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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 52246

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Prof. Dr. Simonida Tomic

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Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: polymeric biomaterials; biodegradable polymers; pH- and temperature-sensitive hydrogels; polymeric systems for controlled drug release; antimicrobial polymeric biomaterials; polymeric wound dressings; polymeric scaffolds for tissue regeneration; biological properties of polymeric biomaterials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymeric biomaterials are the synthetic or natural materials intended for interfacing with biological systems to regenerate, augment/repair, and treat any type of tissue of the organs or function of the human body. The design of polymeric biomaterials, complemented by an increased understanding of native tissue architecture and cell-material interactions, has evolved across length scales ranging from the molecular to the macroscopic. Polymers are used as biomaterials and can be either of natural origin (chitosan, gelatin, alginate, and hyaluronic acid) and those of synthetic origin (methacrylates/acrylates, as well as lactide/glycolide). By combining these polymers, biomaterials can be tuned with the desired properties that are important for biomedical applications-controlled drug release systems, scaffolding biomaterials for tissue regeneration and reparation, wound dressings polymers, as well as antimicrobial polymers.

The aim of this Special Issue of Polymers, entitled “Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin,” is to cover the most recent progress in the rapidly growing field of polymeric biomaterials for biomedical applications. This Special Issue will address novel design strategies, synthesis, and characterization of polymeric biomaterials, as well as the applications in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. Both original and review papers are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Simonida Tomic
Guest Editor

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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.

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Keywords

Polymer biomaterials for wound dressings
Polymeric biomaterials for regenerative medicine
Polymeric biomaterials as controlled drug release systems
Polymeric biomaterials as scaffolding biomaterials
Polymeric biomaterials as antimicrobials
Biodegradable polymeric biomaterials

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3124 KB

Open AccessArticle

Polyurethane-Nanolignin Composite Foam Coated with Propolis as a Platform for Wound Dressing: Synthesis and Characterization

by Zari Pahlevanneshan, Mohammadreza Deypour, Amirhosein Kefayat, Mohammad Rafienia, Paweł Sajkiewicz, Rasoul Esmaeely Neisiany and Mohammad Saeid Enayati

Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3191; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13183191 - 20 Sep 2021

Cited by 50 | Viewed by 5543

Abstract

This piece of research explores porous nanocomposite polyurethane (PU) foam synthesis, containing nanolignin (NL), coated with natural antimicrobial propolis for wound dressing. PU foam was synthesized using polyethylene glycol, glycerol, NL, and 1, 6-diisocyanato-hexane (NCO/OH ratio: 1.2) and water as blowing agent. The resultant foam was immersed in ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP). PU, NL-PU, and PU-NL/EEP foams were characterized from mechanical, morphological, and chemical perspectives. NL Incorporation into PU increased mechanical strength, while EEP coating showed lower strength than PU-NL/EEP. Morphological investigations confirmed an open-celled structure with a pore diameter of 150–200 μm, a density of nearly 0.2 g/cm^3,, and porosity greater than 85%, which led to significantly high water absorption (267% for PU-NL/EEP). The hydrophilic nature of foams, measured by the contact angle, proved to be increased by NL addition and EEP coating. PU and PU-NL did not show important antibacterial features, while EEP coating resulted in a significant antibacterial efficiency. All foams revealed high biocompatibility toward L929 fibroblasts, with the highest cell viability and cell attachment for PU-NL/EEP. In vivo wound healing using Wistar rats’ full-thickness skin wound model confirmed that PU-NL/EEP exhibited an essentially higher wound healing efficacy compared with other foams. Hence, PU-NL/EEP foam could be a promising wound dressing candidate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin)

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18 pages, 6801 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Antimicrobial Polymeric Composites with Embedded Nanotextured Magnesium Oxide

by Nemanja Aničić, Mario Kurtjak, Samo Jeverica, Danilo Suvorov and Marija Vukomanović

Polymers 2021, 13(13), 2183; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13132183 - 30 Jun 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3186

