Polyurethane/silk fibroin-based electrospun membranes for wound healing and skin substitute applications

• Iqra Zainab,
• Zohra Naseem,
• Syeda Rubab Batool,
• Muhammad Waqas,
• Ahsan Nazir and
• Muhammad Anwaar Nazeer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 591–612, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.46

• 37610, Pakistan 10.3762/bjnano.16.46 Abstract The importance of electrospun membranes for biomedical applications has increased, especially when it comes to skin regeneration and wound healing. This review presents the production and applications of electrospun membranes based on polyurethane (PU) and

• offers a number of enhanced properties. The study offers a comprehensive overview of the advanced developments and applications of PU/SF composites, highlighting their significant potential in wound healing. These composite membranes present promising advancements in wound healing and skin regeneration

• by combining the unique properties of silk and PU, opening up the possibilities for innovative treatments. Keywords: electrospinning; nanofibers; polyurethane; silk fibroin; skin regeneration; wound healing; Introduction The biomedical field is a revolutionary sector in healthcare and research

Enhancing mechanical properties of chitosan/PVA electrospun nanofibers: a comprehensive review

• Nur Areisman Mohd Salleh,
• Amalina Muhammad Afifi,
• Fathiah Mohamed Zuki and
• Hanna Sofia SalehHudin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 286–307, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.22

• uses, and wound healing [4][5][6]. However, a drawback of electrospun nanofibers is their mechanical properties [7][8]. Electrospun nanofibers typically exhibit poor mechanical properties due to their high porosity, random fiber arrangement, and weak interactions at the cross-points of the nanofibers

• in two studies [114][115]. The gel-like suspensions were prepared by mixing the aqueous chitosan/PVA solution and oil phase solutions including PCL and poly-ʟ-lactic acid for the use in wound healing applications. Instead of using nozzle-based methods, the emulsions were electrospun using a

• unique properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and antibacterial activity, which are considered effective in promoting wound healing. The presence of chemical structures like glycosaminoglycans in chitosan mimics the ECM and provides a hemostatic effect, thereby accelerating the healing

Recent advances in photothermal nanomaterials for ophthalmic applications

• Jiayuan Zhuang,
• Linhui Jia,
• Chenghao Li,
• Rui Yang,
• Jiapeng Wang,
• Wen-an Wang,
• Heng Zhou and
• Xiangxia Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 195–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.16

• the AuAg core, work synergistically to eradicate multidrug-resistant bacteria. Additionally, the release of Cu+ ions from the Cu2O shell aids in accelerating endothelial cell angiogenesis and fibroblast migration, thereby enhancing the wound healing process. Clinical assessments, including ophthalmic

Nanocarriers and macrophage interaction: from a potential hurdle to an alternative therapeutic strategy

• Naths Grazia Sukubo,
• Paolo Bigini and
• Annalisa Morelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 97–118, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.10

• be considered a therapeutic target, exploiting their natural ability to phagocyte external agents such as NCs. Both monocytes and macrophages perpetuate tissue damage during chronic inflammatory disorders. They are implicated in preventing and resolving inflammation and wound-healing response [8

• ], as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), which promote extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and angiogenesis, playing a key role in conditions like fibrosis and wound healing [14][17]. The M2 activation state is mediated by the STAT6 pathway via

Polymer lipid hybrid nanoparticles for phytochemical delivery: challenges, progress, and future prospects

• Iqra Rahat,
• Pooja Yadav,
• Aditi Singhal,
• Mohammad Fareed,
• Jaganathan Raja Purushothaman,
• Mohammed Aslam,
• Raju Balaji,
• Sonali Patil-Shinde and
• Md. Rizwanullah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1473–1497, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.118

• PLHNPs for topical treatment of wound healing [165]. The developed HPN-cPLHNPs exhibited excellent stability at refrigerator temperatures and rheological characteristics. The HPN-cPLHNPs showed significantly higher skin permeation with a 2.12 ± 0.52 times higher enhancement ratio than that of the pure

