Drug delivery systems based on renewable polymers: A conceptual short review

Abstract

There are ever increasing concerns about environmental and health hazards of conventional synthetic polymers. These polymers are not sustainable because their production process relies on fossil-based feedstocks and energy sources. Economic benefits and beneficial physicochemical and mechanical properties have made synthetic polymers to be used in wide range of applications from packaging to biomedicine. On the other hand, modern chemistry has provided us with invaluable tools to make well-defined polymers with tailored properties which can be used in biomedical filed such as designing advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs). In fact, polymers are indispensable constituents of most of novel DDSs. However, sustainability concerns about raw materials and polymeric building blocks of such DDSs, remains unsolved. In addition, efficient and proper degradability of sustainable building blocks of DDSs is important for their clearance from human body. Accordingly, development of sustainable and biodegradable polymeric materials is highly demanding in development of sustainable DDSs. This perspective provides a general overview on sustainable polymers and highlights their potential applications in designing novel DDSs. Unsolved challenges and future prospects are discussed accompanied by offering potential solutions.

Hydrogel and aerogel‐based flame‐retardant polymeric materials: A review

“…Hydrogels have been extensively used for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, wound dressing, and tissue engineering. [45][46][47] For example, an injectable thermosensitive hydrogel based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and gelatin, embedded with cell encapsulated alginate microgels, was used as bioactive wound dressing. 48 Alginate microgels containing stem cells were crosslinked using ionic interactions physically.…”

Application of superabsorbent natural polymers in agriculture

“…8 Microorganisms are also capable of producing polymer materials, with recent advancements in the field of synthetic biology and metabolic glycoengineering producing artificial microorganisms that produce specialised types of biopolymers. [9][10][11][12] Natural SAPs, particularly polysaccharides, are sought after due to their non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. 5 In a study on the enhancement of soil quality using natural and synthetic polymers Abd El-Hafez et al (2019) found that the natural polymers enhanced soil physical and hydro-physical properties, whilst synthetic treatments reduced the same parameters leading to the reduced growth of lettuce plants.…”

Polymer blends of poly(lactic acid) and starch for the production of films applied in food packaging: A brief review

“…12 The limited degradability of packaging produced from non-biodegradable polymers when discarded in nature, associated with the high levels of production of synthetic polymers, made the industry and the academic community interested in the development of ecological, biodegradable and sustainable materials. [13][14][15][16] The researchers highlighted the great potential of raw materials from natural sources, such as starch, cellulose and their derivatives, which can be used in the development of films applied to food packaging and edible coatings. [17][18][19] In 2019, the production of biopolymers was estimated at around 2.11 million tons, with a forecast that in 2024 around 2.43 million tons will be produced, of which approximately 70% (1.2 million tons) are applied in the packaging sector.…”