Abstract

Nanotextured magnesium oxide (MgO) can exhibit both antibacterial and tissue regeneration activity, which makes it very useful for implant protection. To successfully combine these two properties, MgO needs to be processed within an appropriate carrier system that can keep MgO surface available for interactions with cells, slow down the conversion of MgO to the less active hydroxide and control MgO solubility. Here we present new composites with nanotextured MgO microrods embedded in different biodegradable polymer matrixes: poly-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA), poly-lactide (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL). Relative to their hydrophilicity, polarity and degradability, the matrices were able to affect and control the structural and functional properties of the resulting composites in different manners. We found PLGA matrix the most effective in performing this task. The application of the nanotextured 1D morphology and the appropriate balancing of MgO/PLGA interphase interactions with optimal polymer degradation kinetics resulted in superior bactericidal activity of the composites against either planktonic E. coli or sessile S. epidermidis, S. aureus (multidrug resistant-MRSA) and three clinical strains isolated from implant-associated infections (S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa), while ensuring controllable release of magnesium ions and showing no harmful effects on red blood cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin)

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16 pages, 4637 KB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Novel Glycidyl Metharcylate/Phaytic Acid-Based on Bagasse Xylan Composite Derivative

by Mingkun Li, Heping Li, Hongli Liu, Zhiming Zou and Chaoyu Xie

Polymers 2021, 13(13), 2084; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13132084 - 24 Jun 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2682

Abstract

The development of natural biomass materials with excellent properties is an attractive way to improve the application range of natural polysaccharides. Bagasse Xylan (BX) is a natural polysaccharide with various biological activities, such as antitumor, antioxidant, etc. Its physic-chemical and biological properties can be improved by functionalization. For this purpose, a novel glycidyl metharcylate/phytic acid based on a BX composite derivative was synthesized by a free radical polymerization technique with glycidyl metharcylate (GMA; ^GMABX) and further esterification with phytic acid (PA; ^GMABX-PA) in ionic liquid. The effects of the reaction conditions (i.e., temperature, time, initiator concentration, catalyst concentration, GMA concentration, PA concentration, mass of ionic liquid) on grafting rate(G), conversion rate(C) and degree of substitution(DS) are discussed. The structure of the composite material structure was confirmed by FTIR, ¹H NMR and XRD. SEM confirmed the particle morphology of the composite derivative. The thermal stability of ^GMABX-PA was determined by TG-DTG. Molecular docking was further performed to study the combination mode of the ^GMABX-PA into the active site of two lung cancer proteins (5XNV, 2EB2) and a blood cancer protein (2M6N). In addition, tumor cell proliferation inhibition assays for BX, ^GMABX-PA were carried out using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetraz -olium bromide (MTT) method. The results showed that various reaction conditions exhibited favorable gradient curves, and that a maximum G of 56% for the graft copolymerization and a maximum DS of 0.267 can be achieved. The thermal stability was significantly improved, as demonstrated by the fact that there was still 60% residual at 800 °C. The molecular docking software generated satisfactory results with regard to the evaluated binding energy and combining sites. The inhibition ratio of ^GMABX-PA on NCI-H460 (lung cancer cells) reached 29.68% ± 4.45%, which is five times higher than that of BX. Therefore, the material was shown to be a potential candidate for biomedical applications as well as for use as a heat resistant material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin)

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16 pages, 10734 KB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Hydrogel Scaffolds Based on Alginate, Gelatin, 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate, and Hydroxyapatite

by Simonida Lj. Tomić, Jasmina Nikodinović-Runić, Marija Vukomanović, Marija M. Babić and Jovana S. Vuković

Polymers 2021, 13(6), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13060932 - 18 Mar 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5619

Abstract

Hydrogel scaffolding biomaterials are one of the most attractive polymeric biomaterials for regenerative engineering and can be engineered into tissue mimetic scaffolds to support cell growth due to their similarity to the native extracellular matrix. The novel, versatile hydrogel scaffolds based on alginate, gelatin, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and inorganic agent hydroxyapatite were prepared by modified cryogelation. The chemical composition, morphology, porosity, mechanical properties, effects on cell viability, in vitro degradation, in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility were tested to correlate the material’s composition with the corresponding properties. Scaffolds showed an interconnected porous microstructure, satisfactory mechanical strength, favorable hydrophilicity, degradation, and suitable in vitro and in vivo biocompatible behavior. Materials showed good biocompatibility with healthy human fibroblast in cell culture, as well as in vivo with zebrafish assay, suggesting newly synthesized hydrogel scaffolds as a potential new generation of hydrogel scaffolding biomaterials with tunable properties for versatile biomedical applications and tissue regeneration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin)

