Marco Contardi

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca | UNIMIB · Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems in the world. The diversity of life found in the habitats created by corals is so large that the reefs are known as the “rainforests of the sea.” Unfortunately, severe natural and anthropogenic changes such as ocean warming, acidification, coral diseases, and plastic pollution are extremely detrimen...

The management of acute and chronic wounds is still a socioeconomic burden for society due to the lack of suitable tools capable of supporting all the healing phases. The exponential spread of diabetes worldwide and the consequent increase of complicated diabetic ulcers require further efforts to develop scalable, low-cost, and easy-to-use treatmen...

A vinyl laurate-based elastomeric copolymer, developed as chewing gum base, was used to produce functional coatings with the antioxidant curcumin. Both the polymer and curcumin were dissolved in MIBK, methyl isobutyl ketone. Coatings were applied on glass but also on natural alginate and gelatin film surfaces by dip-coating. Microscopy analysis ind...

Malva sylvestris (MS) is a medicinal herb known worldwide for its beneficial effects due to the several active molecules present in its leaves and flowers. These compounds have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and thus can be helpful in treatments of burns and chronic wounds, characterized mainly by high levels of free radicals an...

In response to the pervasive anthropogenic pollution of the ocean, this manuscript suggests the use of biodegradable elastomers in marine applications. The present study characterizes 25 samples of highly biodegradable polymers, obtained blending a base elastomer with natural fibers. Mechanical analysis and Scanning Electron Microscope imaging, rev...

Coral Reef Restoration In article number 2100089, Marco Contardi, Simone Montanoand, Athanassia Athanassiou and co-workers fabricate two biodegradable biocomposites based on starch–polydimethylsiloxane and soybean lecithin-wax-polyurethane. They are evaluated as scaffolds for the growth of oceanic organisms. Such materials placed underwater on the...

Alterations of skin homeostasis are widely diffused in our everyday life both due to accidental injuries, such as wounds and burns, and physiological conditions, such as late-stage diabetes, dermatitis, or psoriasis. These events are locally characterized by an intense inflammatory response, a high generation of harmful free radicals, or an impairm...

Antioxidant fabrics are excellent shields against oxidative damage by free radicals and can be used in clothing, packaging, cosmetics and preservation. In this study, we developed antioxidant and hydrophobic cotton fabrics using ecofriendly materials and processes. The fabrics were functionalized with a double layer coating. Pristine cotton fabrics...

Mycelia, the vegetative part of fungi, are emerging as the avant-garde generation of natural, sustainable, and biodegradable materials for a wide range of applications. They are constituted of a self-growing and interconnected fibrous network of elongated cells, and their chemical and physical properties can be adjusted depending on the conditions...

We report on the synthesis, characterization, and application of biomimetic, spherical Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) coated with keratin (Ker-AuNPs). They are characterized in terms of morphological, spectral, and thermo-optical properties. Besides their excellent colloidal stability, Ker-AuNPs exhibit excellent biocompatibility. The latter is verified...

Aim: To realize and characterize a new generation of keratin-coated gold nanoparticles (Ker-AuNPs) as highly efficient photosensitive nanosized therapeutics for plasmonic photothermal (PPT) therapy. Materials & methods: The chemical, physical, morphological and photothermal properties of Ker-AuNPs are investigated using dynamic light scattering, ζ-...

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (commonly known as povidone or PVP) rapidly dissolves in water. This significantly hinders its use in sustained release formulations developed for the biomedical field. Electrospun fibers of PVP dissolve even faster due to larger surface to volume ratio. In this work, we propose a way to circumvent this problem by developing an...

Teeth extractions are often followed by alveolar bone reabsorption, although an adequate level of bone is required for reliable rehabilitations by dental implants. Leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) has been widely applied in regenerative procedures and with antibiotic and antioxidant agents could play an essential role in hard and soft tis...

Keratin extracted from wool fibers has recently gained attention as an abundant source of renewable, biocompatible material for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. However, keratin extraction and processing generally require a copious use of chemicals, not only bearing consequences for the environment but also possibly compromising t...

