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Fabrication of haemostatic materials with excellent antimicrobial, biocompatible and biodegradable properties remains as a major challenge in the field of medicine. Haemostatic agents play vital role in protecting patients and military individuals during emergency situations. Natural polymers serve as promising materials for fabricating haemostatic compounds due to their efficacy in promoting hemostasis and wound healing. In the present work, sodium alginate/aloe vera/sericin (SA/AV/S) scaffold has been fabricated using a simple cost-effective casting method. The prepared SA/AV/S scaffolds were characterised for their physicochemical properties such as scanning electron microscope, UV–visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy. SA/AV/S scaffold showed good mechanical strength, swelling behaviour and antibacterial activity. In vitro experiments using erythrocytes proved the hemocompatible and biocompatible features of SA/AV/S scaffold. In vitro blood clotting assay performed using human blood demonstrated the haemostatic and blood absorption properties of SA/AV/S scaffold. Scratch wound assay was performed to study the wound healing efficacy of prepared scaffolds. Chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay carried out using fertilised embryos proved the angiogenic property of SA/AV/S scaffold. Thus, SA/AV/S scaffold could serve as a potential haemostatic healthcare product due to its outstanding haemostatic, antimicrobial, hemocompatible, biocompatible and angiogenic properties.

Biogenic nanoparticles synthesized using medicinal plant extracts gain significant attention in the field of medicine. Current research reports about a simple, low cost, eco-friendly method to prepare silver nanoparticles (SNPs) using the leaf extract of Plectranthus amboinicus. UV-Visible spectroscopic analysis showed a surface plasmon resonance peak of synthesized SNPs at 410 nm. SNPs had an average hydrodynamic diameter of 111.5 nm with a zeta potential value of –19.4 mV. FTIR spectroscopic measurement revealed the characteristic peaks of SNPs. Electron microscopic analysis showed spherical-shaped nanoparticles. The potency of SNPs as a calorimetric biosensor was evaluated using its ability in detecting triethylamine (TEA)—a toxic organic solvent. A drastic change in color (pale yellow → dark black) was observed when an SNPs was treated with varying concentrations (0.01 to 0.3 mM) of TEA. SNPs showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, the biosynthesized SNPs possessed efficient anticancer activity against B16F10 murine melanoma cells, which was evaluated using MTT, scratch wound, and live/dead cell assays. These results prove that SNPs can serve as biosensors and antibacterial and anticancer agents for industrial and biomedical applications.

Biosensors are devices that quantify biologically significant information required for diverse applications, such as disease diagnosis, food safety, drug discovery and detection of environmental pollutants. Recent advancements in microfluidics, nanotechnology and electronics have led to the development of novel implantable and wearable biosensors for the expedient monitoring of diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma and cancer. Glaucoma is an ocular disease which ranks as the second leading cause for loss of vision. It is characterized by the increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) in human eyes, which results in irreversible blindness. Currently, the reduction of IOP is the only treatment used to manage glaucoma. However, the success rate of medicines used to treat glaucoma is quite minimal due to their curbed bioavailability and reduced therapeutic efficacy. The drugs must pass through various barriers to reach the intraocular space, which in turn serves as a major challenge in glaucoma treatment. Rapid progress has been observed in nano-drug delivery systems for the early diagnosis and prompt therapy of ocular diseases. This review gives a deep insight into the current advancements in the field of nanotechnology for detecting and treating glaucoma, as well as for the continuous monitoring of IOP. Various nanotechnology-based achievements, such as nanoparticle/nanofiber-based contact lenses and biosensors that can efficiently monitor IOP for the efficient detection of glaucoma, are also discussed.

Human placenta is loaded with an enormous amount of endogenous growth factors, thereby making it a superior biomaterial for tissue regeneration. Sericin is a naturally occurring silk protein that is extensively used for biomedical applications. In the present work, sericin and human placenta-derived extracellular matrix were blended and fabricated in the form of scaffolds using the freeze-drying method for cutaneous wound treatment. The prepared sericin/placenta-derived extracellular matrix (SPEM) scaffolds were characterized to determine their morphology, functional groups, mechanical strength, and antibacterial activity. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the scaffolds showed smooth surfaces with interconnected pores. In vitro MTT and scratch wound assays performed using HaCaT cells proved the non-toxic and wound-healing efficacy of SPEM scaffolds. In vivo CAM assay using fertilized chick embryos proved the angiogenic potency of the scaffolds. Animal experiments using Wistar albino rats proved that the open excision wounds treated with SPEM scaffolds significantly reduced wound size with collagen deposition. These results confirm that SPEM scaffolds can serve as a promising biomaterial for tissue regeneration.