Bacterial-infected wounds often lead to prolonged inflammation and delayed healing, posing a significant challenge in clinical practice. To address this issue, this study developed a novel antibacterial sericin-based hydrogel (rhein-sericin hydrogel, RHS) with inherent pH monitoring property based on natural active components. The hydrogel was engineered via crosslinking between sericin, isolated from silkworm cocoons, and rhein, resulting in a homogeneous gel structure. Experimental results demonstrated that the RHS hydrogel exhibits suitable mechanical properties, controllable biodegradability, and good biocompatibility. The hydrogel also displayed effective hemostatic performance, achieving a hemostasis time of 66 s in a mouse tail amputation model, significantly shorter than the 316 s recorded in the untreated control. In vitro antibacterial assays revealed that the RHS hydrogel possessed potent antibacterial activity, with bactericidal rates of 89.38% against E. coli, 94.9% against S. aureus, and 97.04% against MRSA. Furthermore, the hydrogel promoted HaCaT cell migration, achieving a migration rate of 64.48% at 24 h in a scratch wound assay. Notably, the hydrogel also displayed unique pH-responsive behavior, with the color varying according to pH changes, providing a visual indicator for real-time monitoring of wound status. In a S. aureus-infected wound model, the RHS hydrogel displayed outstanding antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-angiogenic capabilities, effectively modulating the wound microenvironment and promoting collagen deposition and re-epithelialization. After 12 days of treatment, the wound healing rate in the RHS group reached 97.71%, with near-complete wound closure. This study offers a promising strategy for the development of advanced hydrogel dressings based on natural components.

Thiamethoxam (THI), a widely used neonicotinoid pesticide, is of crucial significance for the accurate detection of THI in terms of environmental and food safety. In this study, a portable fluorescent aptasensor was developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of THI. Based on the principle of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), the sensor system consists of THI-specific aptamers (UCNPs-apt) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) functionalized with graphene oxide (GO). Compared to conventional fluorophores, UCNPs exhibit minimal background fluorescence, thereby minimizing interference in complex matrices such as food samples. Key parameters, including GO concentration (0.15 mg/mL), UCNPs/GO incubation time (40 min), pH (7.4), and THI reaction time (30 min), were optimized to maximize fluorescence quenching and targetinduced recovery. The sensor showed a linear detection range of 0.1-100 ng/mL and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.088 ng/mL, with excellent selectivity and reproducibility. The method was validated using peach and mulberry leaf samples, yielding results consistent with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (recoveries: 98.79%-113.04%; relative standard deviations (RSDs): 0.46%-1.92%). The integrated portable system, leveraging aptamer specificity and compact instrumentation, enables on-site monitoring and addresses the urgent need for rapid field-deployable detection of THI residues.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a critical biomarker for carcinoid tumor diagnosis, yet its precise quantification in clinical settings remains challenging. Herein, we develop a high-performance optical fiber localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensor functionalized with in situ grown gold nanoflowers (AuNFs). The hierarchical branched architecture of AuNFs concentrates electromagnetic fields into dense nanoscale "hotspots", delivering a ∼2.2-fold signal amplification compared to spherical AuNPs. Integrated with a specific 5-HT aptamer, the sensor achieves a wide linear range (10-1000 ng mL-1) and a low limit of detection (7.06 ng mL-1), seamlessly covering physiological to pathological concentrations. Validation in human serum confirms excellent accuracy with recoveries of 99.9-102.9%. This label-free, rapid, and cost-effective platform offers a highly promising tool for point-of-care carcinoid screening and neuroendocrine biomarker monitoring.

Chronic wounds represent a significant clinical challenge, as bacterial infection and oxidative stress synergistically impede the healing process. There is a pressing need for multifunctional dressings that can concurrently eradicate pathogens and alleviate oxidative damage. To address this, we developed a novel multifunctional hydrogel (SPA) by crosslinking sericin (SS), protocatechualdehyde (PA), and silver sulfadiazine (AgSD). The SPA hydrogel integrates high transparency, excellent breathability, superior moisturizing capacity, tunable gelation kinetics, good elasticity, suitable adhesive strength and pH-responsive swelling/degradation/release. It exhibits potent free radical scavenging activity, achieving over 80% clearance of both DPPH and ABTS radicals, alongside broad-spectrum and powerful antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Moreover, the hydrogel promotes excellent cell adhesion, cytocompatibility, and rapid hemostasis. In the S.aureus-infected chronic wound model, SPA significantly accelerated wound closure and enhanced tissue regeneration. This work presents an integrated therapeutic strategy that combines real-time visual observation, on-demand antibacterial action, and proactive repair facilitation, thereby underscoring the potential of natural biomaterials in advanced wound management.