Coral reefs are vital for the marine ecosystem and their potential disappearance can have unequivocal consequences on our environment. Aside from pollution-related threats (changes in water temperature, plastics, and acidity), corals can be injured by diseases, predators, humans and other invasive species. Diseases play an important role in this de...

Microalgae are generally considered an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive molecules that make them suitable to be introduced in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food industries. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), an edible microalga, contains numerous biomolecules potentially able to prevent some pathologies including age-related dis...

Topical treatment of wound infections is often a challenge due to limited drug availability at the site of infection. Topical drug delivery is an attractive option for reducing systemic side effects, provided that a more selective and sustained local drug delivery is achieved. In this study, a poorly water-soluble antibiotic, ciprofloxacin, was loa...

caprolactone-p-coumaric acid copolymers at different mole ratios (ε-caprolactone:p-cou-maric acid 1:0, 10:1, 8:1, 6:1, 4:1, and 2:1) were synthesized by melt-polycondensation and using 4-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid as catalyst. Chemical analysis by NMR and GPC showed that copolyesters were formed with decreasing molecular weight as p-coumaric acid...

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is probably one of the most utilized pharmaceutical polymers with applications ranging from blood plasma substitute to nanoparticle drug delivery, since its synthesis in 1939. It is highly biocompatible, non-toxic and transparent film forming polymer. Although high solubility of PVP in aqueous environment is advantageous,...

After a skin injury, many complex metabolic events are triggered to ensure proper wound healing. Particularly for chronic, non-healing wounds or burns several risk factors such as persistent bacterial infections and fast dehydration can counteract the healing process. Intelligent wound dressings should help accelerate the healing process, while mai...

Water insoluble monohydrochloride monohydrate free ciprofloxacin (Cipro) antibiotic was incorporated in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer matrix by using acetic acid co-solvent in water. The resultant solutions were cast into fully transparent antimicrobial films. Proper concentrations of acetic acid eliminated in situ crystallization of the antib...

Abstract Water insoluble monohydrochloride monohydrate free ciprofloxacin (Cipro) antibiotic was incorporated in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer matrix by using acetic acid co-solvent in water. The resultant solutions were cast into fully transparent antimicrobial films. Proper concentrations of acetic acid eliminated in situ crystallization of...

W ound dressings have been evolving steadily in close conjunction with recent trends and advances in bio-based polymer processing. Dressings grew from materials or tapes that simply covered and concealed the wound, to materials that can interact with wounds so that important wound healing factors such as moisture management, active ingredient deliv...

New sustainable composite materials inspired by plant cuticles have been fabricated by impregnation of fibrous cellulose substrates with a naturally occurring polyhydroxylated fatty acid (9,10,16-trihydroxypalmitic or aleuritic acid) and subsequent polymerization of the latter into polyaleuritate. A two-step preparation method is used, comprising o...

In article number 1600024, José A. Heredia-Guerrero, Athanassia Athanassiou, and co-workers present new, sustainable composite materials inspired by plant cuticles. These materials are fabricated by the impregnation of fibrous cellulose substrates with a naturally occurring polyhydroxylated fatty acid, and subsequent polymerization of the latter in...

Proteolytic resistance is a relevant aspect to be tested in the formulation of new nanoscale biomaterials. The action of proteolytic enzymes is a very fast process occurring in the range of few minutes. Here, we report data concerning the proteolytic resistance of a heat-set BSA hydrogel obtained after 20-hour incubation at 60°C prepared at the pH...

The onset of Alzheimer disease (AD) is influenced by several risk factors comprising diabetes. Within this context, antidiabetic drugs, including metformin, are investigated for their effect on AD. We report that in the C57B6/J mice, metformin is delivered to the brain where activates AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), its molecular target. This drug aff...

Several studies show that individuals with Type2 diabetes (T2DM) or Obesity have a twofold greatest risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Pathohistological hallmarks of AD are soluble β-amyloid (Aβ) oligomers or insoluble plaques or neurofibrillary tangles. A possible link between AD an...