For the last years scientific community has witnessed a rapid development of novel types of biomaterials, which properties made them applicable in numerous fields of medicine. Although nanosilver, well-known for its antimicrobial, anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, as well as hyaluronic acid, a natural polysaccharide playing a vital role in the modulation of tissue repair, signal transduction, angiogenesis, cell motility and cancer metastasis, are both thoroughly described in the literature, their complexes are still a novel topic. In this review we introduce the most recent research about the synthesis, properties, and potential applications of HA-nanosilver composites. We also make an attempt to explain the variety of mechanisms involved in their action. Finally, we present biocompatible and biodegradable complexes with bactericidal activity and low cytotoxicity, which properties suggest their suitability for the prophylaxis and therapy of chronic wounds, as well as analgetic therapies, anticancer strategies and the detection of chemical substances and malignant cells. Cited studies reveal that the usage of hyaluronic acid-silver nanocomposites appears to be efficient and safe in clinical practice.

Most dental implants are made of titanium (Ti) or, more recently, ceramic. Both of these materials are safe and biocompatible. Maintaining healthy bone around the dental implant platform is a key component of any modern implant therapy. Understanding the impact of various external factors on marginal bone preservation is essential for accurate diagnosis before any planned procedure. The aim of the present study was to assess the preservation of the alveolar bone near the implant platform with regard to varying parameters of gingival thickness over the implant site and different serum vitamin D3 levels. The study analyzed the records of 72 patients who had a total of 115 dental implants inserted with the simultaneous preoperative determination of vitamin D3 levels and the soft tissue thickness between January 2022 and February 2023 at a private medical facility. Patients with vitamin D deficiency showed significantly higher levels of bone loss around implants as compared to those with normal vitamin D levels. Moreover, the thickness of the gingival tissue over the implant site had a significant effect on the preservation of the alveolar bone around the implant platform, regardless of the vitamin D3 status. Monitoring the concentration of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D), along with the radiological assessment of the gingival tissue thickness, may be a simple and reliable method to achieve predictable outcomes in dental implantology.

Nowadays, there is an increasing emphasis on the need to alleviate the chronic inflammatory response to effectively treat hypertension. However, there are still gaps in our understanding on how to achieve this. Therefore, research on interaction of antihypertensive drugs with the immune system is extremely interesting, since their therapeutic effect could partly result from amelioration of hypertension-related inflammation, in which macrophages seem to play a pivotal role. Thus, current comprehensive studies have investigated the impact of repeatedly administered hypotensive drugs (captopril, olmesartan, propranolol, carvedilol, amlodipine, verapamil) on macrophage functions in the innate and adaptive immunity, as well as if drug-induced effects are affected by a high-sodium diet (HSD), one of the key environmental risk factors of hypertension. Although the assayed medications increased the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates by macrophages from standard fed donors, they reversed HSD-induced enhancing effects on macrophage oxidative burst and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. On the other hand, some drugs increased macrophage phagocytic activity and the expression of surface markers involved in antigen presentation, which translated into enhanced macrophage ability to activate B cells for antibody production. Moreover, the assayed medications augmented macrophage function and the effector phase of contact hypersensitivity reaction, but suppressed the sensitization phase of cell-mediated hypersensitivity under HSD conditions. Our current findings contribute to the recognition of mechanisms, by which excessive sodium intake affects macrophage immune activity in hypertensive individuals, and provide evidence that the assayed medications mitigate most of the HSD-induced adverse effects, suggesting their additional protective therapeutic activity.

The growing prevalence of hypertension forces the widespread use of hypotensive drugs that are suspected to exert anti-inflammatory effects. However, their action on anti-infective immunity remains a subject of speculation. Therefore, our current study aimed to investigate the effects of selected hypotensive drugs, namely amlodipine, verapamil, captopril, olmesartan, carvedilol and propranolol, on the response of two mouse macrophage cell lines to Staphylococcus aureus by assessing their viability, secretory activity and expression of selected markers. Comparison of both cell lines, i.e., RAW 264.7 and J774A.1 macrophages, revealed the differences in their reactivity to Staphylococcus aureus and drug treatment, with RAW cell being more susceptible to the stimulation. Furthermore, bacteria more potently stimulated oxidative burst and cytokine release in RAW macrophages, and propranolol most efficiently modulated these processes. In addition, higher percentage of CD11b⁺ and CD86⁺ J774A.1 cells was detected, while expression level of these markers was upper on RAW macrophages. Both cell lines differed in cyclooxygenase-2 expression after bacterial stimulation. Moreover, the lack of arginase-1 expression with simultaneous iNOS expression suggested that RAW cells may be more prone to M1 polarization when exposed to bacteria. Interestingly, captopril, propranolol and verapamil were found to induce their effects more potently than olmesartan, carvedilol and amlodipine. However, in general all drugs exerted rather anti-inflammatory effects on naive macrophages and have not impaired macrophage response to Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, our findings provide a new perspective on the safety of antihypertensive therapy.