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Polymers
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Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical Application
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Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical Application

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 25133

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nermin Seda Kehr

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Physikalisches Institut and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
Interests: functional nanomaterials; nanocomposite hydrogels; 3D bioprinting; local drug delivery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A wide range of natural and synthetic biodegradable polymers has been investigated to meet functional demand in the biomedical field ranging from drug and gene delivery, tissue engineering, medical devices, and food packaging.

Biodegradable polymers are a special natural or synthetic polymer that breaks down in the body through chemical and/or enzymatic degradation. The degradation process and products depend on the chemical structure and the degrading environmental conditions of polymers. In the design of biodegradable biomaterials, many essential properties must be considered. The degradation process of these polymers should be compatible with the regeneration of tissues and should not evoke a sustained inflammation. The degradation products must be nontoxic and should be easily excreted from the body. To meet such requirements, physical, chemical, biodegradable, and biocompatible properties of polymers must be appropriately tuned.

The particular interest of this Special Issue is to provide insights into the recent advances in the development of biodegradable polymers with novel biocompatible, physical, chemical, and biodegradation properties and functions and their next-generation applications in the biomedical field. In this respect, the topics of interest  include but are not limited to synthesis, functionalization, characterizations, degradation mechanism and kinetics, and novel applications of biodegradable polymers in the biomedical field.

Dr. Nermin Seda Kehr
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biodegradable polymers
  • drug delivery
  • tissue engineering
  • medical devices

