During the past few years, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) became one of the most investigated and explored nanotechnology-derived nanostructures, given the fact that nanosilver-based materials proved to have interesting, challenging, and promising characteristics suitable for various biomedical applications. Among modern biomedical potential of AgNPs, tremendous interest is oriented toward the therapeutically enhanced personalized healthcare practice. AgNPs proved to have genuine features and impressive potential for the development of novel antimicrobial agents, drug-delivery formulations, detection and diagnosis platforms, biomaterial and medical device coatings, tissue restoration and regeneration materials, complex healthcare condition strategies, and performance-enhanced therapeutic alternatives. Given the impressive biomedical-related potential applications of AgNPs, impressive efforts were undertaken on understanding the intricate mechanisms of their biological interactions and possible toxic effects. Within this review, we focused on the latest data regarding the biomedical use of AgNP-based nanostructures, including aspects related to their potential toxicity, unique physiochemical properties, and biofunctional behaviors, discussing herein the intrinsic anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activities of silver-based nanostructures.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) represent one of the most explored categories of nanomaterials for new and improved biomaterials and biotechnologies, with impressive use in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry, anti-infective therapy and wound care, food and the textile industry. Their extensive and versatile applicability relies on the genuine and easy-tunable properties of nanosilver, including remarkable physicochemical behavior, exceptional antimicrobial efficiency, anti-inflammatory action and antitumor activity. Besides commercially available and clinically safe AgNPs-based products, a substantial number of recent studies assessed the applicability of nanosilver as therapeutic agents in augmented and alternative strategies for cancer therapy, sensing and diagnosis platforms, restorative and regenerative biomaterials. Given the beneficial interactions of AgNPs with living structures and their nontoxic effects on healthy human cells, they represent an accurate candidate for various biomedical products. In the present review, the most important and recent applications of AgNPs in biomedical products and biomedicine are considered.

Modern biomedicine aims to develop integrated solutions that use medical, biotechnological, materials science, and engineering concepts to create functional alternatives for the specific, selective, and accurate management of medical conditions. In the particular case of tissue engineering, designing a model that simulates all tissue qualities and fulfills all tissue requirements is a continuous challenge in the field of bone regeneration. The therapeutic protocols used for bone healing applications are limited by the hierarchical nature and extensive vascularization of osseous tissue, especially in large bone lesions. In this regard, nanotechnology paves the way for a new era in bone treatment, repair and regeneration, by enabling the fabrication of complex nanostructures that are similar to those found in the natural bone and which exhibit multifunctional bioactivity. This review aims to lay out the tremendous outcomes of using inorganic nanoparticles in bone healing applications, including bone repair and regeneration, and modern therapeutic strategies for bone-related pathologies.

Our study focused on the long-term degradation under simulated conditions of coatings based on different compositions of polycaprolactone-polyethylene glycol blends (PCL-blend-PEG), fabricated for titanium implants by a dip-coating technique. The degradation behavior of polymeric coatings was evaluated by polymer mass loss measurements of the PCL-blend-PEG during immersion in SBF up to 16 weeks and correlated with those yielded from electrochemical experiments. The results are thoroughly supported by extensive compositional and surface analyses (FTIR, GIXRD, SEM, and wettability investigations). We found that the degradation behavior of PCL-blend-PEG coatings is governed by the properties of the main polymer constituents: the PEG solubilizes fast, immediately after the immersion, while the PCL degrades slowly over the whole period of time. Furthermore, the results evidence that the alteration of blend coatings is strongly enhanced by the increase in PEG content. The biological assessment unveiled the beneficial influence of PCL-blend-PEG coatings for the adhesion and spreading of both human-derived mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells.

The present study reports on the development and evaluation of nanostructured composite coatings of polylactic acid (PLA) embedded with iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) modified with Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) essential oil. The co-precipitation method was employed to synthesize the magnetite particles conjugated with Eucalyptus natural antibiotic (Fe₃O₄@EG), while their composition and microstructure were investigated using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique was further employed to obtain PLA/Fe₃O₄@EG thin films. Optimal experimental conditions for laser processing were established by complementary infrared microscopy (IRM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations. The in vitro biocompatibility with eukaryote cells was proven using mesenchymal stem cells, while the anti-biofilm efficiency of composite PLA/Fe₃O₄@EG coatings was assessed against Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens.

The aim of this work was to obtain an antimicrobial coating (NanoAg) for polyester-nylon wound dressings (WDs) for reducing the risk of exogenous wound related infections. The as-prepared NanoAg-WDs were characterized by XRD (X-ray Diffraction), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy), SAED (Selected Area Electron Diffraction) and IRM (InfraRed Microscopy). Biological characterization consisted of in vitro evaluation of the interaction with fibroblast cell cultures and in vivo biodistribution studies of AgNPs on mice models. Then, specimens of commercial WDs were immersed in a glucose and NaOH solution of silver nanoparticles, followed by the subsequent dropwise addition of AgNO₃ solution. The antimicrobial efficiency of the NanoAg-WDs was assessed by in vitro qualitative and quantitative analyses on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. The in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that the tested nanoparticles utilized to coat WDs have a good biocompatibility, allowing the normal development of cultured human cells and revealing a normal biodistribution within a mouse model, without toxic effects. The modified and viable cells count analyses proved that the modified WDs exhibit an improved inhibitory activity of microbial colonization, attachment and biofilm growth. The reported data recommend this type of coatings to obtain modified WDs with antibacterial properties, able to prevent the exogenous microbial contamination of the wound tissue, colonization and further biofilm development.