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In this research, nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) loaded with limonene were developed using various solid lipids. The impact of high temperatures on the characteristics of NLCs was investigated. NLCs exhibited zeta potential values exceeding |30| mV, indicating excellent homogeneity and stability. Increasing the carbon chain length of monoglycerides from C15 to C21 resulted in a corresponding increase in particle size of NLCs from 219.1 ± 1.1 to 243.3 ± 0.9 nm. However, the particle size remained relatively constant with an increase in the number of solid lipid carbon chains. Encapsulation efficiency of limonene increased from 66.0 ± 0.7% to 86.2 ± 0.8% with an increase in the number of solid lipid carbon chains. The result showed that more ester bonds facilitated the dissolution of the target and enhanced the interaction forces between solid lipids and the target. X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform‐infra‐red spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry analyses confirmed effective encapsulation of limonene in NLCs, resulting in good stability. NLCs prepared from various solid lipids exhibited varying properties. Glycerol triglyceride demonstrated superior stability and homogeneity of nanoparticles under high‐temperature conditions compared to other solid lipids. This study provides enhancing the thermal stability of limonene‐loaded NLCs and proposes a novel approach for their practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan‐caffeic and chitosan‐ferulic acid conjugates are synthesized by carbodiimide method and characterized by UV, FTIR, and NMR spectroscopy. There are two obtained forms of conjugates: freshly synthesized and reconstituted freeze‐dried. A comparative study of the stability of various conjugate forms over time and under UV irradiation has been carried out. It has been shown that the absorption intensity of an aqueous solution of the freshly synthesized chitosan‐caffeic acid conjugate decrease in ~2 times during 20 weeks of storage, while the maximum rate of intensity decrease is observed during the first 40 days. The absorption intensity of the chitosan‐ferulic acid conjugate decrease by 6–7% during the entire storage period. It has been found that freeze‐dried powders of chitosan‐caffeic and chitosan‐ferulic acid conjugates are stable for at least 1 year. It has been established that freeze‐dried chitosan‐caffeic and chitosan‐ferulic acid conjugates are more stable under UV irradiation (in 4–8 and 1.4–1.9 times, respectively) compared to freshly synthesized ones. A comparative study of the influence of conjugates on barley seedlings (Hordeum vulgare L.) growth has been carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implant‐related infection is one of the serious problems in regenerative medicine. Promising approach to overcome the problems caused by bacterial growth on the medical implants is their modification by bioactive coatings. A versatile technique for designing multilayer films with tailored characteristics at the nanometer scale is layer‐by‐layer assembly. In this study, multilayer films based on biopolymers (pectin and chitosan) and their nanocomposites with silver nanoparticles have been prepared and evaluated. The buildup of multilayers was monitored using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation technique. The morphology of the obtained films was investigated by atomic force microscopy. We have demonstrated that pectin–Ag‐containing films were characterized by the linear growth and smooth defect‐free surface. When pectin–Ag was substituted for the pectin in the multilayer systems, the properties of the formed coatings were significantly changed: the film rigidity and surface roughness increased, as well as the film growth acquired the parabolic character. All prepared multilayer films have shown antibacterial activity against gram‐positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram‐negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The significant decrease in the number of the adhered E. coli on the multilayer surface has been determined; moreover, many of the cells were misshapen with cytoplasm leaking. The prepared multilayer films showed a mild activity against S. aureus predominantly due to the antiadhesive effect. Our results indicate that antibacterial activity of biopolymer multilayers is determined by the film composition and physicochemical characteristics and can be associated with their antiadhesive and bactericidal behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of novel wound dressings for chronic wound treatment is still of great importance. One of the promising approaches is application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), immobilized on a flexible polymer film, for healing. In this study, blended films based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and pectin with different component ratio have been prepared by solution casting method and evaluated. Physicochemical properties of the formed PVA/pectin films, including their morphology, wettability, swelling, stability, mechanical characteristics, have been studied. We demonstrated that the surface of PVA/pectin films could be modified by ultraviolet or dielectric barrier discharge plasma exposure. After both ultraviolet and plasma treatment, the hydrophilicity of PVA/pectin films increased. It has been shown that additional crosslinking of PVA/pectin films with glutaraldehyde resulted in reinforcement of their structure. MSCs were cultured on neat and modified PVA/pectin samples to evaluate the effects of film characteristics and composition on cell behavior. It has been determined that MSCs effectively adhered to glutaraldehyde‐crosslinked PVA/pectin films and formed on them the monolayer culture of fibroblast‐like cells. The additional modification of PVA/pectin films with collagen resulted in enhancement of MSCs adhesion. Our results show that the obtained PVA/pectin films with adhered MSCs can be suggested for potential application as a part of novel complex wound dressings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]