Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: Methods of purifying mucin, purified mucin, and products comprising the purified mucin. The methods include combining a mucin-containing substance with water and one or more purification agents to form a purification mixture, incubating the purification mixture for a time sufficient to form a mucin precipitate in a liquid phase, and separating the mucin precipitate from the liquid phase. The purification agents include one or more of a surfactant, a chelating agent, and a protic solvent. The mucin purified from the methods can be used alone or in combination with a biopolymer such as a tannin and chitosan and can be used to generate materials in the form of a gel, a foam, a film, or a powder.

Abstract: Composite nanofibers comprising polymers and tannins, methods of making same, and methods of use. The nanofibers include a polymer, such as a synthetic polymer, and a tannin. The tannin can include condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) and/or hydrolyzable tannins. The nanofibers exhibit a number of structural and functional characteristics, such as enhanced swelling in aqueous liquid, enhanced antibacterial activity, enhanced bacterial adsorption, enhanced fibroblast adhesion, enhanced fibroblast proliferation, and enhanced surface coating of silver nanoparticles, among others. The nanofibers can be made by electrospinning a solvent mixture comprising the synthetic polymer and the tannin in a solvent. The nanofibers can be used in methods of isolating cells, methods of filtration, and methods of detecting cells, among others.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: Methods of purifying mucin, purified mucin, and products comprising the purified mucin. The methods include combining a mucin-containing substance with water and one or more purification agents to form a purification mixture, incubating the purification mixture for a time sufficient to form a mucin precipitate in a liquid phase, and separating the mucin precipitate from the liquid phase. The purification agents include one or more of a surfactant, a chelating agent, and a protic solvent. The mucin purified from the methods can be used alone or in combination with a biopolymer such as a tannin and chitosan and can be used to generate materials in the form of a gel, a foam, a film, or a powder.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition comprising a matrix of chitosan and a tannin wherein the chitosan is electrostatically bonded to the tannin to form a chitosan-tannin composite material. The chitosan can be partially or fully deacetylated, and the tannin can be a monomeric or an oligomeric proanthocyanidin or a hydrolysable tannin. The chitosan-tannin composite material can be a nanoparticle, a hydrogel film, a bio-foam, or a biogel, or the chitosan-tannin composite material can coat a liposome. The composite materials can be used for drug delivery, for antibacterial and/or antifungal applications, for tissue engineering applications, for wound healing applications, or they can be used as adjuvants for vaccination, including oral vaccinations. The invention also provides methods of preparing the composite materials and their various forms.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition comprising a matrix of chitosan and a tannin wherein the chitosan is electrostatically bonded to the tannin to form a chitosan-tannin composite material. The chitosan can be partially or fully deacetylated, and the tannin can be a monomeric or an oligomeric proanthocyanidin or a hydrolysable tannin. The chitosan-tannin composite material can be a nanoparticle, a hydrogel film, a bio-foam, or a biogel, or the chitosan-tannin composite material can coat a liposome. The composite materials can be used for drug delivery, for antibacterial and/or antifungal applications, for tissue engineering applications, for wound healing applications, or they can be used as adjuvants for vaccination, including oral vaccinations. The invention also provides methods of preparing the composite materials and their various forms.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition comprising a matrix of chitosan and a tannin wherein the chitosan is electrostatically bonded to the tannin to form a chitosan-tannin composite material. The chitosan can be partially or fully deacetylated, and the tannin can be a monomeric or an oligomeric proanthocyanidin or a hydrolysable tannin. The chitosan-tannin composite material can be a nanoparticle, a hydrogel film, a bio-foam, or a biogel, or the chitosan-tannin composite material can coat a liposome. The composite materials can be used for drug delivery, for antibacterial and/or antifungal applications, for tissue engineering applications, for wound healing applications, or they can be used as adjuvants for vaccination, including oral vaccinations. The invention also provides methods of preparing the composite materials and their various forms.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: Tannin-containing compositions and methods of using same to enhance or maintain immune function during simplified nutrition feeding. Pharmaceutical compositions, including enteral nutrition compositions, are provided. The compositions comprise such tannins as proanthocyanidins and/or hydrolysable tannins. Administering the tannins to the gastrointestinal tract of a subject receiving simplified nutrition, such as with enteral nutrition therapy or parenteral nutrition therapy, attenuates or prevents deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal immune system that would otherwise occur with the simplified nutrition.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition comprising a matrix of chitosan and a tannin wherein the chitosan is electrostatically bonded to the tannin to form a chitosan-tannin composite material. The chitosan can be partially or fully deacetylated, and the tannin can be a monomeric or an oligomeric proanthocyanidin or a hydrolysable tannin. The chitosan-tannin composite material can be a nanoparticle, a hydrogel film, a bio-foam, or a biogel, or the chitosan-tannin composite material can coat a liposome. The composite materials can be used for drug delivery, for antibacterial and/or antifungal applications, for tissue engineering applications, for wound healing applications, or they can be used as adjuvants for vaccination, including oral vaccinations. The invention also provides methods of preparing the composite materials and their various forms.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition comprising a matrix of chitosan and a tannin wherein the chitosan is electrostatically bonded to the tannin to form a chitosan-tannin composite material. The chitosan can be partially or fully deacetylated, and the tannin can be a monomeric or an oligomeric proanthocyanidin or a hydrolysable tannin. The chitosan-tannin composite material can be a nanoparticle, a hydrogel film, a bio-foam, or a biogel, or the chitosan-tannin composite material can coat a liposome. The composite materials can be used for drug delivery, for antibacterial and/or antifungal applications, for tissue engineering applications, for wound healing applications, or they can be used as adjuvants for vaccination, including oral vaccinations. The invention also provides methods of preparing the composite materials and their various forms.

Abstract: The invention provides a composition comprising a matrix of chitosan and a tannin wherein the chitosan is electrostatically bonded to the tannin to form a chitosan-tannin composite material. The chitosan can be partially or fully deacetylated, and the tannin can be a monomeric or an oligomeric proanthocyanidin or a hydrolysable tannin. The chitosan-tannin composite material can be a nanoparticle, a hydrogel film, a bio-foam, or a biogel, or the chitosan-tannin composite material can coat a liposome. The composite materials can be used for drug delivery, for antibacterial and/or antifungal applications, for tissue engineering applications, for wound healing applications, or they can be used as adjuvants for vaccination, including oral vaccinations. The invention also provides methods of preparing the composite materials and their various forms.