Electroactive biodegradable polyurethane significantly enhanced Schwann cells myelin gene expression and neurotrophin secretion for peripheral nerve tissue engineering.

Evaluation of biodegradable elastic scaffolds made of anionic polyurethane for cartilage tissue engineering

In a century when environmental pollution is a major issue, polymers issued from bio-based monomers have gained important interest, as they are expected to be environment-friendly, and biocompatible, with non-toxic degradation products. In parallel, hyperbranched polymers have emerged as an easily accessible alternative to dendrimers with numerous potential applications. Glycerol (Gly) is a natural, low-cost, trifunctional monomer, with a production expected to grow significantly, and thus an excellent candidate for the synthesis of hyperbranched polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. In the present article, we review the synthesis, properties, and applications of glycerol polyesters of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids (from succinic to sebacic acids) as well as the copolymers of glycerol or hyperbranched polyglycerol with poly(lactic acid) and poly(e-caprolactone). Emphasis was given to summarize the synthetic procedures (monomer molar ratio, used catalysts, temperatures, etc.,) and their effect on the molecular weight, solubility, and thermal and mechanical properties of the prepared hyperbranched polymers. Their applications in pharmaceutical technology as drug carries and in biomedical applications focusing on regenerative medicine are highlighted.

Polyglycerol Hyperbranched Polyesters: Synthesis, Properties and Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications.

Based on self-assembly and mimicking strategies occurring in nature, peptide nanomaterials play a unique role in a new generation of hybrid materials for the electronics of the 21st century. This report describes the functionalization of diphenylalanine (FF)-based micro/nanostructures with blue-emitting conducting polymers of the polyfluorene (PF) family. The FF:PF polymer nanocomposites are synthesized by a liquid-vapor phase method. Electron microscopy images reveal di-octyl-substituted PF (PF8) to bind better to the FF micro/nanotubes in comparison with ethyl-hexyl PF (PF2/6), which influences its optical properties. Molecular dynamics simulations of FF nanotubes with monomeric units of PFs show that PF8 favors greater proximity to the grooves on the surface of the nanotubes due to a higher van der Waals interaction energy compared to PF2/6. The FF:PF nanocomposites are further utilized in light-emitting diodes. Biodegradability tests from FF:PF8 nanocomposite films show more than 80% weight loss in 2 h by enzymatic action compared to PF8 pristine films, which do not degrade. Self-assembly of FF nanostructures with organic semiconductors opens up a new generation of biocompatible and biodegradable materials in organic electronics.

Self‐Assembled Peptide–Polyfluorene Nanocomposites for Biodegradable Organic Electronics

Polyols are multifunctional alcohols, with branched structures, where each arm terminates with an –OH group. These free –OH groups have been utilised to make a variety of polymer structures ranging...

Biodegradable polyol-based polymers for biomedical applications

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) and poly(xylitol sebacate) (PXS) are biodegradable elastomers with tremendous potential in soft tissue engineering. This study was aimed at exploring the enzymatic degradation mechanisms of these polyesters, using biochemical conditions similar to those occurring in vivo. To this end, PGS and PXS (crosslinked at 130℃ for 2 or 7 (PGS)/12 days (PXS)) were incubated in vitro under physiological conditions in tissue culture media supplemented with either a biodegrading enzyme (esterase), an oxidant species (FeSO4/H2O2 with 0.11 molar ratio of Fe2+/H2O2), an oxidant generating enzyme (xanthine oxidase and xanthine) or combinations of these (FeSO4/H2O2 and esterase, or (v) xanthine oxidase/xanthine and esterase), based on their independent effects on polymer degradation. Testing was performed over 35 days of continuous incubation, during which mechanical properties, mass loss, biomaterial thickness and pH value of the culture medium were determined. Degradation kinetics of both PGS...

Hanning Shi

Papers

Enzymatic and oxidative degradation of poly(polyol sebacate)