Chitin and lignin. Natural ingredients from waste materials to make innovative and healthy products for humans and plant

In a globalized world, plants are continually cut to obtain free land for intensive farming without remembering their important function in the planet ecosystem. They produce oxygen eliminating the carbon dioxide excess, contributing to reduce the pollution thus giving a great support to our health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution -both outdoor and indoor- is nowadays "the biggest environmental risk to health carrying responsibility for about one in every nine deaths" (WHO, 2016). Outdoor pollution alone, in fact, kills around 3 million people each year. At this purpose however, it is necessary to remember that indoor emission of nanoparticles (NP) represent 50-80% of human exposure, calculated from 10.000 to 249.000 NP/mL air-while in polluted air NP are from ~10.000 to 50.000 NP/mL (Nohynek, 2011). Thus, there is a strict necessity "to consider air pollution as a global health priority in the sustainable development agenda" (WHO, 2016). Moreover, plants, multicellular organisms, as well as humans have evolved several mechanisms of defense and sensor systems to detect danger and prevent entry of most foreign material (Janeway et al, 2001). The sensors can direct and assist the host defenses by the use of specialized cells that ingest and digest foreign material. This protective non-specific method is called innate immune system, also connected with certain specific molecular patterns recognition associated with invading microbes or tissue damage (Nurnberger et al., 2004). In addition to innate immunity, vertebrates have evolved an adaptive immune system that relies on many antigen receptors, expressed by specialized immune cells. Unlike vertebrates, plants lack mobile defender cells and respond to infection by a two-branched immune system (Jones et al., 2006). The first branch recognizes and responds to all the common microbial molecules, while the second responds to pathogen virulence factors only. However, both plants and mammals have as first-line defense a barrier that, separating and shielding the interior of the body from the surrounding environment, represents the initial obstacle to be overcame from any pathogenic microorganisms. This barrier not only provides a physical separation, but releases also substances with antimicrobial properties. Moreover, when the first-line barrier has been breached, sensor systems are activated to give information to other components of the host defenses. Thus, while mammals activate, for example, the toll-like receptors capable to recognize families of compounds unique to microbes, plants release specialized compounds known as elicitors, signaling molecules able to induce their defense systems (Trouvelot et al., 2014). Examples of common ingredients, used from both plant and mammal as elicitors and defense-related compounds, are chitin and lignin. In this work, these materials will be briefly reviewed and results of chitin nanofibrils production and usage is reported. Finally, possible usage of combined chitin-lignin nanofibrils in commercial products will be pointed out

Innovation, nanotechnology and industrial sustainability by the use of natural underutilized byproducts

Nanotechnology can have a positive impact on environmental problems and aid in the development of new green technologies. In this direction, two EU projects have been set up, called BioMimetic and n-Chitopack as well as an Italian one, named Chitofarma. Chitin nanofibrils (CN), coming from fishery waste, and biopolymers, extracted from vegetable biomass, are among the basic polymers used. These raw materials of natural origin are skin and environmentally-friendly. They can be conjugated or cross-linked by bio-mimetic processes to create innovative products, such as specialized cosmetics, food packaging and non-woven antiaging tissues. A description of these research projects together with their expected results will be briefly reported.   

Circular Economy: A New Horizon for Bio-Nanocomposites from Waste Materials

Circular Economy  will offer a major opportunityto increase resource productivity, decrease consumeand waste dependence, offering the opportunity tocreate new employment and growth. At this purpose,today, science provides evidence that this neweconomical vision, enabled by the bio-nanotechnologyrevolution, could generate by 2030 to Europe'seconomy, a primary resource benefits of as much as €0.6 trillion per year [1,2]. In addition and under theanchor points of the EU normative (Figure 1) [3], itcould generate €1.2 trillion in non-resource andexternality benefits, bringing the annual total benefits toaround €1.8 trillion versus to day [1,2]. Thus, thenecessity to increase the resource efficiency, useagricultural and industrial by-products as raw materials,and minimize both greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)and waste, for reducing the fossil-based products and*Address correspondence to this author at the Secretary General, InternationalSociety of Cosmetic Dermatology, Roma, Italy; R&D Director, NanoscienceCenter MAVI, Viale dell'industria 1, 04011 Aprilia (Lt) Italy;Tel: +39 069286261; Fax: +39 069281523;E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] the human wellbeing and the environmentbiodiversity

Chitin and lignin. Natural ingredients from waste materials to make innovative and healthy products for humans and plant

