Sutures provide mechanical support for wound closure after various traumas and surgical operations. Absorbable sutures are increasingly favored as they eliminate the need for secondary procedures and minimize additional damage to the wound site. In this study, chitosan sutures were produced using the dry jet–wet spinning method, achieving number 7-0 sutures (approximately 76 μm diameter) with a homogeneous surface. FTIR analysis demonstrated molecular interactions between chitosan and TiO₂ or curcumin, confirming successful incorporation. The addition of 3% TiO₂ increased the tensile strength of chitosan sutures by 12.32%, reaching 189.41 MPa. Morphological analysis revealed smooth surfaces free of pores and bubbles, confirming the production of high-quality sutures. Radical scavenging activity analysis showed that curcumin-loaded sutures exhibited 43% scavenging ability after 125 h, which was significantly higher compared to pure chitosan sutures. In vitro antibacterial tests demonstrated that curcumin-loaded sutures provided 98.87% bacterial inactivation against S. aureus within 24 h. Additionally, curcumin release analysis showed a cumulative release of 77% over 25 h. The bioactivity of the sutures was verified by hydroxyapatite layer formation after incubation in simulated body fluid, supporting their potential for tissue regeneration. These findings demonstrate that TiO₂ reinforcement and curcumin loading significantly enhance the functional properties of chitosan sutures, making them strong candidates for biocompatible and absorbable surgical applications.

Packaging materials serve as a barrier to protect the food from the environment and new approaches with improved properties, such as active packaging, is gaining more attention nowadays. In this study, chitosan films containing olive leaf extract (OLE) as an additive were prepared and characterized in terms of mechanical, structural and biological properties. The addition of OLE improved not only the tensile strength (32 MPa) and elongation (9.3%) of chitosan films but also their barrier properties such as water vapor transmission rate of 657.52 g/m2day and moisture retention capability of 90.41%. Furthermore, chitosan films gained antibacterial properties with the addition of OLE and possessed a dose and time-dependent antioxidant activity compared to their extract-free equivalents. As a consequence, the present study suggests that chitosan films incorporated with OLE are a promising alternative as an active food packaging with enhanced mechanical, barrier, antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymeric membranes with addition of functionalized carbon-based material (CBM) were fabricated by using electrospinning technique for the removal of cationic dyes from wastewater. CBM was prepared through a two-step carbonization process from cotton linter as an agricultural waste biomass. The characterization of CBM was performed by using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface analysis, fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and elemental analysis. The morphologies of electrospun membranes were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) which clearly revealed that nanofibers with a smooth surface were produced by incorporation of CBM. According to the results obtained from FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), crystallization behavior of PVDF membranes was promoted by increasing the percentage of CBM in the membrane. PVDF membrane prepared with the addition of 3 wt % CBM exhibited the highest water flux performance with a dye rejection of 74.6 % in comparison with the pure PVDF one.