• HPN dispersion. The developed HPN-cPLHNPs gels showed much better wound healing activity with a significantly higher reduction in wound size after topical application for 14 days in comparison with the conventional HPN gel. Emodin Emodin (EDN) is a natural anthraquinone compound found in various

Unveiling the potential of alginate-based nanomaterials in sensing technology and smart delivery applications

• Shakhzodjon Uzokboev,
• Khojimukhammad Akhmadbekov,
• Ra’no Nuritdinova,
• Salah M. Tawfik and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1077–1104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.88

• homeostatic dressing agent for wound healing. In addition, it can be utilized as an emulsifier and thickener in cosmetics, dentistry, and tissue engineering [29]. Furthermore, alginate decreases stomach inflammation and helps the healing of the gastric mucosa. Consequently, it can both protect the stomach and

• have also emphasized alginate-based nanoparticles for drug delivery, wound healing, and controlled release of drugs [35][36][37]. There are few studies that reviewed alginate-based materials for sensing, pharmacy, and biomedicine. Therefore, this review article is based on recent research on alginate

Electrospun polysuccinimide scaffolds containing different salts as potential wound dressing material

• Veronika Pálos,
• Krisztina S. Nagy,
• Rita Pázmány,
• Krisztina Juriga-Tóth,
• Bálint Budavári,
• Judit Domokos,
• Dóra Szabó,
• Ákos Zsembery and
• Angela Jedlovszky-Hajdu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 781–796, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.65

• has several functions in the human body, including wound healing [15][16]. Nanofibers produced by electrospinning have beneficial structural attributes, such as elevated porosity, high specific surface area, and nanoscale fiber dimensions; thus, adequately mimicking the ECM and promoting cellular

Classification and application of metal-based nanoantioxidants in medicine and healthcare

• Nguyen Nhat Nam,
• Nguyen Khoi Song Tran,
• Tan Tai Nguyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Trai,
• Nguyen Phuong Thuy,
• Hoang Dang Khoa Do,
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran and
• Kieu The Loan Trinh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 396–415, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.36

• delivery but also enhances stability and biocompatibility. Recently, Shang et al. used a Au/Cu1.6O/P–C3N5/Arg@HA nanocomposite hydrogel spray coupled with ultrasound for diabetic wound healing (Figure 4) [162]. This nanocomposite spray exhibited five types of enzyme-like activities, that is, CAT-, SOD

• -, peroxidase (POD)-, glucose oxidase (GOx)-, and nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-like activities. More interestingly, both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the nanocomposite spray can be activated by the diabetic foot ulcer microenvironment to accelerate diabetic wound healing through decreasing

Berberine-loaded polylactic acid nanofiber scaffold as a drug delivery system: The relationship between chemical characteristics, drug-release behavior, and antibacterial efficiency

• Le Thi Le,
• Hue Thi Nguyen,
• Liem Thanh Nguyen,
• Huy Quang Tran and
• Thuy Thi Thu Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 71–82, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.7

• , nanofiber scaffolds can act as a multifunctional tool in medical treatments, combining drug release for disease therapy, cell proliferation, wound healing, and antimicrobial effect [21][22][23][24][25]. Nanofibers of PLA functionalized with laponite (LAP)/amoxicillin (AMX) prolonged the drug release up to

Quercetin- and caffeic acid-functionalized chitosan-capped colloidal silver nanoparticles: one-pot synthesis, characterization, and anticancer and antibacterial activities

• Akif Hakan Kurt,
• Elif Berna Olutas,
• Fatma Avcioglu,
• Hamza Karakuş,
• Mehmet Ali Sungur,
• Cansu Kara Oztabag and
• Muhammet Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 362–376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.31

• , anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumor, antioxidant, lipid-lowering, and wound healing properties [19][20][21][22][23]. Although many studies have been conducted in recent years regarding the synthesis of new structures with quercetin and their biological properties [24][25][26][27][28], there is

Structural, optical, and bioimaging characterization of carbon quantum dots solvothermally synthesized from o-phenylenediamine

