Kombucha Versus Vegetal Cellulose for Affordable Mucoadhesive (nano)Formulations

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are promising for mucoadhesive nanohydrogels in medical devices due to their hydrophilicity, porosity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility.
• Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) and vegetal nanocellulose (VNC) offer distinct properties for hydrogel formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the suitability of bacterial nanocellulose (from kombucha) and vegetal nanocellulose (from brewer's spent grains) for creating biomedical hydrogels.
• To evaluate the cytocompatibility, antioxidant activity, and mucoadhesive properties of VNC and BNC hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized VNC from brewer's spent grains and BNC from kombucha membranes.
• Prepared VNC and BNC hydrogels and characterized their physical properties (opacity, fluidity).
• Assessed hydrogel-mucin interaction, cytocompatibility using human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1), in vitro antioxidant activity, and antibacterial efficacy.

Main Results:

• BNC hydrogel demonstrated approximately twofold higher mucin binding efficiency than VNC hydrogel.
• BNC hydrogel significantly enhanced metabolic activity of viable cells (107.60% of control), indicating excellent cytocompatibility.
• VNC hydrogel exhibited antioxidant activity by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 23%, while BNC slightly increased ROS levels. Neither hydrogel showed antibacterial activity.

Conclusions:

• BNC hydrogels derived from kombucha fermentation show greater potential for cytocompatible and mucoadhesive nanoformulations compared to VNC hydrogels from brewer's spent grains.
• Further optimization is required to enhance the antioxidant capacity of BNC and the antibacterial properties of both VNC and BNC hydrogels for broader biomedical applications.