A Critical Review on Polymeric Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications

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.

Can 3D-Printed Bioactive Glasses Be the Future of Bone Tissue Engineering?

“…With advancements in additive manufacturing technologies and imaging techniques, such as CT scans, it is now possible to design and print customized scaffolds [59]. Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is a manufacturing method adopted for the automated layer-by-layer fabrication of complex geometries using computer-generated models [60]. According to ASTM F2792 standards, there are seven families of 3D printing technologies, of which extrusion-based, or laser-based 3D printing is widely used for bone tissue engineering (Figure 3).…”

“…Various types of thermoplastic polymers, such as polylactic acid (PLA), poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) (PLGA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(hydroxybutyrateco-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene have been used for the fabrication of biomedical bone implants [60]. Among these polymers, PLGA, PCL, PLA, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene-based implants have reached the clinical trial stage [71].…”

Biopolymer from Water Kefir as a Potential Clean-Label Ingredient for Health Applications: Evaluation of New Properties

“…Thus, an alternative would be to carry out the dialysis membrane filtration process to improve the purification and remove possible residues from the basic solution [32]. Despite this, the pH values found for EPSwk solutions can be easily adjusted to the specific pH according to the desired application for the biomaterial since normal skin presents a pH of 5.5, soft tissues and acneic skin present a pH of around 7.4, and atopic skin a pH of around 8.5 [33].…”

An Overview of Natural Polymers as Reinforcing Agents for 3D Printing

“…Despite the favorable biological properties, chitosan has some limitations in terms of mechanical properties, degradation rates and 3D-printability [57]. Three methods have been reported for chitosan 3D printing, namely, extrusion-based, fused-deposition and solvent-dispensing methodologies [58,59]. For all the techniques, the 3D printability of chitosan is affected by viscosity that, in most of the cases, requires an adjustment by adding other materials, such as PEG, pectin and gelatin, to assure an easy extrusion, to avoid clogging of the device and to retain the shape of the construct before drying.…”

“…To enhance the mechanical and biological properties of these scaffolds themselves, silk was also efficiently used in the form of microparticles or fibers, thereby achieving a large increase in both the compressive modulus and yield strength [112,113]. More recently, silk particles and fibers have also been employed as reinforcement for other polymers, both synthetic (e.g., polycaprolactone [114]) and natural ones (e.g., chitosan [58,115], keratin [116]). In the case of the thermoplastic polymer polycaprolactone, the addition up to 20% w/w of silk microparticles has improved the mechanical properties of the scaffolds in terms of the compressive Young's modulus and cell proliferation [114].…”