Francisco Javier Enríquez-Medrano

Chemically reinforced collagen–polyurethane–glycosaminoglycan (GAG) interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels are developed to establish how GAG chemistry and concentration regulate network formation, structure, and biological functionality. Collagen–PU–IPNs containing 0–60 wt% hyaluronic acid (HA) or chondroitin sulfate (CS) exhibit complete gelation within 30 min, while HA accelerates fibrillar assembly, reaching a maximum kinetic constant of 0.510 min ^{− 1} at 30 wt% HA. GAG incorporation modulates hydration and crosslinking, with swelling capacities among 1800%–2300% and crosslinking degrees of 75%. These compositional changes translate into distinct viscoelastic responses, with solid‐like behavior maintained across the formulations and an elastic modulus reaching approximately 9.9 kPa at 45 wt% HA. Structural and morphological analyses reveal GAG‐dependent fibrillar, dendritic, and amorphous architectures, which further influence degradation behavior. CS‐containing networks exhibit greater hydrolytic stability, whereas HA‐based systems show enhanced enzymatic susceptibility. Importantly, GAG incorporation reduces hemolytic activity while supporting the metabolic activity and proliferation of monocytes, fibroblasts, and bone marrow‐derived cells. Antibacterial and immunomodulatory responses are also observed, with IL‐10 secretion increasing with HA content and reaching 6672 pg mL ^{− 1} at 60 wt% HA. Overall, GAG chemistry and concentration provide effective control over composition–structure–property–function relationships, enabling tailored multifunctional hydrogels for potential biomedical applications.

Chronic wounds are complex environments marked by persistent inflammation, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and conditions that favor antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Conventional antibiotics often fail due to bacterial persistence and the physicochemical barriers of the wound milieu. Biofilm-associated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), efflux pump activity, quorum sensing (QS), and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) collectively drive antimicrobial tolerance and resistance dissemination, turning chronic wounds into reservoirs of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Consequently, emerging wound therapies demand multifunctional strategies that modulate the wound microenvironment while interfering with resistance-associated phenotypes. Hydrogel–metal–organic framework (MOF) composites have been explored as multifunctional interfaces that combine extracellular matrix-mimetic properties, tunable porosity, stimuli-responsiveness, and controlled therapeutic delivery with the bioactive functions of MOFs. Depending on their composition and architecture, these systems may exert antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects through ionic, electrostatic, osmotic, catalytic, and oxidative mechanisms, while also influencing ROS levels, inflammation, angiogenesis, and local drug transport. However, antimicrobial activity alone does not equate to resistance modulation. Evidence for direct effects on efflux systems, resistance phenotypes, or HGT remains inconsistent across reported platforms. This review critically examines representative hydrogel–MOF systems for chronic wound applications, comparing their composition, physicochemical properties, biological functions, proposed resistance-related mechanisms, advantages, limitations, and current level of evidence. We emphasize distinguishing experimentally demonstrated resistance-modulating effects from mechanistically proposed functions, and identifying design trade-offs and evidence gaps that must be addressed to develop wound interfaces capable of both supporting tissue regeneration and improving infection control.

Dust emissions generated during mining operations represent an important environmental and occupational health concern due to their adverse effects on air quality, human health, and surrounding ecosystems. Although water spraying is commonly applied for dust control, its limited retention capacity and short‐term effectiveness have promoted the development of environmentally friendly chemical suppressants. In this study, a pyridinium modified sodium polyaspartate derivative (PAsp‐D) was synthesized through grafting of a quaternary ammonium salt onto sodium polyaspartate and evaluated as a dust suppressant for mining applications. The synthesized material was characterized by FTIR, ¹ H‐NMR, and SEM. Dust suppression performance was assessed through water retention, contact angle, mechanical compression resistance, and thermo‐mechanical analysis. In addition, glycerol was incorporated at different concentrations as a wetting/plasticizing agent to evaluate its influence on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the treated dust samples. The modified polymer exhibited improved water retention and enhanced wettability compared to water‐treated samples and unmodified polyaspartate. Formulations containing moderate glycerol concentrations showed improved elastic stability and thermal dimensional stability, whereas excessive glycerol addition reduced compressive strength and partially diminished the hydrophilic effect. SEM analysis revealed the formation of a polymer‐glycerol film surrounding dust particles and promoting particle agglomeration. The results demonstrate that quaternary ammonium‐modified polyaspartate combined with glycerol provides a tunable balance between moisture retention, elasticity, and mechanical stabilization, highlighting its potential as an environmentally friendly dust suppressant for mining applications.