• Zoran M. Marković,
• Milica D. Budimir,
• Martin Danko,
• Dušan D. Milivojević,
• Pavel Kubat,
• Danica Z. Zmejkoski,
• Vladimir B. Pavlović,
• Marija M. Mojsin,
• Milena J. Stevanović and
• Biljana M. Todorović Marković

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 165–174, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.17

• activity including the usage in wound healing [24]. Different authors prepared CQDs by using various precursors and reported on their excellent antibacterial activity and good biocompatibility [25][26][27][28][29]. In this study o-phenylenediamine dissolved in toluene was used as precursor for CQDs

Frequency-dependent nanomechanical profiling for medical diagnosis

• Santiago D. Solares and
• Alexander X. Cartagena-Rivera

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1483–1489, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.122

• . Similar considerations exist for the development of soft wearable sensors or hydrogels for wound healing or drug delivery, among others. In all cases, it is of prime importance to create project teams with the appropriate make-up of expertise and within a well-designed strategy, such that ideas can be

Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• wettability and protein adsorption which can facilitate osteogenesis [129]. Biomaterials such as chitosan and its composites containing bioactive metals draw much attention in tissue engineering and regenerative applications. Chitosan-based composites are now being studied in wound healing, bone and cartilage

Effects of substrate stiffness on the viscoelasticity and migration of prostate cancer cells examined by atomic force microscopy

• Xiaoqiong Tang,
• Yan Zhang,
• Jiangbing Mao,
• Yuhua Wang,
• Zhenghong Zhang,
• Zhengchao Wang and
• Hongqin Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 560–569, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.47

• . Analysis of AFM force–distance curves indicated that the elasticity of the cells cultured on 35 kPa substrates increased while the viscosity decreased. Wound-healing experiments showed that PCa cells cultured on 35 kPa substrates have higher migration potential. These phenomena suggested that the

• debris was then removed by washing the cells three times with PBS and then the wells were replenished with 2 mL of fresh medium without serum. Then, the cells were imaged immediately and 24 h after the scratch. For the quantification of the wound-healing assay, three locations in the image scratch were

• substrate stiffness on the migration of HPV-PZ-7 and PC-3 cells. (a) Analysis of cell wound healing. (b) Transwell analysis of the invasion ability. (c) Quantitative evaluation of the migration ability. (d) Quantitative evaluation of the invasion ability. Scale bar = 50 μm; “ns” means no difference

Ciprofloxacin-loaded dissolving polymeric microneedles as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of S. aureus skin infections

• Sharif Abdelghany,
• Walhan Alshaer,
• Yazan Al Thaher,
• Maram Al Fawares,
• Amal G. Al-Bakri,
• Saja Zuriekat and
• Randa SH. Mansour

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 517–527, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.43

• superiority of the CIP_MN1 formulation, which was chosen to be investigated further. Next the penetration capabilities of CIP_MN1 were studied using the in vitro skin model composed of 2.5% agarose gel. Agarose gel is widely used in wound healing for skin regeneration due to its mechanical properties that

Design and characterization of polymeric microneedles containing extracts of Brazilian green propolis

• Camila Felix Vecchi,
• Rafaela Said dos Santos,
• Jéssica Bassi da Silva and
• Marcos Luciano Bruschi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 503–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.42

• , microneedles have been developed to cross the stratum corneum and enable the use of the transdermal route in different therapies [6]. Propolis (PRP) has already been studied in wound healing when incorporated in many vehicles, such as ointments, emulsions, hydrogels, films, or as hydroalcoholic or glycolic

Electrostatic pull-in application in flexible devices: A review

• Teng Cai,
• Yuming Fang,
• Yingli Fang,
• Ruozhou Li,
• Ying Yu and
• Mingyang Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 390–403, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.32

• electrostatic switches. In addition, Cui et al. [92][93][94][95] showed that the self-powered triboelectrification nanogenerator (TENG) can also be used for human health detection and wound healing. Piezoelectric power generation: Piezoelectric materials can produce very precise tiny motions and have

