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Polymers
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Biomedical Applications of Polymeric Materials, 3rd Edition
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Biomedical Applications of Polymeric Materials, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2025 | Viewed by 2313

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andreea-Teodora Iacob

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
Interests: biopolymeric films; wound healing; electrospun nanofibers; chitosan/hyaluronic acid materials for wound healing; organic synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Lenuta Profire

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași, 16 Universitaty Street, 700115 Iași, Romania
Interests: organic synthesis; drug delivery systems (liposomes, niosomes, chitosan nanoparticles, nanofiber, nanofibers, films, sponges); molecular docking; structure-based drug design strategies; antioxidant activity; anti-inflammatory activity; diabetes mellitus type 2
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers, and especially biopolymers, have attracted the interest of scientists since ancient times and are widely used in the medical and pharmaceutical fields due to their unique properties, which include versatility, bacteriostatic and hemostatic action, low cost of production, non-toxicity, great functionality, biocompatibility, and high absorbent capacity. The medical applications of biopolymeric materials vary from general healthcare to specific and very targeted domains such as surgery, wound healing, cancer management, tissue engineering, implants, and drug delivery system formulation. The development of functionalized polymeric materials or nanobiomaterials is a field of great relevance because it includes a multitude of biomaterials that can be applied in medical applications such as films, sponges, wound dressings, hydrogels, aerogels, electro-spun nanofibers, nanoparticles, etc.

Modern techniques can enable the precise control of polymers or biopolymers for the proper development of convenient candidates for biomedical applications. Thus, in this Special Issue, we aim to create a platform for researchers to disseminate their results in relation to polymeric materials used in biomedical applications.

Dr. Andreea-Teodora Iacob
Prof. Dr. Lenuta Profire
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers 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

  • biopolymers
  • polysaccharide
  • medical application
  • pharmaceutical application
  • in vitro and in vivo assays
  • chemical properties
  • physical properties
  • polymer chain structure
  • biopolymeric materials
  • polymeric materials

