Song Liu

Food waste and safety challenges demand sustainable packaging solutions that extend shelf life and provide real‑time spoilage indicators. This study reports the fabrication and characterization of electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) membranes incorporating brazilin, a natural polyphenolic compound with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and pH-responsive dye properties. Monoaxial and coaxial electrospinning were employed to tailor fiber morphology and release kinetics, enabling modulation from rapid to sustained diffusion. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed uniform micro‑fibrous structures, with coaxial fibers exhibiting reduced diameters and smaller pore sizes relative to monoaxial counterparts. Release studies demonstrated tunable profiles, with monoaxial fibers achieving near‑complete release within 24 h, while coaxial configurations extended release over three weeks. Antioxidant assays (ABTS, FRAP) verified strong and persistent activity, consistent with both hydrogen atom transfer and electron transfer mechanisms. Antimicrobial testing showed significant inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus, whereas Gram‑negative bacteria remained resistant, underscoring the need for combinatorial strategies. The membranes also displayed robust, reproducible colorimetric transitions (yellow–orange–red) across acidic, neutral, and alkaline pH, and this colorimetric response was further confirmed using real food products (Arctic charr), demonstrating reliable performance under practical spoilage conditions. Collectively, these findings establish brazilin-loaded electrospun membranes as multifunctional, biodegradable packaging materials that integrate active protection with intelligent sensing. By uniting sustained antioxidant activity, targeted antimicrobial efficacy, and visible spoilage indication, this work advances the development of next-generation packaging technologies that enhance food quality, safety, and sustainability. Future studies should validate performance in real food matrices and explore synergistic antimicrobial combinations to broaden efficacy.

Food waste and safety challenges demand sustainable packaging solutions that extend shelf life and provide real-time spoilage indicators. This study reports the fabrication and characterization of electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) membranes incorporating brazilin, a natural polyphenolic compound with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and pH-responsive dye properties. Monoaxial and coaxial electrospinning were employed to tailor fiber morphology and release kinetics, enabling modulation from rapid to sustained diffusion. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed uniform micro-fibrous structures, with coaxial fibers exhibiting reduced diameters and smaller pore sizes relative to monoaxial counterparts. Release studies demonstrated tunable profiles, with monoaxial fibers achieving near-complete release within 24 h, while coaxial configurations extended release over three weeks. Antioxidant assays (ABTS, FRAP) verified strong and persistent activity, consistent with both hydrogen atom transfer and electron transfer mechanisms. Antimicrobial testing showed significant inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus, whereas Gram-negative bacteria remained resistant, underscoring the need for combinatorial strategies. The membranes also displayed robust, reproducible colorimetric transitions (yellow–orange–red) across acidic, neutral, and alkaline pH, confirming their suitability as freshness indicators. Collectively, these findings establish brazilin-loaded electrospun membranes as multifunctional, biodegradable packaging materials that integrate active protection with intelligent sensing. By uniting sustained antioxidant activity, targeted antimicrobial efficacy, and visible spoilage indication, this work advances the development of next-generation packaging technologies that enhance food quality, safety, and sustainability. Future studies should validate performance in real food matrices and explore synergistic antimicrobial combinations to broaden efficacy

