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The development of superabsorbent hydrogels is experiencing a transformative era across industries. While traditional synthetic hydrogels have found broad utility, their non-biodegradable nature has raised environmental concerns, driving the search for eco-friendlier alternatives. Cellulose-based superabsorbents, derived from sustainable sources, are gaining prominence. Innovations include biodegradable polymer hydrogels, natural cellulose-chitosan variants, and cassava starch-based alternatives. These materials are reshaping agriculture by enhancing soil fertility and water retention, serving as potent hemostatic agents in medicine, contributing to pollution control, and providing eco-friendly construction materials. Cellulose-based hydrogels also offer promise in drug delivery and hygiene products. Advanced characterization techniques aid in optimizing their properties, while the shift towards circular economy practices further highlights sustainability. This manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of these advancements, highlighting their diverse applications and environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New hydrogel materials developed to improve soft tissue healing are an alternative for medical applications, such as tissue regeneration or enhancing the biotolerance effect in the tissue-implant–body fluid system. The biggest advantages of hydrogel materials are the presence of a large amount of water and a polymeric structure that corresponds to the extracellular matrix, which allows to create healing conditions similar to physiological ones. The present work deals with the change in mechanical properties of sodium alginate mixed with gelatin containing Pygeum africanum. The work primarily concentrates on the evaluation of the mechanical properties of the hydrogel materials produced by the sol–gel method. The antimicrobial activity of the hydrogels was investigated based on the population growth dynamics of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, as well as the degree of degradation after contact with urine using an innovative method with a urine flow simulation stand. On the basis of mechanical tests, it was found that sodium alginate-based hydrogels with gelatin showed weaker mechanical properties than without the additive. In addition, gelatin accelerates the degradation process of the produced hydrogel materials. Antimicrobial studies have shown that the presence of African plum bark extract in the hydrogel enhances the inhibitory effect on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The research topic was considered due to the increased demand from patients for medical devices to promote healing of urethral epithelial injuries in order to prevent the formation of urethral strictures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of PDLLA-PEG1k-PDLLA tri-block co-polymers with various compositions, i.e., containing 2-10 lactoyl units, were prepared via ring opening polymerisation of D,L-lactide in the presence of poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) (Mn = 1000 g•mol-1 as the initiator and stannous 2-ethylhexanoate as the catalyst at different feed ratios. PDLLA-PEG1k-PDLLA co-polymers were then functionalised with acrylate groups using acryloyl chloride under various reaction conditions. The diacrylated PPDLLA-PEG1k-PDLLA (diacryl-PDLLA-PEG1k-PDLLA) were further polymerised to synthesize soluble hyperbranched polymers by either homo-polymerisation or co-polymerisation with poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methylacrylate (PEGMEMA) via free radical polymerisation. The polymer samples obtained were characterised by ¹H NMR (proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-red spectroscopy), and GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography). Moreover, the diacryl-PDLLA-PEG1k-PDLLA macromers were used for the preparation of biodegradable crosslinked hydrogels through the Michael addition reaction and radical photo-polymerisation with or without poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methylacrylate (PEGMEMA, Mn = 475 g•mol-1) as the co-monomer. It was found that fine tuning of the diacryl-PDLLA-PEG1k-PDLLA constituents and its combination with co-monomers resulted in hydrogels with tailored swelling properties. It is envisioned that soluble hyperbranched polymers and crosslinked hydrogels prepared from diacryl-PDLLA-PEG1k-PDLLA macromers can have promising applications in the fields of nano-medicines and regenerative medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented research is focused on an investigation of the effect of the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to a gelatin-based hydrogel on the functional properties of the resulting material. The main purpose was to experimentally determine and compare the properties of hydrogels differing from the content of PVA in the blend. Subsequently, the utility of these matrices for the production of an immobilized invertase preparation with improved operational stability was examined. We also propose a useful computational tool to predict the properties of the final material depending on the proportions of both components in order to design the feature range of the hydrogel blend desired for a strictly specified immobilization system (of enzyme/carrier type). Based on experimental research, it was found that an increase in the PVA content in gelatin hydrogels contributes to obtaining materials with a visibly higher packaging density, degree of swelling, and water absorption capacity. In the case of hydrolytic degradation and compressive strength, the opposite tendency was observed. The functionality studies of gelatin and gelatin/PVA hydrogels for enzyme immobilization indicate the very promising potential of invertase entrapped in a gelatin/PVA hydrogel matrix as a stable biocatalyst for industrial use. The molecular modeling analysis performed in this work provides qualitative information about the tendencies of the macroscopic parameters observed with the increase in the PVA and insight into the chemical nature of these dependencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]