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 8987 KiB  
Article
Inclusion of Magnesium- and Strontium-Enriched Bioactive Glass into Electrospun PCL Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration
by Francesco Gerardo Mecca, Nathália Oderich Muniz, Devis Bellucci, Cécile Legallais, Timothée Baudequin and Valeria Cannillo
Polymers 2025, 17(11), 1555; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111555 - 3 Jun 2025
Viewed by 577
Abstract
Bioactive glass (BG) is a promising material known for its osteogenic, osteoinductive, antimicrobial, and angiogenic properties. For this reason, melt-quench-derived BG powders embedded into composite electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) mats represent an interesting option for the fabrication of bioactive scaffolds. However, incorporating BG into [...] Read more.
Bioactive glass (BG) is a promising material known for its osteogenic, osteoinductive, antimicrobial, and angiogenic properties. For this reason, melt-quench-derived BG powders embedded into composite electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) mats represent an interesting option for the fabrication of bioactive scaffolds. However, incorporating BG into nano-/micro-fibers remains challenging. Our research focused on integrating two BG compositions into the mat structure: 45S5 and 45S5_MS (the former being a well-known, commercially available BG composition, and the latter a magnesium- and strontium-enriched composition based on 45S5). Both BG types were added at concentrations of 10 wt.% and 20 wt.%. A careful grinding process enabled effective dispersion of BG into a PCL solution, resulting in fibers ranging from 500 nm to 2 µm in diameter. The mats’ mechanical properties were not hindered by the inclusion of BG powder within the fibrous structure. Furthermore, our results indicate that BG powders were successfully incorporated into the scaffolds, not only preserving their properties but potentially enhancing their biological performance compared to unloaded PCL electrospun scaffolds. Our findings indicate proper cell differentiation and proliferation, supporting the potential of these devices for tissue regeneration applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Polymeric Materials, 3rd Edition)
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23 pages, 4926 KiB  
Article
Light-Mediated 3D-Printed Wound Dressings Based on Natural Polymers with Improved Adhesion and Antioxidant Properties
by Rute Silva, Matilde Medeiros, Carlos T. B. Paula, Sofia Saraiva, Rafael C. Rebelo, Patrícia Pereira, Jorge F. J. Coelho, Arménio C. Serra and Ana C. Fonseca
Polymers 2025, 17(8), 1114; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17081114 - 20 Apr 2025
Viewed by 475
Abstract
The lack of personalized wound dressings tailored to individual needs can significantly hinder wound healing. Hydrogels offer a promising solution, as they can be engineered to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM), providing an optimal environment for wound repair. The integration of digital light [...] Read more.
The lack of personalized wound dressings tailored to individual needs can significantly hinder wound healing. Hydrogels offer a promising solution, as they can be engineered to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM), providing an optimal environment for wound repair. The integration of digital light processing (DLP), a high-resolution 3D printing process, allows precise customization of hydrogel-based wound dressings. In this study, gelatin methacrylate (GelMA)-based formulations were prepared in combination with three different polymeric precursors: methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HAMA), poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and allyl cellulose (MCCA). These precursors were used to print high-resolution micropatterned patches. The printed constructs revealed a high gel content and a good resistance to hydrolytic degradation. To improve the adhesive and antioxidant properties of the printed patches, gallic acid (GA) was incorporated through surface functionalization. This enabled the scavenging of approximately 80% of free radicals within just 4 h. The adhesive properties of the printed wound dressings were also significantly improved, with further enhancement observed upon the addition of Fe3+ ions. In vitro cytocompatibility tests using a fibroblast (NHDF) cell line confirmed the suitability of the materials for biomedical applications. Thus, this study demonstrates the potential of DLP-printed hydrogels as advanced personalized wound dressing materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Polymeric Materials, 3rd Edition)
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17 pages, 2458 KiB  
Article
NIR pH-Responsive PEGylated PLGA Nanoparticles as Effective Phototoxic Agents in Resistant PDAC Cells
by Degnet Melese Dereje, Francesca Bianco, Carlotta Pontremoli, Alessandra Fiorio Pla and Nadia Barbero
Polymers 2025, 17(8), 1101; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17081101 - 18 Apr 2025
Viewed by 518
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide due to its resistance to conventional therapies that is attributed to its dense and acidic tumor microenvironment. Chemotherapy based on gemcitabine usually lacks efficacy due to poor drug penetration and the metabolic [...] Read more.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide due to its resistance to conventional therapies that is attributed to its dense and acidic tumor microenvironment. Chemotherapy based on gemcitabine usually lacks efficacy due to poor drug penetration and the metabolic characteristics of the cells adapted to grow at a more acidic pHe, thus presenting a more aggressive phenotype. In this context, photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a promising alternative since it generally does not suffer from the same patterns of cross-resistance observed with chemotherapy drugs. In the present work, a novel bromine-substituted heptamethine-cyanine dye (BrCY7) was synthesized, loaded into PEG-PLGA NPs, and tested on the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line cultured under physiological (PANC-1 CT) and acidic (PANC-1 pH selected) conditions, which promotes the selection of a more aggressive phenotype. The cytotoxicity of BrCY7-PEG-PLGA is dose-dependent, with an IC50 of 2.15 µM in PANC-1 CT and 2.87 µM in PANC-1 pH selected. Notably, BrCY7-PEG-PLGA demonstrated a phototoxic effect against PANC-1 pH selected cells but not on PANC-1 CT, which makes these findings particularly relevant since PANC-1 pH selected cells are more resistant to gemcitabine as compared with PANC-1 CT cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Polymeric Materials, 3rd Edition)
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Review

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34 pages, 2275 KiB  
Review
A State-of-the-Art Review on Recent Biomedical Application of Polysaccharide-Based Niosomes as Drug Delivery Systems
by Andreea-Teodora Iacob, Andra Ababei-Bobu, Oana-Maria Chirliu, Florentina Geanina Lupascu, Ioana-Mirela Vasincu, Maria Apotrosoaei, Bianca-Stefania Profire, Georgiana-Roxana Tauser, Dan Lupascu and Lenuta Profire
Polymers 2025, 17(11), 1566; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111566 - 4 Jun 2025
Viewed by 559
Abstract
The development of nanocarriers for drug delivery has drawn a lot of attention due to the possibility for tailored delivery to the ill region while preserving the neighboring healthy tissue. In medicine, delivering drugs safely and effectively has never been easy; therefore, the [...] Read more.
The development of nanocarriers for drug delivery has drawn a lot of attention due to the possibility for tailored delivery to the ill region while preserving the neighboring healthy tissue. In medicine, delivering drugs safely and effectively has never been easy; therefore, the creation of surfactant-based vesicles (niosomes) to enhance medication delivery has gained attention in the past years. Niosomes (NIOs) are versatile drug delivery systems that facilitate applications varying from transdermal transport to targeted brain delivery. These self-assembling vesicular nano-carriers are formed by hydrating cholesterol, non-ionic surfactants, and other amphiphilic substances. The focus of the review is to report on the latest NIO-type formulations which also include biopolymers from the polysaccharide class, highlighting their role in the development of these drug delivery systems (DDSs). The NIO and polysaccharide types, together with the recent pharmaceutical applications such as ocular, oral, nose-to brain, pulmonary, cardiac, and transdermal drug delivery, are all thoroughly summarized in this review, which offers a comprehensive compendium of polysaccharide-based niosomal research to date. Lastly, this delivery system’s limits and prospects are also examined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Polymeric Materials, 3rd Edition)
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