{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T10:17:49Z","timestamp":1783678669619,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783641600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The development of bioactive surgical sutures capable of delivering therapeutic agents directly at the wound site has gained increasing attention in biomedical research. Functionalized sutures may provide localized antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory activity, potentially reducing postoperative complications and promoting tissue healing. In this study, absorbable surgical sutures were impregnated with carvacrol, a natural phenolic compound with well-known antimicrobial properties, using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) technology. The impregnation process was carried out at 35 \u00b0C and 10 MPa for 120 min, allowing for the incorporation of carvacrol into the polymeric matrix of the sutures. The in vitro release behavior of the impregnated sutures was evaluated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) at 37 \u00b0C over an 8-day period. The concentration of released compounds was determined by UV\u2013Vis spectrophotometry using previously established calibration curves. An analysis of the experimental release data demonstrated that both carvacrol and benzydamine hydrochloride (HCl) (Tantum Verde\u00ae) exhibited a sustained release profile throughout the incubation period. Carvacrol release increased progressively from 2.02 \u00b1 0.15 ppm on day 1 to 7.45 \u00b1 0.15 ppm on day 7, followed by a slight stabilization on day 8 (7.25 \u00b1 0.31 ppm). Similarly, benzydamine HCl (Tantum Verde\u00ae) release increased from 1.83 \u00b1 0.11 ppm on day 1 to 3.29 \u00b1 0.13 ppm on day 8. Release kinetics were analyzed using the Korsmeyer\u2013Peppas model, indicating that the release mechanism was predominantly diffusion-controlled during the initial stage of the experiment. The results demonstrate that supercritical CO2 impregnation is an effective solvent-free technique for incorporating bioactive compounds into absorbable sutures, enabling controlled release under physiological conditions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18141698","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T09:46:47Z","timestamp":1783676807000},"page":"1698","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Supercritical CO2-Assisted Impregnation of Absorbable Surgical Sutures with Carvacrol and Benzydamine Hydrochloride: Comparative In Vitro Release Profiles and Drug Release Kinetics"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6740-3598","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aysun","family":"Akp\u0131nar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Bursa Uluda\u011f University, Bursa 16120, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8356-2321","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Merve","family":"\u00d6zt\u00fcrk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Textile Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uluda\u011f University, Bursa 16059, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0380-1992","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00d6nder","family":"Aybast\u0131er","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Arts, Bursa Uluda\u011f University, Bursa 16210, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3127-5950","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Halil","family":"\u00c7elik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral and Dental Health, Vocational School of Health Care Services, Istinye University, Istanbul 34485, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-0765-0134","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gezu Ketema","family":"Janka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Textile Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uluda\u011f University, Bursa 16059, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3908-5139","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"H\u00fcseyin Aksel","family":"Eren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Textile Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uluda\u011f University, Bursa 16059, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2326-686X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Semiha","family":"Eren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Textile Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bursa Uluda\u011f University, Bursa 16059, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nappi, F. 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