El uso de compuestos químicos más biocompatibles y renovables para la obtención de nanopartículas metálicas con propiedades y características deseadas, se convierte en una ruta alternativa para la reducción de riesgos ambientales y del grado de incompatibilidad de estas estructuras al interactuar con modelos biológicos para su posible aplicación en el área de la salud. El propósito de este trabajo se centró en el uso de sacarosa, como agente reductor de nanopartículas de oro y plata al emplear diferentes volúmenes de hidróxido de sodio. Las nanopartículas obtenidas fueron caracterizadas mediante espectrometría UV-visible, microscopía electrónica de transmisión TEM y espectroscopia infrarroja por transformada de Fourier FTIR, la cual permitió determinar los plasmones de resonancia superficial, tamaños de partícula experimentales y teóricos, morfología y cambios estructurales en el agente reductor, así como la influencia del hidróxido de sodio en el proceso de síntesis. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la formación de nanopartículas de oro y plata mediante la previa formación de azúcares reductores. Así mismo, la oxidación del grupo funcional de la glucosa a sales de ácido carboxílico.

Tissue engineering has focused on the development of biomaterials that emulate the native extracellular matrix. Therefore, the purpose of this research was oriented to the development of nanofibrillar bilayer membranes composed of polycaprolactone with low and medium molecular weight chitosan, evaluating their physicochemical and biological properties. Two-bilayer membranes were developed by an electrospinning technique considering the effect of chitosan molecular weight and parameter changes in the technique. Subsequently, the membranes were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform spectroscopy, stress tests, permeability, contact angle, hemolysis evaluation, and an MTT test. From the results, it was found that changes in the electrospinning parameters and the molecular weight of chitosan influence the formation, fiber orientation, and nanoarchitecture of the membranes. Likewise, it was evidenced that a higher molecular weight of chitosan in the bilayer membranes increases the stiffness and favors polar anchor points. This increased Young’s modulus, wettability, and permeability, which, in turn, influenced the reduction in the percentage of cell viability and hemolysis. It is concluded that the development of biomimetic bilayer nanofibrillar membranes modulate the physicochemical properties and improve the hemolytic behavior so they can be used as a hemocompatible biomaterial.

The surface modification of materials obtained from natural polymers, such as silk fibroin with metal nanoparticles that exhibit intrinsic electrical characteristics, allows the obtaining of biocomposite materials capable of favoring the propagation and conduction of electrical impulses, acting as communicating structures in electrically isolated areas. On that basis, this investigation determined the electrochemical and electroconductive behavior through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of a silk fibroin electrospun membrane from silk fibrous waste functionalized with gold or silver nanoparticles synthetized by green chemical reduction methodologies. Based on the results obtained, we found that silk fibroin from silk fibrous waste (SF_w) favored the formation of gold (AuNPs-SF_w) and silver (AgNPs-SF_w) nanoparticles, acting as a reducing agent and surfactant, forming a micellar structure around the individual nanoparticle. Moreover, different electrospinning conditions influenced the morphological properties of the fibers, in the presence or absence of beads and the amount of sample collected. Furthermore, treated SF_w electrospun membranes, functionalized with AuNPs-SF_w or AgNPS-SF_w, allowed the conduction of electrical stimuli, acting as stimulators and modulators of electric current.

The development of methods of green synthesis of metal nanoparticles from the use of biological agents, and microbial or plant extracts, allows the obtainment of biocompatible nanostructures by reducing or eliminating the use of toxic substances. On that basis, this research focused on evaluating the influence of silk fibroin from silk fibrous waste (SF_w) on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), by varying the concentrations of the precursor and reducing agent, as well as the change in the pH value of the reaction. The nanostructures were characterized by UV‐visible spectrophotometry, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with an ATR module. The results showed that SF_w behaves as a reducing matrix and micellar structure, which favored the formation and obtainment of silver nanoparticles with colloidal stability, particle diameters, and defined morphologies. These aspects were evidenced through the identification of the characteristic surface plasmon resonance of the silver ion, the determination of the particle diameter, the electrokinetic potential, and the identification of the functional groups because of the oxidation of the reducing agent.

Tissue engineering has focused on the development of biomaterials, modulating the morphological and electrochemical characteristics based on their final application. In this setting, the purpose of the present study was to determine the physicochemical response of electrospun membranes of silk fibroin extracted from sericulture wastes and their functionalization with choline based bio-ionic liquids. A comparative study of their response was carried out with membranes obtained from the same protein but functionalized with gold nanoparticles. The biomaterials developed were characterized by UV-Visible spectrophotometry, FTIR spectroscopy, electron microscopy (SEM and FESEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Linear sweep voltammetry. The results obtained showed a fibrillar morphology and the conduction of electrical stimuli by the membranes functionalized with the gold nanoparticles or the bio-ionic liquids, where for the latter the response is modulated by the concentration used in the development of the biocomposite.