Morphology-driven gas sensing by fabricated fractals: A review

• Vishal Kamathe and
• Rupali Nagar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1187–1208, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.88

• areas ranging from food packaging to medical diagnosis. Fractals can also help in mimicking the wound healing process as tissue grows to connect the torn skin across the wound and offer an insight into microfluids as part of wound healing management. Besides application-oriented research the

Self-assembly of amino acids toward functional biomaterials

• Huan Ren,
• Lifang Wu,
• Lina Tan,
• Yanni Bao,
• Yuchen Ma,
• Yong Jin and
• Qianli Zou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1140–1150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.85

• polymers to enhance, repair, or replace diseased, damaged, or defective tissue [2]. A few examples are tooth repair, peripheral nerve regeneration, nerve tissue engineering, bone and joint replacement and repair, and regeneration of bone defects, biological scaffolds, and wound healing [3][4][5][6][7][8

• metallohydrogels showed fewer toxicological side effects and were highly biocompatible than Ag+ in the administered dosage range. Furthermore, Fmoc-amino acid metallohydrogels tested under the same conditions showed significantly better wound healing than silver sulfadiazine cream and the control group. It has

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles

• Nabojit Das,
• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 924–938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.69

• of nanotechnology. The use carrageenan in nanomaterial synthesis and application has been tabulated in Table 3 [32][110][111][112][113][114][115]. Carrageenan has been complexed with chitosan in a recent study, forming a composite for wound healing dressing. Silver nanoparticles, widely known for

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

• %, respectively [207]. Liao et al. fabricated epidermal growth factor-coated lysozyme MBs responsive to US waves, which showed good antimicrobial activity, promoting neovascularization and significantly reducing the time needed for wound healing

The impact of molecular tumor profiling on the design strategies for targeting myeloid leukemia and EGFR/CD44-positive solid tumors

• Nikola Geskovski,
• Nadica Matevska-Geshkovska,
• Simona Dimchevska Sazdovska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Kristina Mladenovska and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 375–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.31

Photothermally active nanoparticles as a promising tool for eliminating bacteria and biofilms

• Mykola Borzenkov,
• Piersandro Pallavicini,
• Angelo Taglietti,
• Laura D’Alfonso,
• Maddalena Collini and
• Giuseppe Chirico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1134–1146, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.98

• that there was wound healing of the infected site, while untreated areas resulted in necrotic muscular fibers and bacterial infiltration. Applications of other types of nanoparticles for photothermally induced bacteria and biofilm ablation Besides the widely studied gold nanoparticles, other inorganic

• efficient sterilization upon irradiation during wound healing [92]. The hybrid hydrogel exhibited excellent antibacterial properties against both S. aureus and E. coli under co-irradiation with 660 nm visible light and 808 nm near-infrared light for 10 min, due to the synergistic action of the photodynamic

Gram-scale synthesis of splat-shaped Ag–TiO₂ nanocomposites for enhanced antimicrobial properties

• Mohammad Jaber,
• Asim Mushtaq,
• Kebiao Zhang,
• Jindan Wu,
• Dandan Luo,
• Zihan Yi,
• M. Zubair Iqbal and
• Xiangdong Kong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1119–1125, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.96

• nanocomposites may also have potential to be used in wound healing, photocatalytic and toxic dye removal applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of pure TiO2 NPs and Ag–TiO2 nanocomposites at different ratios. SEM and EDS images of the synthesized splat-shaped nanoparticles: (a) pure TiO2 NPs, (b, c) Ag

Poly(1-vinylimidazole) polyplexes as novel therapeutic gene carriers for lung cancer therapy

• Gayathri Kandasamy,
• Elena N. Danilovtseva,
• Vadim V. Annenkov and
• Uma Maheswari Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 354–369, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.26

• polyplex) containing a final concentration of 100 nM siRNA and incubated for specified periods of time. The cells were imaged using an inverted microscope to observe the effect of the treatment on the tubular network. Migration analysis Wound healing assay: To evaluate the gene silencing effect of the