The impact of different amounts of glycerin, which was used in the system of sodium alginate/poly(vinyl alcohol) (SA/PVA) hydrogel materials on the properties, such as gel fraction, swelling ability, degradation in simulated body fluids, morphological analysis, and elongation tests were presented. The study shows a significant decrease in the gel fraction from 80.5 ± 2.1% to 45.0 ± 1.2% with the increase of glycerin content. The T₅ values of the tested hydrogels were varied and range from 88.7 °C to 161.5 °C. The presence of glycerin in the matrices significantly decreased the thermal resistance, which was especially visible by T₁₀ changes (273.9 to 163.5 °C). The degradation tests indicate that most of the tested materials do not degrade throughout the incubation period and maintain a constant ion level after 7-day incubation. The swelling abilities in distilled water and phosphate buffer solution are approximately 200–300%. However, we noticed that these values decrease with the increase in glycerin content. All tested matrices are characterized by the maximum elongation rate at break in a range of 37.6–69.5%. The FT-IR analysis exhibits glycerin changes in hydrogel structures, which is associated with the cross-linking reaction. Additionally, cytotoxicity results indicate good adhesion properties and no toxicity towards normal human dermal fibroblasts.

The problem of cleaning and disinfecting surfaces has become extremely important in the context of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic. However, it should be considered that, in everyday life, we come into contact with many other viruses, as well as pathogenic bacteria and fungi, that may cause infections and diseases. Hence, there is a continuous need to search for new and more effective methods of fighting pathogens. Due to their documented antimicrobial activity, silver nanoparticles may be an interesting alternative to the commonly used surface cleaners and disinfectants. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the bactericidal properties of silver nanoparticles obtained with the use of nontoxic plant waste biomass against bacteria isolated from the environment. Silver nanoparticles with the desired physicochemical characteristics were obtained by a simple and rapid chemical reduction method using plant waste such as unused parsley stems and potato peels (the biogenic method). A nanosilver colloid was also prepared by the chemical reduction method, but with reducing and stabilizing chemical substances (the chemical method) used as a control. The bacterial susceptibility to nanosilver synthesized using both methods was evaluated using the disk-diffusion method. The sensitivity of particular Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus isolates to nanosilver varied considerably, and the strongest antimicrobial effect was found in the case of nanoparticles synthesized by the chemical method using a strong chemical reducing agent and a polymeric stabilizing substance, while nanosilver obtained using the biogenic method, using phytochemicals, also had a strong antimicrobial effect, which was found to be extremely satisfactory. Thus, it can be strongly concluded that the biogenic, pro-ecological method of synthesis with the use of plant waste biomass presented in this work allows the application of biogenic nanosilver as a component of agents for washing and disinfection of public utility surfaces.

In this paper, the preparation method of bio-hybrid hydrogels incorporated into a system of salicylic acid-pH/thermosensitive nanocarriers to speed up the wound-healing process was developed. This combination creates a dual drug delivery system, which releases the model hydrophobic active substance—salicylic acid—in a gradual and controlled manner for an extended time. Our research team has determined the various properties of bio-hybrid hydrogels based on their physicochemical (swelling degree, and degradation), structural (FT-IR), morphological (SEM), and mechanical (elongation tests) traits. Moreover, empty pH/thermosensitive nanocarriers and their salicylic acid-containing systems were characterized using the following methods: DLS, TG/DTG, and DSC. Additionally, salicylic acid release profiles directly from thermosensitive nanocarriers were compared to the bio-hybrid matrix. These studies were conducted in PBS (pH = 7.4) for 7 days using the USP4 method. To evaluate the antibacterial properties of the obtained materials, the inhibition of growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger—as the main microorganisms responsible for human infections—were tested. The obtained results indicated that the pH/thermosensitive nanocarrier–salicylic acid system and bio-hybrid hydrogels are characterized by antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli.

This paper describes the plant-mediated preparation of silver nanoparticles with aqueous extract and infusion of Cistus incanus leaves. To evaluate aqueous extract and infusion antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content the DPPH and Folin–Ciocalteau methods were utilized. The antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of extract and infusion were equal to 85.97 ± 6.54 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram of dry weight.; 10.76 ± 0.59 mg/mL and 12.65 ± 1.04 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram of dry weight.; 3.10 ± 0.14 mg/mL, respectively. The formed nanoparticles displayed the characteristic absorption band in the 380–450 nm wavelength range. The average size of particles was in the 68.8–71.2 nm range. Morphology and phase composition analysis revealed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with a face-centred cubic structure. Immune compatibility tests of nanoparticles and plant extracts showed no activation of the THP1-XBlue™ monocyte. Cytotoxicity tests performed with L929 mice fibroblasts showed that nanoparticles should be utilized at a concentration of 16 ppm. The minimum inhibitory concentrations determined with the microdilution method for nanoparticles prepared with plant infusion for S. aureus and S. epidermidis were 2 ppm and 16 ppm, respectively.