Biopolymers: The Next Frontier in Therapeutics
摘要
Biopolymers are biodegradable polymers which are synthesized by living organisms and they have found remarkably interesting potential as therapeutic materials in the recent past based on their renewable nature, compatibility with biological systems, degradability, and lack of toxicity. They are extracted from monomers like saccharides, amino acids, and nucleic acids. Biopolymers represent potential applications in wound healing, tissue engineering, and drug delivery systems. This chapter focuses on the basic characteristics of biopolymers and divides them into natural, synthetic, and semi-synthetic ones, such as alginate, chitosan, poly lactic acid, and poly glycolic acid. Biopolymers are employed frequently in scaffolds for tissue engineering, as well as therapies like gene delivery and drug delivery systems based in hydrogel and nanoparticles. There are also highlighted impacts of biopolymers, for instance, the fact that they reduce toxicity level in comparison with non-biodegradable polymers so that they are suitable in various advanced therapeutic applications. Current challenges and limitations with ongoing clinical trials of biopolymers in therapeutics are also discussed in this chapter. Novel technologies of three-dimensional bioprinting and nanotechnology are also explained to illustrate the advancement of application of biopolymers in regenerative medicine and genetic therapies. These advancements present potential for creating new varieties of medical treatments which are safer, more effective and easier to implement in the future.