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Molecules
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Applications of Natural Polymers in Biomedicine
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Applications of Natural Polymers in Biomedicine

A Special Issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049) belonging to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 4752

Editor

Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Lewandowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory for Biomaterials and Cosmetics, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus in Toruń, Gagarina 7, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
Interests: biomaterials based on chitosan; chitosan derivatives; chitin; hyaluronic acid; gum and synthetic polymers, i.e., poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone), polyacrylamide, and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide; modification of polymer properties; miscibility and physicochemical properties of polymer blends containing biopolymers; preparation and characterization of polymer blends and composites; rheological properties of polymers and their mixtures; ionic liquids; rheological properties of cosmetic forms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural polymers are transforming the landscape of cosmetics, biomedicine, and pharmaceuticals. Their unique combination of film-forming properties, controlled bioactivity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and natural origin makes them highly attractive for a new generation of sustainable and high-performance materials. Beyond their functional advantages, natural polymers offer a clear ecological benefit—being renewable, environmentally safe, and aligned with the principles of the circular economy.

This Special Issue focuses on functional biomaterials based on natural polymers that not only align with sustainability and circular economy principles but also exhibit enhanced performance. Authors are encouraged to present novel materials—such as biopolymer blends, composites, scaffolds, thin films, gels, and hydrogels—that are both economically viable and environmentally friendly, with good overall performance.

Accordingly, the scope of this Special Issue includes the manufacturing and characterization of biopolymer-based materials intended for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and/or cosmetic applications.

Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Lewandowska
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymer biomaterials
  • biopolymers
  • proteins
  • polysaccharides
  • gels
  • hydrogels
  • scaffolds
  • films

