<I>In Vitro</I> and <I>In Vivo</I> Evaluation of Pectin/Copper Exchanged Faujasite Composite Membranes

The biocompatibility and excellent ion exchange capacity make faujasites ideal candidates for tissue engineering applications. A novel pectin/copper exchanged faujasite hybrid membrane was synthesized by solvent casting technique, using calcium chloride as the crosslinking agent. AFM images revealed the egg-box model organization of calcium cross-linked pectin chains used as a matrix. The morphology of composite membranes was characterized by SEM and their elemental composition was determined using EDX. The higher contact angle of P(1%) when compared to that of native pectin figured out an enhanced hydrophobicity of hybrid material. The embedded faujasite particles maintained their crystalline structure as revealed by XRD and their interactions with the polymer matrix was evaluated by FTIR. The composite membrane with 1% (w/w) of copper exchanged faujasite, P(1%), exhibited better thermal stability, excellent antibacterial activity, controlled swelling and degradation. Finally, it displayed cell viability of 89% on NIH3T3 fibroblast cell lines and aided in improving wound healing and re-epithelialisation in Sprague Dawley rats. The obtained data suggested their potential as ideal matrices for efficient treatment of burn wounds

Natural Polymer/Inorganic Material Based Hybrid Scaffolds for Skin Wound Healing

Dermal tissue engineering focuses on the restoration of diseased and damaged tissues by using a combination of cells, biomaterials, and bioactive molecules. Inorganic substances like zeolites, clay, mesoporous silica, metals, and metal oxides are advanced materials used in wound healing research. They can improve the structural stability and bioactivity of bio polymeric scaffolds. Zeolites, clays, and mesoporous silica act as suitable carriers for drug delivery and when incorporated within scaffolds, serve as ideal matrices for promoting skin regeneration. This review focuses on various natural polymers/inorganic materials based composite scaffolds used for skin tissue engineering, highlighting their synthesis routes and mode of action by which wound healing is enhanced. Among the different inorganic materials used, the role of zeolites incorporated biocomposites for promoting blood coagulation, antibacterial effect; oxygen delivery to cells and wound healing are discussed in detail. The article thus includes recent attempts to explore the hidden potential of inorganic materials in dermal tissue engineering

Retraction: Radio frequency triggered curcumin delivery from thermo and pH responsive nanoparticles containing gold nanoparticles and its <i>in vivo</i> localization studies in an orthotopic breast tumor model

Retraction of ‘Radio frequency triggered curcumin delivery from thermo and pH responsive nanoparticles containing gold nanoparticles and its in vivo localization studies in an orthotopic breast tumor model’ by N. Sanoj Rejinold et al., RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 39408–39427, DOI: 10.1039/C4RA05727A.</p