To meet the urgent demand for monitoring tetracycline residues in milk-a critical food for vulnerable groups a novel fiber-optic Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) biosensor was engineered using goldnanoparticle-labeled DNA triple-helix switches. The sensor operates via a target-activated disassembly: tetracycline binding dissociates the immobilized triple-helix, releasing gold nanoparticles and inducing a measurable LSPR blue shift. This active displacement amplifies the signal via localized refractive-index changes, enabling rapid, label-free detection. The sensor achieved excellent performance, with a linear range of 5-100 ng/mL and a low detection limit of 0.28 ng/mL. When applied to real milk samples, it delivered excellent recovery rates of 96.75%-104.15% (RSD <5.1%) and showed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) compared to HPLC reference analysis. Combining high sensitivity with a modular, engineering-flexible design, this platform not only provides a practical solution for on-site tetracycline screening in food safety but also holds significant potential for adapting to other antibiotics and environmental targets, extending its utility beyond dairy monitoring.

Immunotherapeutic efficacy is markedly compromised in "cold" tumors, largely as a consequence of the immunosuppressive milieu within the TME, characterized by hypoxia, a fortified antioxidant defense (e.g., elevated glutathione), and insufficient immunogenicity. This necessitates next-generation strategiy that can remodel the TME and trigger strong anti-tumor immunity. Herein, we engineered an intelligent photothermo-catalytic immunoadjuvant based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-modified lanthanum manganite oxide perovskites (La0.93MnO3@PVP, LMOP), which synergizes with photothermal therapy (PTT) to amplify systemic anti-tumor immunity. LMOP demonstrated inherent catalytic activities mimicking both catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), which are markedly enhanced under PTT-induced hyperthermia, establishing a thermo-catalytic cascade. This synergy effectively remodeled the TME by generating O2 to alleviate hypoxia and depleting glutathione to disrupt the antioxidant shield. The resulting oxidative stress, coupled with PTT, not only inflicted direct cytotoxicity but also induced mitochondrial damage, thereby triggering a potent immunogenic cell death (ICD) cascade. Remarkably, LMOP-mediated PTT effectively suppressed tumor growth, promoted dendritic cell (DC) maturation and extensive accumulation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. This immunoadjuvant design strategy presents a promising paradigm for converting immunosuppressive "cold" tumors into "hot," therapy-responsive phenotypes.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) accounts for ∼70% of annual disease losses in sericulture, demanding rapid, accurate, and field-compatible diagnostics. We propose Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy combined with a tiered chemometric approach for early BmNPV detection using minimal hemolymph volumes. A total of 840 samples collected over five days post-infection were analyzed. Unsupervised Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed extensive overlap among infection stages, indicating limited inherent separability. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) still produced misclassifications. The k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) algorithm, applied after baseline correction and mean centering, achieved 99.29% accuracy, with sensitivity and specificity both exceeding 99%. Highest performance was obtained with Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) using first-derivative and mean center signal correction preprocessing, yielding perfect classification (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy = 1.000) in both calibration and prediction sets. Notably, PLS-DA latent variable score plots (LV1: 19.71%; LV2: 23.44%) tracked the temporal progression of infection, revealing stage-specific metabolic shifts-from early energy mobilization to late-stage systemic collapse. This work demonstrates that FT-IR spectroscopy, when integrated with an optimized chemometric pipeline, provides a rapid, low-cost, and highly accurate diagnostic platform amenable to real-world sericulture. By enabling early detection and infection staging, the method supports timely intervention, effective disease containment, and enhanced sustainability in silk production.

Hydrogels derived from natural materials with intrinsic bioactivities and pH responsiveness have attracted considerable interest in biomedical applications due to their versatile functionality. In this study, a robust multifunctional sericin-pyrrole hydrogel (S8P2) was synthesized using sericin isolated from fibroin-deficient silkworm cocoons and crosslinked with pyrrole. The resulting hydrogel exhibits fast gelation, a uniform microporous structure (15 µm pore size, 65% porosity), high transparency (∼65% transmittance), pH-responsive swelling and degradation behavior, and excellent mechanical properties, including prominent elastic recovery and a compressive modulus of 15 kPa. Notably, the hydrogel demonstrates broad-spectrum antibacterial efficacy against both S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, along with significantly improved antioxidant activity compared to sericin alone. Furthermore, it demonstrates excellent cytocompatibility with L929 fibroblasts, high cell adhesion, and minimal hemolysis (<5%). These attributes position the S8P2 hydrogel as a highly promising material for applications in wound dressing, tissue engineering scaffolds, and controlled drug delivery systems.

