The prevalence of bacterial infections in wounds is a significant challenge to successful wound healing. This study investigates the antibacterial effect of hyaluronic acid and alginate aerogel loaded with zinc oxide nanoparticles as a potential dressing for wound healing. The aerogel composite was synthesized via supercritical gel drying and characterized by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nitrogen porosimetry. The absorptivity of the prepared aerogel was evaluated, as well as the antibacterial activity, which was evaluated against common wound pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, using the agar diffusion method. The results show the effective antibacterial properties of the prepared hydrogel and aerogel. Furthermore, the results show water absorption ability of 5791 and 1585% for loaded and unloaded aerogels, respectively. The ZnO released from the aerogel exhibited a rapid release followed by a slow and sustained release. These findings highlight the potential of aerogels based on hyaluronic acid and alginate and loaded with zinc oxide nanoparticles as an innovative antibacterial wound dressing material, which is expected to improve wound healing and reduce the risk of bacterial infections.

The development of advanced wound dressing materials with enhanced antibacterial properties is critical for improving patient outcomes and reducing infection risks. This study introduces a novel bio-based aerogel composed of copper-crosslinked alginate and hyaluronic acid, synthesized using supercritical gel drying techniques. Alginate and hyaluronic acid polymers are widely used in the pharmaceutical and medical industries because of their nontoxicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. This study aimed to create an aerogel that could be used as a potential wound dressing material by crosslinking hyaluronic acid and alginate with copper. The bio-based aerogel was prepared by ionic gelation and supercritical gel drying. The prepared materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), BET surface area analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Moreover, the aerogel wound dressing properties were evaluated in terms of fluid uptake and antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. The physicochemical characterization of the prepared aerogels revealed their unique structural and morphological features, which are influenced by copper ion concentration and crosslinking time. Regarding their wound dressing evaluation, both aerogel and hydrogel were found to have antibacterial properties when tested on S. aureus with inhibition zones of (36 mm, 23 mm) and E. coli (31.6 mm, 21 mm) for hydrogel and aerogel, respectively. Also, excellent fluid uptake was found to reach up to 743%. These findings underscore the potential of copper-crosslinked alginate–hyaluronic acid aerogels as innovative wound dressing materials that combine superior antibacterial efficacy with excellent fluid management, paving the way for improved wound healing solutions.

The use of bio-based raw materials in the manufacture of customized aerogels has increased significantly over the last decade. Combining the advantages of biopolymer sustainability and lower costs when producing aerogels in particulate form, agar aerogel particles were fabricated in this study. They were prepared by successive thermal gelation, ethanol solvent exchange, wet milling and supercritical CO₂ assisted drying. The particles still maintain high porosity (~ 1.0 cm³ g⁻¹) and high specific surface areas (210–270 m² g⁻¹). The stability in wound fluid substitutes, liquid holding capacity, and cytocompatibility of these agar-based aerogel particles may make them an advantageous wound-dressing matrix that can be further customized for particular applications by adding wound-active/reactive substances, such as antibiotics, antioxidants, immunoreactive drugs or growth factors. Graphical abstract

Nanoliposomes are lipid bilayer nanostructures recently gaining popularity as drug delivery vehicles. Their biocompatibility, safety, high entrapment efficiency and drug release profiles have made them suitable candidates for biomedical applications. The treatment of fungal infec-tions is one of the most significantly researched fields in which nanoliposomes (NLPs) find a variety of uses. Although this topic has been referenced in several general reviews, it has never been thoroughly discussed. In our review, we give a detailed summary of the recent advance-ments made in this field, with a focus on encapsulated synthetic and natural antifungal agents for oral, parenteral, and transdermal applications, and the numerous advantages they have over con-ventional antifungal therapies, recent strategies at site-specific targeting using targeting moieties, as well as highlighting the safety concerns associated with NLP nanocarriers.