Chronic wounds constitute a major clinical and socioeconomic burden owing to prolonged inflammation, persistent bacterial infection, impaired angiogenesis, and defective extracellular matrix remodeling. Advanced wound dressings have traditionally been developed to promote tissue regeneration, control bacterial infection, and restore the wound microenvironment. Recent advances have focused on multifunctional biomaterials integrating regenerative, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and controlled drug-delivery properties. Within this context, antiviral biointerface engineering has emerged as a promising, although still exploratory, materials-engineering perspective rather than an established function of wound dressings. Hydrogel–metal–organic framework (MOF) hybrid polymer composites have emerged as versatile platforms for multifunctional wound dressings. Hydrogels provide hydrated three-dimensional matrices with tunable porosity, swelling behavior, mechanical compliance, and biocompatibility, whereas MOFs contribute high surface area, adjustable pore architectures, chemically tailorable active sites, and controlled ion release. Their integration generates synergistic systems whose performance is governed by structure–function relationships involving polymer crosslinking density, MOF dispersion, pore hierarchy, interfacial adhesion, swelling dynamics, and surface functionalization. Collectively, these parameters regulate mass transport, mechanical stability, therapeutic delivery, and cytocompatibility while potentially influencing virus–material interactions through engineered biointerfaces. Current evidence indicates that direct experimental demonstrations of antiviral performance in hydrogel–MOF wound dressing systems remain limited. Accordingly, antiviral biointerface functions should be regarded as emerging engineering opportunities requiring further experimental validation before clinical translation. This review critically analyzes the structure–function engineering principles governing hydrogel–MOF hybrid systems and examines how established regenerative functions may be integrated with emerging antiviral biointerface concepts. Unlike previous reviews focused primarily on drug delivery, antibacterial activity, or tissue engineering, this review emphasizes the relationships between polymer architecture, MOF chemistry, interfacial design, and transport phenomena while explicitly distinguishing experimentally supported evidence from prospective mechanistic concepts. Particular attention is given to current limitations, translational challenges, and future directions for the rational design of next-generation multifunctional hydrogel–MOF wound dressings.

Facing global environmental challenges, such as high soil salinity and increasing demand in crop production in terms of both quantity and quality, waste valorization for plant biostimulant development represents a viable strategy. In this study, chitin and lignin were extracted from shrimp and nut shells, respectively, and chemically modified through deacetylation and phosphorylation to improve their solubility and biodisponibility. All biopolymers were characterized and evaluated as biostimulants applied via foliar weekly in lettuce grown under salinity stress (100 mM and EC 4 dS/m) at concentrations of 0, 10, 50, and 100 ppm, resulting in fifteen treatments with ten replications each. Plant sampling was conducted eleven weeks after sowing, and growth parameters, chlorophylls, and proline were assessed. Chitin application at 10 ppm increased root dry weight by 150.9% and leaf fresh weight by 19.25%, while reducing proline content by 37%. In contrast, the 50-ppm treatment decreased leaf fresh weight by 22.5%. At 100 ppm, chitin increased leaf fresh weight by 35.5% and proline content by 35%. Chitosan at 10 ppm enhanced root fresh weight by 145% and reduced proline by 52%, whereas 100 ppm increased leaf fresh weight by 16.9%. Lignin at 10 ppm increased proline content by 70%, while 50 ppm improved root fresh weight by 66.2% and leaf dry weight by 57.6%. Phospholignin at 10 ppm increased leaf area by 76.6%. Overall, most of the biopolymers induced effects on growth and physiological responses under salinity stress, supporting their potential as value-added agricultural inputs derived from agro-industrial residues.