Mechanical fragility is a bottleneck that limits the translation of sericin into durable, functional therapeutic applications. Innovative efforts to improve strength have led to advanced engineering strategies focused on unveiling reactive functionalities and facilitating denser, crosslinked architectures. The study aims to bolster the mechanical performance of sericin by investigating a dual crosslinking paradigm, which synergistically integrates covalent and non-covalent interactions. Purity, abundance, and diverse molecular chain lengths of 185Nd-s cocoon sericin collectively contribute towards a robust hydrogel network. Integrating lithium magnesium silicate hydrate nanosheets in sericin hydrogels (SLH03) increased the compression modulus from 69.95 kPa to 256.53 kPa, nearly four times that of pristine sericin hydrogels (SSH). Pore size alteration between 2.43 and 4.36 microns mu m enabled it to retain over 35% of its water content for up to 11 h. In a rat study, SLH03 achieved a 98% healing rate for full-thickness wounds, compared to 82% in the gauze control group within 14 days. SLH03 provided improved stability, coagulation, UV protection, pH responsiveness, and a 58% lower degradation rate compared to pristine sericin. Transcriptomic profiling in rats shows regulation of inflammation, matrix remodeling, epithelial repair, and microbial defense. These features create a biocompatible and effective hydrogel platform for wound healing.

Significant challenges persist in developing multifunctional wound dressings that simultaneously maintain an optimal healing microenvironment, employ simple fabrication protocols, and maintain cost-effectiveness for clinical applications. In this study, we developed a visualized multifunctional injectable sericin hydrogel wound dressing with excellent bioactivity via the crosslinking of sericin (SS) with protocatechuic aldehyde (PA). The sericin hydrogel not only features a simple fabrication process and low production cost but also demonstrates exceptional moisturizing capacity, breathability, elasticity, absorbency, and biodegradability with weakly acidic degradation byproducts. Additionally, it exhibits robust antibacterial and antioxidant capacities, high biocompatibility, and remarkable promotion of cell migration. Given its superior performance, we employed it to repair full-thickness skin wounds in a mouse model. The sericin hydrogel effectively promoted wound healing, demonstrating its potential as a multifunctional dressing for cutaneous wound management.

Optical transparency and extensibility hydrogels with bioactivity from natural biomaterials have gained much in importance the field of wound dressing, optical elements, sensors, and wearable electronic device. However, the current hydrogels cannot balance transparency and extensibility. In this study, we report a new sericin hydrogel using fibroin-deficient silkworm cocoons resources by a Formic/CaCl2 acid (CaCl2/FA) dissolution system. The sericin hydrogel demonstrated high transparency, excellent mechanical properties (the reversible elongation rate up to 1107 %), good antioxidant activity, and excellent cytocompatibility. In addition, the hydrogel supports cells survival and proliferation for long-term. The sericin hydrogel system can serve as an active multifunctional platform which is promising potential for various applications.

Bioactive hydrogels are garnering increasing interest in wound management due to their porous structural features and versatile intrinsic biological activities. Importantly, the antibacterial capacity is a crucial requirement for hydrogel dressings in chronically infected wounds. In this study, we report an antibacterial hydrogel constructed from silk sericin (SS) cross-linked with glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and integrated with silver ions (Ag+) to accelerate the healing of bacterial-infected wounds. The resultant sericin-glycyrrhizic acid-Ag+ hydrogel (SGA) demonstrates favorable mechanical properties, effectively preventing secondary injury to wounds. Moreover, in vitro studies indicated that the SGA hydrogel possesses excellent swelling ratios, degradability, and cytocompatibility, promoting cell growth and proliferation. Notably, the SGA hydrogel exhibited effective antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria through the release of Ag+. In a Staphylococcus aureus-infected wound model, the SGA hydrogel efficiently eradicated bacteria, thus promoting wound repair. Overall, our work establishes a novel strategy for developing multifunctional hydrogel dressings based on natural materials for managing bacteria-infected wounds.

