Mihaela Violeta Ghica

By Mădălina Georgiana Albu, Irina Titorencu and Mihaela Violeta Ghica

Part of the book: Biomaterials

By Lăcrămioara Popa, Mihaela Violeta Ghica, Cristina Elena Dinu-Pîrvu and Teodora Irimia

This chapter focuses on the eye, one of the most important organs of humans. Current data on pathophysiology of the human eye are presented in direct correlation with a range of therapeutic products, with a well-known and widely used material, namely chitosan. Applications of chitosan biopolymer are described in the development of innovative, modern, therapeutic devices and solutions. Thus, chitosan is a good excipient either for classic drop-type ocular systems, as well as for complex drug systems such as nanostructures (nanoparticles, nanomicelles and nanosuspensions), liposomes, microemulsions, microspheres, in situ hydrogels and inserts or implants. A number of disadvantages for ocular administration of the drugs are thus overcome.

Part of the book: Chitin-Chitosan

By Mihaela Violeta Ghica, Cristina Elena Dinu-Pîrvu, Lăcrămioara Popa, Elena-Emilia Tudoroiu, Diana-Georgiana Ionescu and Claudia-Maria Benga

Worldwide, cutaneous lesions care represents a daily challenge for the medical system, with an increasing prevalence from year to year (from ~5 million in 2005 to about 8 million in 2018) and high costs for their treatment (between ~$28 billion and ~$97 billion). Injuries are the most frequent and destructive form of skin damage, affecting patients’ quality of life. To promote wound healing, an ideal treatment involves proper dressings that can manage the local pain, inflammation, or infection. Passive or dry traditional dressings, such as cotton, gauze, or lint, have limited therapeutic actions and demand periodic replacement of the dressing. Therefore, an optimal alternative for advanced wound care is represented by hydrogels, one of the five classes of modern dressings, which assure excellent local moisture, due to their high ability to absorb a large volume of water inside their three-dimensional networks. Moreover, hydrogels possess suitable biocompatibility, biodegradability, porosity, elasticity, flexibility, and biological properties similar to the extracellular matrix. This chapter presents the main characteristics of the hydrogels and the recent research regarding the development of new hydrogel dressings, based on natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic biopolymers, loaded with varied therapeutic agents to stimulate the tissue regeneration of different etiologies cutaneous lesions.

Part of the book: Hydrogels

By Lăcrămioara Popa, Mihaela Violeta Ghica, Cristina Elena Dinu-Pîrvu and Elena-Emilia Tudoroiu

Part of the book: Hydrogels

By Lăcrămioara Popa, Mihaela Violeta Ghica, Cristina-Elena Dinu-Pîrvu and Irina-Alexandra Dumitrescu

Chitosan and pectin are two of the most abundant polysaccharides available in the natural world. Chitosan is readily obtained from crustacean shells, while pectin has a fundamental and supportive function in the plant cell wall and is extracted with satisfactory yields from apple pomace and citrus peel. Recent focus on natural polymers for their ecologically friendly properties (biocompatibility and biodegradability) brought forward in the pharmaceutical and medical fields a wide range of new materials and combinations, that had previously been overlooked by researchers in favor of synthetic polymers. Natural polymers present challenges due to their complex structures and variability but also have great versatility and can be tailored to suit particular needs. Chitosan and pectin have been comprehensively investigated independently, with their characteristics thoroughly examined. They have now been combined into a composite to determine how their advantageous properties can be mutually enhanced. This chapter aims to review chitosan-pectin composites emphasizing the interaction mechanisms between the two polymers, exploring formulation strategies and biomedical/biotechnological applications.

Part of the book: Chitosan and Alginate Frontiers