Contact-active antibacterial surfaces are increasingly recognized as effective strategies for mitigating bacteria-related infections. Traditionally, physical contact-active antibacterial surfaces have been employed in biomedical implants, while chemical contact-active antibacterial surfaces are more commonly applied to hospital equipment, high-touch surfaces, and the food industry. In this study, we report the design of an innovative polymeric surface that integrates contact-active chemical and physical antibacterial mechanisms within a single platform. Specifically, we combined a chemical biocide─contact-active quaternized N-chloramine─with a nanotopographical killing mechanism inspired by the natural antibacterial properties of insect wings. Our fabrication process successfully replicates the nanoscale features of these natural surfaces on a polymer, incorporating nano spikes functionalized with an alkynyl handle. This handle facilitates a click chemistry reaction with the antibacterial agent N-chloramine. The resulting hybrid surface, denoted as P_nCl, was evaluated against Escherichia coli and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Compared to the control surfaces P_n and P_Cl, P_nCl demonstrated superior antibacterial activity, achieving a 100% reduction in E. coli populations within 15 min of contact and complete eradication of MRSA within 60 min. This study underscores the potential of combining a nonleaching, contact-active chemical biocide (N-chloramine) with biocidal nanotopography on a single surface, offering a promising avenue for the development of advanced antimicrobial materials.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) in antimicrobial treatment of diabetic wounds faces the challenge of damaging normal tissues with high temperatures. In this study, mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) as the core, encapsulated by Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) shell, and loaded with berberine (BBR) are used to fabricate MPDA@ZIF‐8/BBR core–shell nanoparticles (NPs). Then, those NPs are incorporated into hydrogels formed by reacting carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) with oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) via Schiff base chemistry, creating a photothermal nanocomposite hydrogel capable of scavenging ROS (Gel‐ MPDA@ZIF‐8/BBR). The hydrogel achieves low‐temperature PTT antimicrobial activity by controlled degradation under the weak acidic conditions of the bacterial infection microenvironment and simultaneous release of BBR and Zn ² ⁺, combined with the mild photothermal effect of MPDA. The released BBR synergistically enhances the photothermal effect by inhibiting bacterial community sensing, effectively disintegrating the bacterial biofilm. More importantly, the composite hydrogels showed good biocompatibility, effectively inhibited the wound inflammatory response, and significantly accelerated wound healing, which achieved low‐temperature PTT antibacterial therapy and has the potential to treat diabetic‐infected chronic wounds.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum, primarily contaminating wheat, corn, and their derivatives. Although less toxic than some other mycotoxins, DON is significant due to its abundance, particularly in wheat, and its resistance to in vitro detoxification. Compared to other livestock, pigs are the most susceptible animals to DON’s presence due to its interaction with wheat-heavy diets. The best way to attenuate the effects of DON is to prevent its presence on cultivated land; however, given that it is difficult to prevent the occurrence of DON in freshly harvested cereals completely, other strategies must be applied. For pigs, chronic consumption of feed with DON concentrations below even the regulated limits can still negatively impact growth. Thus, DON-detoxifying agents including antidotes, DON binding agents, and exogenous in vivo enzyme additives, have been added to feed in an attempt to detoxify DON. This comprehensive review highlights the most recently developed DON-detoxification techniques and assesses each treatment’s viability and efficacy, with an emphasis on chemical and biochemical techniques and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Herein we explore the unmet needs and future directions of current technologies while discussing promising strategies that can advance the DON-detoxification field.

Wound healing, particularly in bacterial-infected wounds, is a complex and dynamic process that requires tailored interventions at different physiological stages. Addressing this challenge in clinical settings necessitates the development of advanced wound repair materials capable of providing sequential treatment to promote effective wound regeneration. Herein, we present an auto-regulating hydrogel, which is designed specifically to facilitate the stepwise repair of infected wounds through its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic properties. This hydrogel is constructed by integrating dynamic imine bonds, ionic complexation, and hydrophobic interactions, and is composed of sulfonated chitosan (SCS), polydopamine (PDA) nanosheets, aldehyde-terminated Pluronic F127 (F127-CHO), and copper ions (Cu²⁺), which is termed an FSCP hydrogel. The FSCP hydrogel sequentially targets each wound healing stage. During the initial stage, PDA nanosheets act as a near-infrared (NIR) photothermal agent to eliminate bacteria, while also scavenging free radicals to reduce inflammation. At later stages, upon controlled NIR irradiation, the hydrogel's networks auto-regulate to enable pulsatile release of Cu²⁺ and SCS, which fosters angiogenesis and sustains tissue regeneration. Experimental results confirm that this hydrogel effectively combats bacterial infection and mitigates excessive ROS during the inflammatory phase, subsequently enhancing angiogenesis to stimulate cell proliferation and tissue reconstruction. By offering a sequential, stage-specific therapeutic strategy, the FSCP hydrogel represents a novel and versatile platform for the treatment of bacterial-infected wounds, meeting the diverse and evolving needs of wound healing in clinical settings.

Biosensors for wound dressings can enable point‐of‐care monitoring of wound bed health by exhibiting a color change visible to the naked eye, to alert healthcare providers of the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Here, a polydiacetylene‐based electrospun nanofibrous wound dressing for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is reported. Using conventional blend electrospinning, two diacetylene monomers—10,12‐pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) and 10,12‐tricosadiynoic acid (TCDA)—are separately electrospun alongside polyurethane as a supporting matrix polymer. The differences in side‐chain length impact the sensitivity of the nanofibers in detecting P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, two DNA aptamers are conjugated to the polydiacetylenes to achieve targeted detection of P. aeruginosa. The aptamer‐modified dressings show improved sensitivity of detection toward eight strains of P. aeruginosa compared to the unmodified membranes. Furthermore, the aptamer‐modified membranes do not respond to non‐target bacteria methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli within 3 h of direct contact. Reducing the chain‐length of the diacetylene monomer by substituting PCDA with TCDA boosts the colorimetric response by a factor of >2x compared to the aptamer‐modified PCDA membranes, at the cost of reduced specificity. The aptamer‐conjugated polydiacetylene membranes show promise for application in point‐of‐care wound dressings for improved specificity of detection of bacterial infections.