In a globalized world, plants are continually cut to obtain free land for intensive farming without remembering their important function in the planet ecosystem. They produce oxygen eliminating the carbon dioxide excess, contributing to reduce the pollution thus giving a great support to our health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution -both outdoor and indoor- is nowadays "the biggest environmental risk to health carrying responsibility for about one in every nine deaths" (WHO, 2016). Outdoor pollution alone, in fact, kills around 3 million people each year. At this purpose however, it is necessary to remember that indoor emission of nanoparticles (NP) represent 50-80% of human exposure, calculated from 10.000 to 249.000 NP/mL air-while in polluted air NP are from ~10.000 to 50.000 NP/mL (Nohynek, 2011). Thus, there is a strict necessity "to consider air pollution as a global health priority in the sustainable development agenda" (WHO, 2016). Moreover, plants, multicellular organisms, as well as humans have evolved several mechanisms of defense and sensor systems to detect danger and prevent entry of most foreign material (Janeway et al, 2001). The sensors can direct and assist the host defenses by the use of specialized cells that ingest and digest foreign material. This protective non-specific method is called innate immune system, also connected with certain specific molecular patterns recognition associated with invading microbes or tissue damage (Nurnberger et al., 2004). In addition to innate immunity, vertebrates have evolved an adaptive immune system that relies on many antigen receptors, expressed by specialized immune cells. Unlike vertebrates, plants lack mobile defender cells and respond to infection by a two-branched immune system (Jones et al., 2006). The first branch recognizes and responds to all the common microbial molecules, while the second responds to pathogen virulence factors only. However, both plants and mammals have as first-line defense a barrier that, separating and shielding the interior of the body from the surrounding environment, represents the initial obstacle to be overcame from any pathogenic microorganisms. This barrier not only provides a physical separation, but releases also substances with antimicrobial properties. Moreover, when the first-line barrier has been breached, sensor systems are activated to give information to other components of the host defenses. Thus, while mammals activate, for example, the toll-like receptors capable to recognize families of compounds unique to microbes, plants release specialized compounds known as elicitors, signaling molecules able to induce their defense systems (Trouvelot et al., 2014). Examples of common ingredients, used from both plant and mammal as elicitors and defense-related compounds, are chitin and lignin. In this work, these materials will be briefly reviewed and results of chitin nanofibrils production and usage is reported. Finally, possible usage of combined chitin-lignin nanofibrils in commercial products will be pointed out

Trends in Surgical and Beauty Masks for a Cleaner Environment

The surgical face mask (SFM) is a sheet medical device covering the mouth, nose and chin to protect the medical staff from the spread of respiratory droplets produced by the infective coughing or sneezing of hospitalized patients. On the other hand the beauty face mask (BFM) has been made by the same sheet but with a different aim—to protect the skin from pollution, acting as a hydrating and rejuvenation agent. Currently, both masks are made principally by non-biodegradable tissues, utilized to avoid the increasing great pollution invading our planet. Due to the diffusion of the current COVID-19 infection rate and the increasing consumption of skin care and beauty products, the waste of these masks, made principally by petrol-derived polymers, is creating further intolerable waste-invaded land and oceans. After an introduction to the aims, differences and market of the various masks, their productive means and ingredients are reported. These news are believed necessary to give the reader the working knowledge of these products, in the context of the bioeconomy, to better understand the innovative tissues proposed and realized by the biobased and biodegradable polymers. Thus, the possibility of producing biodegradable SFMs and BFMs, characterized for their effective antimicrobial and skin repairing activities or hydrating and antiaging activity, respectively. These innovative smart and biodegradable masks are requested from the majority of consumers oriented towards a future green environment. Giving this new sense of direction to their production and consumption, it will be possible to reduce the current waste, ranging worldwide at about 2 billion tons per year

Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory green nanocomposites

This work deals with the production of a green technology membrane to produce drinkable water from polluted fresh water resources disseminated in rural area, that is by using a small and compact water purification plant. The material adopted for this purpose is non woven-tissue based on green nanocomposites of Chitin Nanofibrils (CN) bonded with nano silver and electrospun with chitosan and polypeptides. Nonwoven materials obtained as electrospun of a blending of nanochitin fibrils and lignin, by using polyethylene oxide as solvent. The adopted blend was carefully prepared as sol-gel material at suitable temperature, mixing conditions and time of ageing. The non-woven tissue was produced by means of a pilot scale electrospinning machine model Nanospider NS LAB 500 supplied by Elmarco. Very uniform membrane with a diameter less than 150 nm were produced. Stress tests showed a good resistance of multiple layer samples

Pullulan for advanced sustainable body- and skin-contact applications

The present review had the aim of describing the methodologies of synthesis and properties of biobased pullulan, a microbial polysaccharide investigated in the last decade because of its interesting potentialities in several applications. After describing the implications of pullulan in nano-technology, biodegradation, compatibility with body and skin, and sustainability, the current applications of pullulan are described, with the aim of assessing the potentialities of this biopolymer in the biomedical, personal care, and cosmetic sector, especially in applications in contact with skin

Sustainable drug release from polycaprolactone coated chitin‑lignin gel fibrous scaffolds

Non-healing wounds have placed an enormous stress on both patients and healthcare systems worldwide. Severe complications induced by these wounds can lead to limb amputation or even death and urgently require more effective treatments. Electrospun scaffolds have great potential for improving wound healing treatments by providing controlled drug delivery. Previously, we developed fibrous scaffolds from complex carbohydrate polymers [i.e. chitin-lignin (CL) gels]. However, their application was limited by solubility and undesirable burst drug release. Here, a coaxial electrospinning is applied to encapsulate the CL gels with polycaprolactone (PCL). Presence of a PCL shell layer thus provides longer shelf-life for the CL gels in a wet environment and sustainable drug release. Antibiotics loaded into core–shell fibrous platform effectively inhibit both gram-positive and -negative bacteria without inducting observable cytotoxicity. Therefore, PCL coated CL fibrous gel platforms appear to be good candidates for controlled drug release based wound dressing applications