No abstract

A set of antibacterial polyesters, with inherent multibiomedical properties, comprising biobased monomers such as ricinoleic acid and itaconic acid together with α,ω-aliphatic diols, were synthesized via a greener synthetic route. The structures of the synthesized biobased unsaturated polyesters were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectral studies. The molecular weight of the prepolymers was determined by gel permeation chromatography analysis. The cured polymeric membranes were structurally characterized by attenuated total reflection infrared and powder X-ray diffraction. The mechanical, thermal, wettability, swelling, and sol content measurements of the cured polyester membranes were studied. The synthesized polyesters showed significant antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. The polyesters IRPe, IRD, and IRDd had shown potent anticancer activity against human liver cancer HepG2 cells and human breast cancer MCF7 cells. The highly hydrophilic IRH polyester was tested for its cell adhesive nature in mouse fibroblast cells (L929). The hydrophilicity, slow in vitro degradability, and cell adhesive capacity favor the exploration of these polymers further as drug carriers or as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. The antibacterial and anticancer activities together with compatibility in normal human kidney embryonic Hek 293 cells exhibit the potentiality of these polymeric biomaterials to find application as anticancer drugs and antibacterial agents.

Polymeric bioelastomers have been explored as alternatives to ceramics and metals in the biomedical fi eld, especially in tissue engineering. Biodegradable aliphatic polyester bioelastomers have become the focus of research because of the ease of synthesis and fabrication in addition to their biodegradation properties. The variety and complexity of tissues in the human body continue to challenge researchers to develop newer biomaterials that are compatible and degradable, and have suitable mechanical profi les. This entry will comprehensively discuss the design specifi cations, the synthetic strategies to be employed in the synthesis of bioelastomers, and their applications in tissue engineering. Further, the entry also elaborates on the recent developments in aliphatic polymeric materials with special emphasis on polyester bioelastomers derived from multifunctional monomers. Bioelastomers (Synthetic Polyester): Tissue Engineering