Physicochemical and Biological Performance of Aloe Vera-Incorporated Native Collagen Films

Collagen was obtained from porcine skin by mechanical pretreatments with the aim of preserving the triple helix structure of native collagen, which was indirectly corroborated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results. Moreover, aloe vera (AV), with inherent biological properties, was incorporated into collagen film formulations, and films were prepared by compression and characterized to assess their suitability for biomedical applications. SEM images showed that the fibrillar structure of collagen changed to a rougher structure with the addition of AV, in accordance with the decrease in the lateral packaging of collagen chains observed by XRD analysis. These results suggested interactions between collagen and AV, as observed by FTIR. Considering that AV content higher than 20 wt % did not promote further interactions, this formulation was employed for biological assays and the suitability of AV/collagen films developed for biomedical applications was confirmed.This research was funded by the Basque Government, grant number KK-2019/00006

A Green Approach towards Native Collagen Scaffolds: Environmental and Physicochemical Assessment

Native collagen scaffolds were prepared in this work, in which both materials and environmental approaches were considered with the aim of providing a global strategy towards more sustainable biomaterials. From the environmental perspective, it is worth mentioning that acid and enzymatic treatments have been avoided to extract collagen, allowing the reduction in the use of resources, in terms of chemicals, energy, and time, and leading to a low environmental load of this step in all the impact categories under analysis. With the incorporation of chitosan into the scaffold-forming formulations, physical interactions occurred between collagen and chitosan, but the native collagen structure was preserved, as observed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The incorporation of chitosan also led to more homogenous porous microstructures, with higher elastic moduli and compression resistance for both dry and hydrated scaffolds. Furthermore, hydrated scaffolds preserved their size and shape after some compression cycles.This research was funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTI2018-097100-B-C22) and the Basque Government (38-2018-00037). M.A. (PRE_2017_1_0025) and A.Ir. (PRE_2019_1_0031) thank the Basque Government for their fellowships

The versatility of collagen and chitosan: From food to biomedical applications

Biodegradable polymers obtained from renewable resources, such as chitosan and collagen, are sustainable alternatives to develop environmentally friendly materials. Due to their abundance, biocompatibility and antimicrobial properties, chitosan and collagen could become a suitable source for food and biomedical applications. In particular, chitosan formulations are used for food packaging purposes to develop intelligent packaging with the aim of providing information about the quality of the packaged product or to prepare active packaging and extend food shelf life. In this regard, chitosan nanoparticles can be used to provide a sustained release of active substances. Regarding collagen, denatured collagen or gelatin is prevalently used in food industry as a food additive, microencapsulating agent or biodegradable packaging material due to its rheological properties and physical versatility. In turn, collagen-derived peptides have revealed antioxidant and antihypertensive activity, among other health beneficial effects for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. Additionally, collagen is widely used in tissue engineering, also combined with chitosan, to achieve the functional properties required for specific applications in the biomedical field. In this sense, collagen/chitosan scaffolds have been used for bone, cartilage and skin regeneration. This research in the design and processing of materials based on proteins and polysaccharides is leading to great advances in food and biomedical fields.Authors thank UPV/EHU (GIU18/154). Ainhoa Irastorza (PRE_2019_1_0031), Iratxe Zarandona (22-2018-00078), and Mireia Andonegi (PRE_2017_1_0025) thank the Basque Government for their fellowships

Aquí cabemos todos

El trabajo no ha sido publicado. Resumen basado en ficha elaborada por los autoresEl proyecto ha sido realizado por 15 profesores del claustro del colegio La Anunciación. Los principales objetivos buscados son: promover la idea de que la diversidad cultural y, en su caso étnica es un elemento más para todos los individuos; crear una cultura, que sea espacio de dialogo y comunicación entre colectivos sociales diversos; acoger la experiencia real del alumno en la situación de escolarización facilitando su integración; reducir perjuicios sociales hacia las minorías étnicas. Los métodos empleados han sido la instrucción directa, el descubrimiento guiado y el aprendizaje cooperativo. Para la valoración de los resultados se han realizado recogidas de datos y observaciones sistemáticas sobre los alumnos, concluyendo que la experiencia ha incidido no solamente en el ámbito escolar sino también en el familiar y social de los alumnos escolarizados en el centro.Consejería de Educación y Juventud de CantabriaCantabriaES