Biomaterials

Biomaterials are materials that exhibit a high level of biocompatibility and are designed to interact with biological systems in a variety of ways, such as tissues, organs, cells, and molecules. Biomaterials can be classified into: (i) natural (e.g. collagen, chitosan, dextran, and silk), offer inherent biocompatibility and bioactivity and: (ii) synthetic (e.g. polypropylene, polyurethanes, metals), provide the advantage of precise control over material properties, allowing for customization based on specific applications. For tissue engineering, drug delivery, and other biomedical applications, natural polymers based on proteins and polysaccharides show a lot of promise. Mammalian-derived polymers are preferred over non-mammalian sources because they have a multitude of physiologically active designs and favourable host-material responses. Compared to mammalian collagen, marine collagen (MC), which comes from marine organisms, has excellent physical and chemical robustness, and is readily available in huge amounts. In recent years, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine opt for collagen-based materials over other types of biomaterials on account of their high biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and structural versatility. This chapter discusses the significance and classification of biomaterials; protein-based and polysaccharide-based biomaterials and the application biomaterials with a special focus on marine-derived collagen.