Multifunctional hydrogel dressings are highly promising for wound healing due to their ability to maintain an optimal microenvironment. In this study, a novel transparent sericin-glycyrrhizic acid‑zinc ion (SGZ) hydrogel was developed via a facile one-pot method by integrating sericin, glycyrrhizic acid (GA), and Zn2+. The hydrogel dressing undergoes rapid gelation within 26 s and exhibits notable antibacterial activity, with bactericidal rates of up to 87.7 % against Staphylococcus aureus and 47.5 % against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, it demonstrates antioxidant capacities, showing ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging rates of 65.11 % and 42.31 %, respectively. The hydrogel also possesses favorable mechanical properties, allowing it to conform effectively to skin surfaces, along with pH-responsive swelling/degradation behavior and high biocompatibility. Furthermore, in vivo studies demonstrated that the SGZ hydrogel effectively promotes wound healing of full-thickness skin injury in a mouse model. Thereby, the SGZ hydrogel has great potential in wound repair and management.

Oxidative stress is a well-known challenge in poultry production. While chlorogenic acid (CGA) is recognized for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and lipid-lowering properties, its protective role against oxidative stress-induced intestinal damage in laying hens has not been extensively explored. This study investigated the effects of dietary CGA on the intestinal structure, barrier integrity, and cecal microbiota in laying hens exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). A sum of 240 Hy-Line Brown hens (43-wk-old) was divided into 4 groups (n = 6 replicates/group, 10 hens/replicate). Groups were fed a basal diet with CGA at 0 mg/kg (control, H2O2) or 600 mg/kg (600 mg/kg CGA, 600 mg/kg CGA + H2O2) for 12 weeks. Intraperitoneal injections of 10 % H2O2 were performed on days 64 and 78 in the H2O2 and 600 mg/kg CGA + H2O2 groups. The results showed that CGA pretreatment prevented the H2O2-induced oxidative stress, as evidenced by reducing MDA and H2O2 levels, along with enhanced activities of T-SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px (P < 0.05). CGA administration significantly countered the decline in productivity, villus height (VH), and the VH-to-crypt depth (CD) ratio, as well as the increase in CD caused by H2O2 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, CGA ameliorated the adverse effects of H2O2 on intestinal barrier function, inflammation, and immune response, including preventing H2O2-induced downregulation of occludin, TGFβ, IL-10, IgA, cluster of differentiation 3D (CD3D), and CD4 gene expression, and upregulation of TLR4 and TNFα genes and MyD88 protein expression in the gut tissues. Additionally, H2O2 was found to disrupt the structural composition of the cecal microbiota, resulting in an increased relative abundance of potential pathogenic taxa such as unclassified_f_Synergistaceae and uncultured_bacterium_Treponema. This disruption was accompanied by a decrease in the relative abundance of potentially beneficial bacterial species, including Bacteroides_caecicola, Collinsella_massiliensis_g_collinsella, unclassified_g_Oscillibacter, and uncultured_bacterium_g_Turicibacter. Furthermore, elevated serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were observed. More importantly, pre-treatment with CGA ameliorated the microbiota structure and serum DAO and LPS levels in laying hens subjected to H2O2. Our findings collectively indicate that CGA may mitigate H2O2-induced oxidative stress, barrier dysfunction, and immune impairment, while enhancing egg production and gut microbiota in laying hens. These findings highlight the novel role of CGA in mitigating oxidative stress-induced intestinal damage and microbiota dysbiosis in laying hens, providing new insights into its potential as a feed additive for improving poultry health and productivity.

Hydrogels, particularly multifunctional hydrogels, are attractive wound dressings due to their abundant exudate absorption performance, oxygen permeability, comparable moisturizing ability, and performance of locally delivering therapeutic drugs. However, it is challenging to achieve hydrogels that possess mechanical properties comparable to those of human skin and can uniformly load hydrophobic drugs as multifunctional dressings for wound management. Herein, we report a simple and rapid fabrication of hydrogels by directly inducing sericin protein gelation using acetic acid. The resulting sericin hydrogels demonstrated high transparency and excellent physicochemical and biological properties, making them promising wound dressing materials. Notably, this sericin hydrogel system could encapsulate hydrophobic drugs during gelation, thus overcoming the limitation of inadequate amounts and non-uniform loading of therapeutic drugs in hydrogels. Further, we selectively encapsulated hydrophobic ciprofloxacin (CIP) into the sericin hydrogel to obtain a multifunctional wound dressing with favorable antimicrobial activity. The obtained CIP-loaded sericin hydrogel exhibited antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (P. aeruginosa) in vitro. The in vivo studies demonstrated that the CIP-loaded sericin hydrogel effectively eliminated bacteria in wounds and significantly accelerated wound healing. Taken together, this sericin hydrogel system is potentially a promising dressing material for wound management.

