The formation of new scaffolds to enhance healing magnitude is necessarily required in biomedical applications. Granulation tissue formation is a crucial stage of wound healing in which granulation tissue grows on the surface of a wound by the formation of connective tissue and blood vessels. In the present study, porous hydrogels were synthesized using chitosan incorporating latex of the Calotropis procera plant by using a freeze–thaw cycle to stimulate the formation of granulation tissue and angiogenesis in wound healing applications. Structural analysis through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the interaction between chitosan and Calotropis procera. Latex extract containing hydrogel showed slightly higher absorption than the control during water absorption analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis showed high thermal stability of the 60:40 combination of chitosan (CS) and Calotropis procera as compared to all other treatments and controls. A fabricated scaffold application on a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) showed that all hydrogels containing latex extract resulted in a significant formation of blood vessels and regeneration of cells. Overall, the formation of connective tissues and blood capillaries and healing magnitude decreased in ascending order of concentration of extract.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil has a hazardous impact on tobacco growth. The present study investigated the role of soil-applied silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in reducing Cd stress in tobacco by exploring morphological traits, photosynthetic efficiency, ROS (H₂O₂ and O₂·⁻) levels, antioxidants as defense markers, cell death/viability, cellular and subcellular structural changes, and real-time qRT-PCR-based gene expression analysis. The treatments comprised a control (CK), 20 mg kg⁻¹ cadmium (Cd) stress, 50 μM amino silver nanoparticle (Ag-NP) suspension, and combined cadmium and silver nanoparticle (Cd + Ag-NP) application. Results indicate that tobacco leaves recorded the maximum Cd content (144.53 μg g⁻¹), followed by stems (70.96 μg g⁻¹) and roots (50.15 μg g⁻¹). SEM and TEM analyses indicated Cd-induced stomatal injury and massive damage at the subcellular level. Confocal microscopic visualization clarified ROS accumulation and cell death caused by Cd-mediated redox imbalance. However, the application of Ag-NPs effectively reduced Cd bioaccumulation (BCF) and the root-to-shoot Cd translocation (TF) rate. Moreover, the Ag-NP application (Cd + Ag-NPs) mitigated Cd-induced oxidative damage by improving the activities/levels of the antioxidants APX, AsA, and SOD by 248.45%, 132.67% and 29.43%, respectively, compared with Cd alone. Ag-NPs also upregulated the expression of genes related to growth, chlorophyll, carotenoid biosynthesis, and antioxidative defense. Therefore, Ag-NPs can be employed as a sustainable approach to reduce the environmental toxicity impact of Cd and ensure food safety.