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16 pages, 3339 KB

Open AccessArticle

Reinforced Universal Adhesive by Ribose Crosslinker: A Novel Strategy in Adhesive Dentistry

by Rim Bourgi, Umer Daood, Mohammed Nadeem Bijle, Amr Fawzy, Maroun Ghaleb and Louis Hardan

Polymers 2021, 13(5), 704; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13050704 - 26 Feb 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4170

Abstract

Enzymatic biodegradation of demineralized collagen fibrils could lead to the reduction of resin–dentin bond strength. Therefore, methods that provide protection to collagen fibrils appear to be a pragmatic solution to improve bond strength. Thus, the study’s aim was to investigate the effect of ribose (RB) on demineralized resin–dentin specimens in a modified universal adhesive. Dentin specimens were obtained, standardized and then bonded in vitro with a commercial multi-mode adhesive modified with 0, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% RB, restored with resin composite, and tested for micro-tensile bond strength (µTBS) after storage for 24 h in artificial saliva. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to analyze resin–dentin interface. Contact angles were analyzed using a contact angle analyzer. Depth of penetration of adhesives and nanoleakage were assessed using micro-Raman spectroscopy and silver tracing. Molecular docking studies were carried out using Schrodinger small-molecule drug discovery suite 2019-4. Matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) and cathepsin-K activities in RB-treated specimens were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The significance level was set at α = 0.05 for all statistical analyses. Incorporation of RB at 1% or 2% is of significant potential (p < 0.05) as it can be associated with improved wettability on dentin surfaces (0.5% had the lowest contact angle) as well as appreciable hybrid layer quality, and higher resin penetration. Improvement of the adhesive bond strength was shown when adding RB at 1% concentration to universal adhesive (p < 0.05). Modified adhesive increased the resistance of collagen degradation by inhibiting MMP-2 and cathepsin-K. A higher RB concentration was associated with improved results (p < 0.01). D-ribose showed favorable negative binding to collagen. In conclusion, universal adhesive using 1% or 2% RB helped in maintaining dentin collagen scaffold and proved to be successful in improving wettability, protease inhibition, and stability of demineralized dentin substrates. A more favorable substrate is created which, in turn, leads to a more stable dentin-adhesive bond. This could lead to more advantageous outcomes in a clinical scenario where a stable bond may result in longevity of the dental restoration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin)

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19 pages, 2921 KB

Open AccessArticle

Semi-Natural Superabsorbents Based on Starch-g-poly(acrylic acid): Modification, Synthesis and Application

by Elżbieta Czarnecka and Jacek Nowaczyk

Polymers 2020, 12(8), 1794; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12081794 - 10 Aug 2020

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 9009

Abstract

Biopolymer-based superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are being synthesized and investigated as a biodegradable alternative for an entirely synthetic SAPs, particularly those based on acrylic acid and its derivatives. This article focuses on the chemical modification of starch (S), and synthesis of new potentially biodegradable polymers using acrylic acid (AA) as side chain monomer and crosslinking mediator together with N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA). The graft co-polymerization was initiated by ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) or potassium persulfate (KPS), leading to different reaction mechanisms. For each of the initiators, three different synthetic routes were applied. The structures of new bio-based SAPs were characterized by means of IR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric measurements were made to test the thermal stability, and morphology of the samples were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Physico-chemical measurements were performed to characterize properties of new materials such as swelling characteristics. The water absorption capacity of resulting hydrogels was measured in distilled water and 0.9% NaCl solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin)

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Review

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27 pages, 3927 KB

Open AccessReview

A Critical Review on Polymeric Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications

by Cheirmadurai Kalirajan, Amey Dukle, Arputharaj Joseph Nathanael, Tae-Hwan Oh and Geetha Manivasagam

Polymers 2021, 13(17), 3015; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13173015 - 6 Sep 2021

Cited by 115 | Viewed by 19972

Abstract

Natural and synthetic polymers have been explored for many years in the field of tissue engineering and regeneration. Researchers have developed many new strategies to design successful advanced polymeric biomaterials. In this review, we summarized the recent notable advancements in the preparation of smart polymeric biomaterials with self-healing and shape memory properties. We also discussed novel approaches used to develop different forms of polymeric biomaterials such as films, hydrogels and 3D printable biomaterials. In each part, the applications of the biomaterials in soft and hard tissue engineering with their in vitro and in vivo effects are underlined. The future direction of the polymeric biomaterials that could pave a path towards successful clinical implications is also underlined in this review. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Biomaterials of Natural and Synthetic Origin)

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