Bacterial infection and oxidative stress are major hindrances to wound healing. Designing bioactive wound dressings with inherent antibacterial and antioxidant activities is highly desirable. Herein, a novel multifunctional hydrogel was synthesized via a Schiff-base reaction between the amino groups of sericin and the aldehyde moieties of 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde (THBA). The resulting hydrogel exhibited stable mechanical strength, exceptional tissue adhesiveness, and good biocompatibility, along with porous structures, a high swelling ratio, suitable gelation time, and adjustable degradability. In vitro experiments confirmed its inherent antibacterial and antioxidant capabilities, while in vivo studies using a full-thickness skin wound model in mice revealed accelerated wound healing and enhanced collagen deposition. These findings collectively underscore the potential of the sericin/THBA (SeT) hydrogel as an advanced dressing for effective wound management.

The residue of pesticide fenthion is a common issue in food safety, and how to conveniently detect it is a challenge in the food industry. Therefore, combined with a portable Raman spectrometer, a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method based on a high-performance substrate Au@AgNPs had been designed for the rapid and sensitive detection of fenthion. Au@AgNPs can be induced to generate more hot spots to improve SERS signals because of their core-shell structure. The quantitative detection of fenthion was achieved under the optimal conditions: pH 7.0, 10-3-3 M CaCl2, 2 , 70 % Au@AgNPs concentration, and 4 min of incubation time. The results showed that the method had a wider detection range of 0.1-100 mg/L, a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.036 mg/L, excellent anti-interference ability, and reproducibility. In addition, the method was successfully validated with the actual sample rice. Therefore, the method had the advantages of being fast, on-site, and easy to use, which is useful for promoting its application.

Oxidative stress and infection significantly obstruct the process of diabetic wound healing. Herein, we developed a new sericin hydrogel with excellent antioxidative and antimicrobial features for the treatment of diabetic wounds. This hydrogel was prepared from a native sericin solution collected from silk fibroin-deficient mutant silkworm bodies; it also possesses exceptional ductility, high transparency, and excellent biocompatibility, enabling the hydrogel dressing to effectively eliminate excessive reactive oxygen species, while preventing bacterial infections within the diabetic wound microenvironment. Additionally, the hydrogel facilitates real-time monitoring of wounds and surgical sutures. Furthermore, it demonstrates pH-responsive swelling and degradation properties, along with a microporous structure, which collectively foster a moist, flexible, and breathable environment conducive to tissue regeneration, thereby promoting wound healing. Moreover, the hydrogel promotes the adhesion and proliferation of NIH3T3 cells, and in vivo studies highlight its ability to expedite wound healing. These findings suggest that the formic acid-treated sericin hydrogel dressing holds great promise as an advanced solution for managing diabetic wounds.

With the rapid advancement of medical aesthetics, particularly the expanding market for wrinkle reduction and facial rejuvenation, the demand for dermal fillers continues to rise. Injectable materials derived from natural sources offer significant potential in cosmetic applications due to their superior biocompatibility and bioactivity as soft tissue augmentation fillers. In this study, a novel Sericin/Nano-hydroxyapatite hydrogel was synthesized using ultrasonic technology, eliminating the need for cross-linking agents and simplifying the preparation process. The results showed that the hydrogel could form a gel in a few minutes under ultrasonication. Characterization analyses revealed a uniform porous structure. The hydrogel exhibited a swelling degree of over 10-fold and excellent mechanical properties, including injectability. Furthermore, the hydrogel demonstrated strong antioxidant properties, capable of mitigating inflammatory responses. Cytotoxicity and biocompatibility assessments in mouse fibroblasts demonstrated that the hydrogel supports cell proliferation without inducing toxicity, and exhibited good blood compatibility (hemolysis rate < 2.5 %). In a mouse wrinkle model, the hydrogel exhibited a favorable safety profile, elicited no inflammatory response, promoted collagen synthesis, and demonstrated prolonged in vivo retention. These findings highlight the Sericin/Nano-hydroxyapatite hydrogel as a promising dermal filler with superior mechanical properties and collagen-regenerating potential.

A convenient, low-cost, and rapid detection of BmNPV-infected silkworms is of great significance for the safety of the sericulture industry. In this study, a portable NIR system was used to collect the spectra of normal silkworms and the infected silkworms induced by the administration of Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV). Different spectral pretreatment methods were applied, then principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) were used for the classification analysis. The results showed that PCA and LDA were unable to achieve the purpose. For the PLSDA calibration, after the pretreatment of SNV combining 2nd derivative, it had a high identification performance, and obtained low classification errors of 0.023, 0.033, and 0.030 for the calibration set, cross-validation set, and test set, respectively, with higher sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, the BmNPV-infected silkworms can be identified by portable NIR spectroscopy, which will effectively reduce losses for the sericulture industry.