Hydroxamic acids are emerging as versatile chiral ligands for metal-catalyzed asymmetric oxidations due to their tunable electronic and steric environments. In this study, we systematically compared the catalytic behavior of C₂- and C₁-symmetric hydroxamic acid ligands in the vanadium-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols. A series of chiral hydroxamic acids (HA1–HA7) was synthesized and evaluated under varied conditions to elucidate the influence of ligand symmetry on enantioinduction and reactivity. The results demonstrate that C₂-symmetric bishydroxamic acids generate a highly organized chiral environment, leading to high enantioselectivity but often limited conversion, consistent with the Sabatier principle. Conversely, certain C₁-symmetric ligands—particularly HA3—produced notable enantioselectivity (up to 71% e.e.) and full conversion under optimized conditions with VO(OiPr)₃ in CH₂Cl₂. A quadrant-based stereochemical model is proposed to rationalize the differential performance of these ligands. These findings highlight the critical role of ligand desymmetrization in modulating the chiral environment around vanadium centers, providing valuable design principles for next-generation hydroxamic acid-based catalysts in asymmetric synthesis. The optimized system (VO(OiPr)₃/HA3 in CH₂Cl₂) afforded >99% conversion and 71% e.e., providing a basis for extending hydroxamic acid scaffolds to diverse allylic alcohols.

Hydroxamic acids are emerging as versatile chiral ligands for metal-catalyzed asymmetric oxidations due to their tunable electronic and steric environments. In this study, we systematically compared the catalytic behavior of C2- and C1-symmetric hydroxamic acid ligands in the vanadium-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols. A series of chiral hydroxamic acids (HA1–HA7) was synthesized and evaluated under varied conditions to elucidate the influence of ligand symmetry on enantioinduction and reactivity. The results demonstrate that C2-symmetric bishydroxamic acids generate a highly organized chiral environment leading to high enantioselectivity but often limited conversion, consistent with the Sabatier principle. Conversely, certain C1-symmetric ligands—particularly HA3—produced notable enantioselectivity (up to 71% ee) and full conversion under optimized conditions with VO(OiPr)₃ in CH₂Cl₂. A quadrant-based stereochemical model is proposed to rationalize the differential performance of these ligands. These findings highlight the critical role of ligand desymmetrization in modulating the chiral environment around vanadium centers, providing valuable design principles for next-generation hydroxamic acid-based catalysts in asymmetric synthesis. The optimized system (VO(OiPr)₃/HA3 in CH₂Cl₂) afforded >99% conversion and 71% ee, providing a basis for extending hydroxamic acid scaffolds to diverse allylic alcohols.

Este estudio analizó biocompuestos de ácido poliláctico reforzados con fibra de banano (Musa), evaluando su efecto en las propiedades mecánicas antes y después de un envejecimiento acelerado. Los análisis (FTIR, XRD, TGA) confirmaron que la fibra contiene hemicelulosa, celulosa y lignina, con una mayor fracción de celulosa debido a su alta cristalinidad. Antes del envejecimiento, la resistencia a la tensión y el módulo de tensión no evidenciaron una mejora significativamente al aumentar el contenido de fibra, aunque sí aumentaron ligeramente la resistencia al impacto y la dureza. Sin embargo, la elongación a la rotura disminuyó. Tras 240 h de exposición en la cámara UV, las propiedades mecánicas de los biocompuestos se degradaron, reduciéndose la resistencia y el módulo de tensión, pero aumentando la elongación a la rotura. A pesar de esto, los biocompuestos reforzados mostraron mejores propiedades mecánicas que el PLA puro después del envejecimiento.

β‐Myrcene, a terpenic monomer, holds potential for developing sustainable polymer‐based materials with enhanced properties. This study examines the synthesis of a myrcene‐based monomer and its incorporation into unsaturated polyesters, focusing on polymerization, curing, and final properties. Unsaturated polyesters were synthesized with varying myrcene‐based monomer content (6, 12, and 24 mol%), phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and diethylene glycol. Polymerization achieved conversion values of 0.92–0.93, resulting in polyesters with molar masses between 1400 and 1700 g mol⁻¹ and dispersity indices of 2.0 to 2.3. Nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) demonstrated short branch formation in myrcene‐modified polyesters and a high maleate‐to‐fumarate isomerization rate (92.66%–95.7%), affecting carbon–carbon double bonds per polyester mole (2.27 to 4.28) and final resin performance. Rheological analysis in a styrene solution (70/30 wt%) indicated shear‐thinning behavior, with viscosities ranging from 0.59 to 3.8 Pa·s, suggesting branching affects chain entanglement. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed decreased curing enthalpy with increasing myrcene content, and it was inferred that myrcene's double bonds did not participate in curing. Glass transition temperatures of cured polyesters (70–107 °C) correlate with enthalpy trends. Thermal stability of myrcene‐modified polyesters is similar to the reference polyester, highlighting myrcene's potential as a sustainable monomer for customizable unsaturated polyesters.