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 25612 KB  
Article
Amino Acids as Sustainable Alternatives to Allergenic Sulfur Vulcanization Accelerators for Carbon Black-Filled Nitrile Rubber
by Anna Sowińska-Baranowska and Magdalena Maciejewska
Molecules 2026, 31(18), 3250; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31183250 - 14 Sep 2026
Viewed by 133
Abstract
Acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR) is one of the most widely used elastomers in healthcare products owing to its excellent mechanical performance, chemical resistance, and durability. However, conventional sulfur vulcanization systems rely on accelerators such as tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD), 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), and 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG), which [...] Read more.
Acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR) is one of the most widely used elastomers in healthcare products owing to its excellent mechanical performance, chemical resistance, and durability. However, conventional sulfur vulcanization systems rely on accelerators such as tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD), 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), and 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG), which are associated with allergenic reactions and potential toxicological concerns. The replacement of these substances with naturally derived compounds represents an attractive strategy for developing safer and more sustainable elastomeric materials. In this work, three naturally occurring amino acids, L-cystine, L-cysteine, and creatine, were investigated as alternative health-friendly sulfur vulcanization accelerators in NBR compounds filled with carbon black. Their influence on curing characteristics, crosslink density, morphology, mechanical performance, viscoelastic behavior, thermal stability, and thermo-oxidative aging resistance of NBR composites was systematically evaluated and compared with that of conventional accelerator systems. The amino acids effectively promoted sulfur crosslinking, although their activity depended strongly on molecular structure. Cystine and creatine exhibited the most promising performance, providing cure characteristics and mechanical properties comparable to those achieved with commercial accelerators while maintaining satisfactory thermal stability and aging resistance of carbon black-filled rubber composites. These findings demonstrate that naturally occurring amino acids constitute promising bio-derived and non-allergenic alternatives to conventional sulfur vulcanization accelerators and may contribute to the development of safer elastomeric materials with reduced reliance on potentially hazardous or allergenic substances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Natural Polymers in Biomedicine)
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26 pages, 2695 KB  
Article
Structure-Function Correlations of Commercial Fucoidan Extracts: Antioxidant, Antiviral, Antifungal, Antibacterial and Prebiotic Activities
by Matthew Chadwick, Maria Sole Regina Lancerin, Patricia Hazelton, Kyriakos Vidalis, Emmanuel Petit, Paolina Lukova, Cédric Delattre, Xianfeng Chen, Thamarai Schneiders, Vasso Makrantoni, Richard Sloan and Simone Dimartino
Molecules 2026, 31(10), 1618; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31101618 - 11 May 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1082
Abstract
Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, reported to possess diverse biological activities that make it a molecule of great interest for nutraceutical and biomedical applications. A significant challenge to its wider implementation is a lack of understanding of the relationship [...] Read more.
Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, reported to possess diverse biological activities that make it a molecule of great interest for nutraceutical and biomedical applications. A significant challenge to its wider implementation is a lack of understanding of the relationship between fucoidan’s structural and chemical characteristics with its biological activity. So far, approaches to identifying these relationships have been limited to qualitative comparisons of chemical and biological datasets or through chemically modified fucoidans. This work aimed to apply a formal methodology to elucidate potential relationships worthy of further exploration. The biological activity of commercial fucoidan extracts was assessed after detailed chemical characterization. The extracts exhibited multiple bioactivities, notably antioxidant activity, antiviral activity against Nipah virus, antifungal activity against Candida dubliensis and prebiotic effects on Lactobacillus casei, with no antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida auris and Cryptococcus neoformans, nor antibacterial effects against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Correlation analysis of biological activity and extract chemical characterization data identified several potential key quality attributes. Other than high fucose content, high sulfate content is identified as potentially important for antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, and prebiotic activities. This work addressed the literature’s debate regarding the optimal molecular weight for bioactivity, suggesting that it depends on the specific microbe to which a fucoidan extract is applied. This study demonstrated that a formalized comparative approach, linking chemical and structural data with biological activity, can effectively identify important characteristics of fucoidan for a specific bioactivity. Future work will focus on expanding this approach by assessing the bioactivity of a wider array of chemically characterized fucoidan extracts. Additionally, extracts possessing identified quality attributes should be produced and employed in mechanistic bioactive studies to further validate the correlations drawn in this work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Natural Polymers in Biomedicine)
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20 pages, 2933 KB  
Article
Crosslinker-Free, Printable Alginate–Boronic Acid Hydrogel Adhesive with Enhanced Mechanical Performance for Soft Tissue Fixation
by Anna Marszałek, Zuzanna Kurzępa, Mikołaj Gąbka, Anna Ścisłowska-Czarnecka and Ewa Stodolak-Zych
Molecules 2026, 31(5), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31050829 - 1 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1101
Abstract
Tissue adhesives offer a promising alternative to traditional sutures and staples, particularly in situations requiring rapid, minimally invasive wound closure. To address the limitations of commercially available cyanoacrylate-based adhesives, numerous hydrogel adhesives have been developed. This study presents the synthesis and characterisation of [...] Read more.
Tissue adhesives offer a promising alternative to traditional sutures and staples, particularly in situations requiring rapid, minimally invasive wound closure. To address the limitations of commercially available cyanoacrylate-based adhesives, numerous hydrogel adhesives have been developed. This study presents the synthesis and characterisation of an alginate–aminophenylboronic acid (Alg-APBA) hydrogel adhesive, optimised for bioprinting as a method allowing us to control the thickness of the adhesive layer. The adhesive combines the biocompatibility of alginate with the pH-responsive bonding ability of boronic acid groups, eliminating the need for oxidative crosslinkers. Successful conjugation of APBA to alginate was confirmed via 1H NMR, FTIR and UV-VIS spectroscopy, with a degree of substitution reaching approximately 46% or ~0.22 mol%. Rheological analysis demonstrated shear-thinning and self-healing properties suitable for bioprinting, achieving a high print fidelity (Pr ratio = 0.99 ± 0.08) and repeatability. Mechanical testing showed a shear strength of 19.0 ± 0.5 kPa and an interfacial toughness of 58.0 ± 2.11 J/m2, exceeding those of commercial fibrin adhesives. Additionally, the adhesive joint remained stable after one week of incubation in an acidic environment. The material demonstrated biocompatibility during in vitro testing with keratinocytes and fibroblast cells. These results indicate that Alg-APBA is a strong, biocompatible and printable hydrogel adhesive with potential applications in soft tissue implant fixation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Natural Polymers in Biomedicine)
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23 pages, 6327 KB  
Article
Influence of Cross-Linking Agents on the Structure and Stability of Chitosan and Carboxymethyl Chitosan Thin Films
by Katarzyna Lewandowska
Molecules 2026, 31(2), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31020272 - 13 Jan 2026
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1736
Abstract
Chitosan (CS) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) are polysaccharides valued for their biocompatibility, reactivity, and film-forming capabilities. This study compares the surface characteristics and stability of CS and CMCS thin films crosslinked with citric acid (CTA), polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDE), and glutaraldehyde (G). [...] Read more.
Chitosan (CS) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) are polysaccharides valued for their biocompatibility, reactivity, and film-forming capabilities. This study compares the surface characteristics and stability of CS and CMCS thin films crosslinked with citric acid (CTA), polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDE), and glutaraldehyde (G). Flow behavior was assessed using steady-shear measurements, while film structure, morphology, and physical properties were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, SEM, AFM, mechanical testing, and swelling experiments. Crosslinking generated new chemical bonds in both CS and CMCS films; however, interactions in CMCS did not result in stable cross-links and were comparatively weaker. These structural modifications influenced swelling behavior and enhanced stability, particularly in CS-based systems. Before neutralization, CS/PEGDE films exhibited the lowest swelling (67% ± 19) relative to unmodified CS (118% ± 25) and crosslinked samples such as CS/G2 (185% ± 30), CS/G1 (475% ± 88), and CS/CTA (520% ± 90). After neutralization, CS/G1 and CS/CTA maintained the highest swelling capacity. In contrast, CMCS films crosslinked with CTA and G1 dissolved rapidly in aqueous media due to high water uptake, while PEGDE- and G2-modified CMCS films demonstrated stability comparable to CS. Overall, the results highlight the superior stability and tunable surface properties of CS-based films, underscoring their potential for biomedical and packaging applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Natural Polymers in Biomedicine)
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