine approaches are increasingly interested in the use of neural ste...

A multiple unit oral floating drug delivery system of famotidine was developed to prolong gastric residence time, target stomach mucosa and increase drug bioavailability. Drug and polymer compatibility was studied by subjecting physical mixtures of drug and polymers to differential scanning calorimetry. Cod liver oil entrapped calcium alginate beads containing famotidine, capable of floating in...

A new fabrication process for designing nerve conduits with a porous ionic cross-linked alginate/chitosan composite for nervous regeneration could be prepared. New designed nerve conduits with a porous ionic cross-linked alginate/chitosan composite were developed for nervous regeneration. Nerve conduits (NCs) represent a promising alternative to conventional treatments for peripheral nerve repa...

Alginate is a natural polysaccharide exhibiting excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, having many different applications in the field of biomedicine. Alginate is readily processable for applicable three-dimensional scaffolding materials such as hydrogels, microspheres, microcapsules, sponges, foams and fibers. Alginate-based biomaterials can be utilized as drug delivery systems and c...

Diclofenac sodium and alginate was intercalated into montmorillonite to form uniform sized beads by gelation method. The structure and surface morphology of the synthesized composite beads were characterized by powdered X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermo gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Diclofenac release kinetics of the composite in simulat...

In this study, thiolated alginate was synthesized by introduction of cysteine to alginate to prepare mucoadhesive alginate/poly (L-lysine)/thiolated alginate (APTA) microcapsules for efficient oral delivery of Lactobacillus salivarius 29 (LS29), a novel therapeutic Lactobacillus strain, in vitro and in vivo. About 759 +/- 32.4 microM of cysteine per gram of alginate was introduced by estimation...

Biodegradable nanocomposite films were prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) into alginate biopolymer using the solution casting method. The effects of CNF content (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 wt %) on mechanical, biodegradability and swelling behavior of the nanocomposite films were determined. The results showed that the tensile modulus value of the nanocomposite films increased...

In this paper, nanostructured carbonated hydroxyapatite powder was synthesized using biomimetic method. Physical properties and morphological features of the powder was studied using appropriate techniques such as BET, TEM, XRD and FTIR. The powder was separately mixed with 3 wt. % solutions of either sodium alginate or chitosan to form different pastes. Rheological behavior of the pastes in os...

Alginate microparticles and nanoparticles crosslinked with Ca+2 ions are frequently employed in biomedical applications. Here we use microemulsion polymerization to prepare alginate nanoparticles (nanogels) using different crosslinking ions (Ca+2, Sr+2, Ba+2) to encapsulate a model protein, urease enzyme (jackbeans). With alginate concentrations of 0.2wt% in the aqueous phase, emulsion droplets...

INTRODUCTION For the construction of any dental prosthesis, accurate impressions are necessary. Hence, we undertook the present study to evaluate and compare the surface hardness of gypsum casts poured from impressions made using conventional alginate and self-disinfecting alginate. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 30 impressions of stainless steel die were made, out of which 15 impressions w...