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 5398 KiB  
Article
UV-Casting on Methacrylated PCL for the Production of a Peripheral Nerve Implant Containing an Array of Porous Aligned Microchannels
by Ruth Diez-Ahedo, Xabier Mendibil, Mari Carmen Márquez-Posadas, Iban Quintana, Francisco González, Francisco Javier Rodríguez, Leyla Zilic, Colin Sherborne, Adam Glen, Caroline S. Taylor, Frederik Claeyssens, John W. Haycock, Wandert Schaafsma, Eva González, Begoña Castro and Santos Merino
Polymers 2020, 12(4), 971; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12040971 - 22 Apr 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5288
Abstract
Peripheral nerves are basic communication structures guiding motor and sensory information from the central nervous system to receptor units. Severed peripheral nerve injuries represent a large clinical problem with relevant challenges to successful synthetic nerve repair scaffolds as substitutes to autologous nerve grafting. [...] Read more.
Peripheral nerves are basic communication structures guiding motor and sensory information from the central nervous system to receptor units. Severed peripheral nerve injuries represent a large clinical problem with relevant challenges to successful synthetic nerve repair scaffolds as substitutes to autologous nerve grafting. Numerous studies reported the use of hollow tubes made of synthetic polymers sutured between severed nerve stumps to promote nerve regeneration while providing protection for external factors, such as scar tissue formation and inflammation. Few approaches have described the potential use of a lumen structure comprised of microchannels or microfibers to provide axon growth avoiding misdirection and fostering proper healing. Here, we report the use of a 3D porous microchannel-based structure made of a photocurable methacrylated polycaprolactone, whose mechanical properties are comparable to native nerves. The neuro-regenerative properties of the polymer were assessed in vitro, prior to the implantation of the 3D porous structure, in a 6-mm rat sciatic nerve gap injury. The manufactured implants were biocompatible and able to be resorbed by the host’s body at a suitable rate, allowing the complete healing of the nerve. The innovative design of the highly porous structure with the axon guiding microchannels, along with the observation of myelinated axons and Schwann cells in the in vivo tests, led to a significant progress towards the standardized use of synthetic 3D multichannel-based structures in peripheral nerve surgery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical Application)
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13 pages, 4891 KiB  
Article
Development of a Lidocaine-Loaded Alginate/CMC/PEO Electrospun Nanofiber Film and Application as an Anti-Adhesion Barrier
by Seungho Baek, Heekyung Park, Youngah Park, Hyun Kang and Donghyun Lee
Polymers 2020, 12(3), 618; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12030618 - 8 Mar 2020
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6908
Abstract
Surgery, particularly open surgery, is known to cause tissue/organ adhesion during healing. These adhesions occur through contact between the surgical treatment site and other organ, bone, or abdominal sites. Fibrous bands can form in unnecessary contact areas and cause various complications. Consequently, film- [...] Read more.
Surgery, particularly open surgery, is known to cause tissue/organ adhesion during healing. These adhesions occur through contact between the surgical treatment site and other organ, bone, or abdominal sites. Fibrous bands can form in unnecessary contact areas and cause various complications. Consequently, film- and gel-type anti-adhesion agents have been developed. The development of sustained drug delivery systems is very important for disease treatment and prevention. In this study, the drug release behavior was controlled by crosslinking lidocaine-loaded alginate/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofiber films prepared by electrospinning. Lidocaine is mainly used as an anesthetic and is known to have anti-adhesion effects. Our results show that drug release is regulated by the crosslinking degree of the lidocaine-loaded alginate/CMC/PEO film. The drug release behavior was confirmed by HPLC, and, as a result, an excellent anti-adhesion barrier was developed that can be applied to treat patients in the medical field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical Application)
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16 pages, 2144 KiB  
Article
Selected Physicochemical and Pharmaceutical Properties of Poly-ε-caprolactone and Poly(d,l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) Conjugates of Lamivudine Synthesized via Ring-Opening Polymerization
by Tomasz Urbaniak and Witold Musiał
Polymers 2019, 11(12), 2124; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11122124 - 17 Dec 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3000
Abstract
The modification of drug fate after administration may be achieved by the covalent coupling of active pharmaceutical ingredients with macromolecules. To prolong or delay the release, slowly degrading polymers such as polyesters may be applied for conjugation. The detachment of a covalently conjugated [...] Read more.
The modification of drug fate after administration may be achieved by the covalent coupling of active pharmaceutical ingredients with macromolecules. To prolong or delay the release, slowly degrading polymers such as polyesters may be applied for conjugation. The detachment of a covalently conjugated drug from the polymeric matrix relies mostly on the material degradation profile and barely on the weak interaction between the drug and macromolecules. In the present study, lamivudine was conjugated via ring-opening polymerization with poly-ε-caprolactone and poly(d,l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone). The influence of the reaction parameters on the course of the polymerization and physicochemical properties of obtained conjugates were investigated. Subsequently, selected reaction products were formulated into submicron particles, and drug release profiles in physiological-like conditions were investigated. The course of the reaction was monitored via gel permeation chromatography. The structure and physicochemical properties of products were evaluated via spectroscopic, calorimetric, and diffractometric methods. The profile of the drug release from particles prepared by the slow evaporation of conjugate solution from o/w emulsion was monitored with high-performance liquid chromatography. Both an elevated reaction temperature and higher catalyst concentration increased the polymerization rate and simultaneously promoted the side reactions, resulting in a broad molecular weight distribution of products in the range from 1.30 to 2.15. The physicochemical properties of conjugates obtained in different conditions varied and had a direct influence on the drug release. The release curve of lamivudine from particles based on low molecular weight conjugates achieved a plateau between 18.9 and 22.2 μg per mg of conjugate within a month. Drug detachment from particles composed of high molecular weight conjugates exhibited a distinct delay period preceded by a drug burst release at a maximal level of 13.3 μg per mg of conjugate. Conjugate chemical composition and the degree of crystallinity were also found to influence the release. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical Application)
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Review

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18 pages, 3193 KiB  
Review
Hydrogel-Based Colloidal Photonic Crystal Devices for Glucose Sensing
by Wenwei Tang and Cheng Chen
Polymers 2020, 12(3), 625; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12030625 - 9 Mar 2020
Cited by 57 | Viewed by 9112
Abstract
Diabetes, a common epidemic disease, is increasingly hazardous to human health. Monitoring body glucose concentrations for the prevention and therapy of diabetes has become very important. Hydrogel-based responsive photonic crystal (PC) materials are noninvasive options for glucose detection. This article reviews glucose-sensing materials/devices [...] Read more.
Diabetes, a common epidemic disease, is increasingly hazardous to human health. Monitoring body glucose concentrations for the prevention and therapy of diabetes has become very important. Hydrogel-based responsive photonic crystal (PC) materials are noninvasive options for glucose detection. This article reviews glucose-sensing materials/devices composed of hydrogels and colloidal photonic crystals (CPCs), including the construction of 2D/3D CPCs and 2D/3D hydrogel-based CPCs (HCPCs). The development and mechanisms of glucose-responsive hydrogels and the achieved technologies of HCPC glucose sensors were also concluded. This review concludes by showing a perspective for the future design of CPC glucose biosensors with functional hydrogels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical Application)
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