Biopolymeric Mucin and Synthetic Polymer Analogs: Their Structure, Function and Role in Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Mucin networks are viscoelastic fibrillar aggregates formed through the complex self-association of biopolymeric glycoprotein chains. The networks form a lubricious, hydrated protective shield along epithelial regions within the human body. The critical role played by mucin networks in impacting the transport properties of biofunctional molecules (e.g., biogenic molecules, probes, nanoparticles), and its effect on bioavailability are well described in the literature. An alternate perspective is provided in this paper, presenting mucin's complex network structure, and its interdependent functional characteristics in human physiology. We highlight the recent advances that were achieved through the use of mucin in diverse areas of bioengineering applications (e.g., drug delivery, biomedical devices and tissue engineering). Mucin network formation is a highly complex process, driven by wide variety of molecular interactions, and the network possess structural and chemical variations, posing a great challenge to understand mucin's bulk behavior. Through this review, the prospective potential of polymer based analogs to serve as mucin mimic is suggested. These analog systems, apart from functioning as an artificial model, reducing the current dependency on animal models, can aid in furthering our fundamental understanding of such complex structures.

Innovative Methods and Applications in Mucoadhesion Research

“…While some mucus models have been devised clearly in the context of mucoadhesion and drug delivery, some others have been developed for other purposes and thus may be considered for future mucoadhesion studies. Growing interests in mucus models are reflected in a few excellent review papers on this subject published in recent a couple of years, including by Groo and Lagarce and Authimoolam and Dziubla with a focus on artificial mucus, and by Cook and Khutoryanskiy with a focus on artificial mucosa, respectively. Briefly, mucus models can be classified into glycan microarrays, mucin layers, complexes of mucins with synthetic polymers, and synthetic polymers, roughly according to the scale.…”

Mucins as multifunctional building blocks of biomaterials

“…Several research groups have started exploring the applicative potential of purified mucins, as briefly mentioned in previous review articles. [1][2][3] Mucins are then considered not only as an important part of animal physiology, but also as functional building blocks that can be used to create new multifunctional biomaterials. We provide an overview of the current understanding of each key mucin property, then describe how the various properties have been exploited.…”

Merging Biology and Solid‐State Lighting: Recent Advances in Light‐Emitting Diodes Based on Biological Materials

“…Mucins are glycoprotein‐based compounds with a high molecular weight featuring domains rich in threonine and/or serine, whose hydroxyl groups are in O‐glycosidic linkage with oligosaccharides (Figure ) . These domains are composed of tandemly repeated sequences that vary in length and number.…”

“…The high degree of glycosylation characteristic of mucins makes them resistant to proteolysis and able to hold water and, as a result, they have the ability to form stable gels. This characteristic has made possible the use of mucins in drug delivery or in the fabrication of biomedical devices . Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the incorporation of mucin in electrical devices as host system to enhance luminescence features in thin films …”