@article {18004,
	title = {Bio-inspired aloe vera sponges for biomedical applications},
	journal = {Carbohydrate Polymers},
	volume = {112},
	year = {2014},
	month = {2014-05-26 00:00:00},
	pages = {264-270},
	publisher = {Elsevier},
	abstract = {<p>Chemical composition and biological properties of Aloe vera (AV), a tropical plant, explain its potential use for cosmetic, nutritional and biomedical applications. AV gel\&nbsp; present\&nbsp; in\&nbsp; AV\&nbsp; leaves\&nbsp; is\&nbsp; rich\&nbsp; in\&nbsp; several\&nbsp; compounds,\&nbsp; nutrients\&nbsp; and polysaccharides.\&nbsp; This\&nbsp; work\&nbsp; proposes\&nbsp; using\&nbsp; AV\&nbsp; gel\&nbsp; complex\&nbsp; structure\&nbsp; and chemical\&nbsp; composition,\&nbsp; associated\&nbsp; with\&nbsp; freeze-drying,\&nbsp; to\&nbsp; produce\&nbsp; sponges.\&nbsp; To increase the structures stability in aqueous media, a thin coating of gellan gum (GG),\&nbsp; was\&nbsp; applied\&nbsp; onto\&nbsp; AV gel. AV-based sponges showed\&nbsp; a\&nbsp; heterogeneous porous formation, interconnected pores and good porosity(72-77\%). The coating with\&nbsp; a\&nbsp; GG\&nbsp; layer\&nbsp; onto\&nbsp; AV\&nbsp; influenced\&nbsp; the\&nbsp; stability,\&nbsp; swelling\&nbsp; behavior\&nbsp; and mechanical properties of the resulting sponges. Moreover, sponges provided the sustained release of BSA-FTIC, used as a model protein,over 3 weeks. Also, in vitro\&nbsp; cell culture studies evidenced that sponges are not cytotoxic for a mouse fibroblast-like cell line. Therefore, developed AV-based sponges have potential use in biomedical applications.</p>},
	keywords = {Aloe vera gel, Gellan Gum, regenerative medicine, Sponges},
	doi = {10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.05.042},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144861714005128},
	author = {Silva, S. S. and Oliveira, M. B. and Mano, J. F. and Reis, R. L.},
	editor = {Kennedy, J. F. and Mitchell, J. R.}
}
