Polyglycerol Hyperbranched Polyesters: Synthesis, Properties and Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications

Zamboulis, Alexandra; Nakiou, Eirini A.; Christodoulou, Evi; Bikiaris, Dimitrios N.; Kontonasaki, Eleana; Liverani, Liliana; Boccaccini, Aldo R.

doi:10.3390/ijms20246210

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Polyglycerol Hyperbranched Polyesters: Synthesis, Properties and Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications

Alexandra Zamboulis

¹,

Eirini A. Nakiou

¹,

Evi Christodoulou

Dimitrios N. Bikiaris

^1,*

Eleana Kontonasaki

²,

Liliana Liverani

and

Aldo R. Boccaccini

^3,*

Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry & Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Department of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Institute of Biomaterials, Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstr. 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(24), 6210; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20246210

Received: 14 November 2019 / Revised: 2 December 2019 / Accepted: 4 December 2019 / Published: 9 December 2019

(This article belongs to the Section Materials Science)

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Abstract

In a century when environmental pollution is a major issue, polymers issued from bio-based monomers have gained important interest, as they are expected to be environment-friendly, and biocompatible, with non-toxic degradation products. In parallel, hyperbranched polymers have emerged as an easily accessible alternative to dendrimers with numerous potential applications. Glycerol (Gly) is a natural, low-cost, trifunctional monomer, with a production expected to grow significantly, and thus an excellent candidate for the synthesis of hyperbranched polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. In the present article, we review the synthesis, properties, and applications of glycerol polyesters of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids (from succinic to sebacic acids) as well as the copolymers of glycerol or hyperbranched polyglycerol with poly(lactic acid) and poly(ε-caprolactone). Emphasis was given to summarize the synthetic procedures (monomer molar ratio, used catalysts, temperatures, etc.,) and their effect on the molecular weight, solubility, and thermal and mechanical properties of the prepared hyperbranched polymers. Their applications in pharmaceutical technology as drug carries and in biomedical applications focusing on regenerative medicine are highlighted. View Full-Text

Keywords: polyglycerol polyesters; hyperbranched polymers; catalysts; esterification reactions; polycondensation; medical and biomedical applications

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zamboulis, A.; Nakiou, E.A.; Christodoulou, E.; Bikiaris, D.N.; Kontonasaki, E.; Liverani, L.; Boccaccini, A.R. Polyglycerol Hyperbranched Polyesters: Synthesis, Properties and Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 6210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20246210

AMA Style

Zamboulis A, Nakiou EA, Christodoulou E, Bikiaris DN, Kontonasaki E, Liverani L, Boccaccini AR. Polyglycerol Hyperbranched Polyesters: Synthesis, Properties and Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019; 20(24):6210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20246210

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zamboulis, Alexandra, Eirini A. Nakiou, Evi Christodoulou, Dimitrios N. Bikiaris, Eleana Kontonasaki, Liliana Liverani, and Aldo R. Boccaccini. 2019. "Polyglycerol Hyperbranched Polyesters: Synthesis, Properties and Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20, no. 24: 6210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20246210

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Polyglycerol Hyperbranched Polyesters: Synthesis, Properties and Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications

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