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Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications
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Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 17011

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Anayancy Osorio-Madrazo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute of Microsystems Engineering IMTEK, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
2. Freiburg Materials Research Center FMF, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
3. Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies FIT, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Interests: polymers; polymer chemistry; polymer physical chemistry; biomaterials; hydrogels; composites; scaffolds; spun fibers; nanofibers; additive manufacturing; tissue engineering; 3D bioprinting; biocompatible materials; biopolymers; polysaccharides; polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles; colloids; biodegradable materials; organ-on-a-chip; drug controlled release; mechanical properties; functional polymer materials; microparticles; beads; X-ray scattering techniques, microstructure characterization; knitted fabrics; membranes; coatings; biomedical applications; biosensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Many polymers are used to design supports for tissue regeneration and other biomedical applications. Among them, collagen, gelatin, hyaluronan and its derivatives, agarose, alginate, chitosan, chitin, cellulose, fibrin, poly(caprolactone) (PCL), poly(lactide) (PLA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyurethanes, polyamides, etc. have been extensively applied. Polymer biocompatibility, with desired bioactivity and low environmental risk promise safe biomedical applications. Besides, polymer implants commonly should present outstanding mechanical properties and fix to the target tissue, to ensure long-term regeneration while providing the adequate mechanical support.

A number of researches evaluate the biological response and performance of polymer materials like hydrogels, scaffolds, membranes, films, coatings, micro/nanoparticles, beads, fibers, knitted fabrics, etc. in cell culture studies, but not only in vitro, also in pre-clinical and clinical applications. Moreover, some strategies focus on treating tissues with minimally invasive liquid polymer-based implants or viscous bioinks, to fill irregularly shaped tissue defects and yield in situ functional biomaterials. There is an increasing interest in using polymer additive-manufacturing to develop complex three-dimensional (3D) materials for applications in biomedicine. Generating functional biomaterial models that replicate relevant aspects of tissue 3D microenvironments is a major challenge. This may be addressed by combining 3D bioprinting with microfluidics to biofabricate 3D hybrid polymer biomaterials, designed to approach biological and physiological parameters of their in vivo tissue counterparts, for use in drug screening and disease modelling, as recently addressed in organ-on-a-chip platforms.

This special issue is oriented to all types of polymers and their biomaterials used in biomedical applications. Special attention will be given to researches: (i) getting insight into the polymer processing-microstructure-biological response relationship; (ii) covering the understanding of polymer physical chemistry behavior, to achieve appropriate polymer physical forms for target applications in relation to biology, biophysics, biomedical engineering.

Prof. Dr. Anayancy Osorio-Madrazo
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

  • biomaterials
  • tissue engineering
  • 3D bioprinting
  • cell culture
  • biocompatibility
  • biodegradability
  • bioactivity
  • organ-on-a-chip
  • hydrogels
  • drug delivery
  • mechanical properties
  • micro-/nanoparticles and beads
  • fibers
  • scaffolds
  • composites
  • knitted fabrics
  • membranes
  • coatings
  • polymers for biomedical applications

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2136 KiB  
Article
Analytics in Extrusion-Based Bioprinting: Standardized Methods Improving Quantification and Comparability of the Performance of Bioinks
by Svenja Strauß, David Grijalva Garces and Jürgen Hubbuch
Polymers 2023, 15(8), 1829; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15081829 - 9 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1888
Abstract
Three-dimensional bioprinting and especially extrusion-based printing as a most frequently employed method in this field is constantly evolving as a discipline in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, the lack of relevant standardized analytics does not yet allow an easy comparison and transfer [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional bioprinting and especially extrusion-based printing as a most frequently employed method in this field is constantly evolving as a discipline in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, the lack of relevant standardized analytics does not yet allow an easy comparison and transfer of knowledge between laboratories regarding newly developed bioinks and printing processes. This work revolves around the establishment of a standardized method, which enables the comparability of printed structures by controlling for the extrusion rate based on the specific flow behavior of each bioink. Furthermore, printing performance was evaluated by image-processing tools to verify the printing accuracy for lines, circles, and angles. In addition, and complementary to the accuracy metrics, a dead/live staining of embedded cells was performed to investigate the effect of the process on cell viability. Two bioinks, based on alginate and gelatin methacryloyl, which differed in 1% (w/v) alginate content, were tested for printing performance. The automated image processing tool reduced the analytical time while increasing reproducibility and objectivity during the identification of printed objects. During evaluation of the processing effect of the mixing of cell viability, NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were stained and analyzed after the mixing procedure and after the extrusion process using a flow cytometer, which evaluated a high number of cells. It could be observed that the small increase in alginate content made little difference in the printing accuracy but had a considerable strong effect on cell viability after both processing steps. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications)
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13 pages, 4345 KiB  
Article
Muscle-like Scaffolds for Biomechanical Stimulation in a Custom-Built Bioreactor
by Laura Rojas-Rojas, María Laura Espinoza-Álvarez, Silvia Castro-Piedra, Andrea Ulloa-Fernández, Walter Vargas-Segura and Teodolito Guillén-Girón
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5427; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245427 - 11 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2101
Abstract
Tissue engineering aims to develop in-vitro substitutes of native tissues. One approach of tissue engineering relies on using bioreactors combined with biomimetic scaffolds to produce study models or in-vitro substitutes. Bioreactors provide control over environmental parameters, place and hold a scaffold under desired [...] Read more.
Tissue engineering aims to develop in-vitro substitutes of native tissues. One approach of tissue engineering relies on using bioreactors combined with biomimetic scaffolds to produce study models or in-vitro substitutes. Bioreactors provide control over environmental parameters, place and hold a scaffold under desired characteristics, and apply mechanical stimulation to scaffolds. Polymers are often used for fabricating tissue-engineering scaffolds. In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL) collagen-coated microfilament scaffolds were cell-seeded with C2C12 myoblasts; then, these were grown inside a custom-built bioreactor. Cell attachment and proliferation on the scaffolds were investigated. A loading pattern was used for mechanical stimulation of the cell-seeded scaffolds. Results showed that the microfilaments provided a suitable scaffold for myoblast anchorage and that the custom-built bioreactor provided a qualified environment for the survival of the myoblasts on the polymeric scaffold. This PCL-based microfilament scaffold located inside the bioreactor proved to be a promising structure for the study of skeletal muscle models and can be used for mechanical stimulation studies in tissue engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications)
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17 pages, 3500 KiB  
Article
Chitosan Hydrogels Based on the Diels–Alder Click Reaction: Rheological and Kinetic Study
by Cinthya Ruiz-Pardo, Luisa Silva-Gutiérrez, Jaime Lizardi-Mendoza, Yolanda López-Franco, Carlos Peniche-Covas and Waldo Argüelles-Monal
Polymers 2022, 14(6), 1202; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14061202 - 16 Mar 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3310
Abstract
The Diels–Alder reaction is recognized to generate highly selective and regiospecific cycloadducts. In this study, we carried out a rheological and kinetic study of N-furfuryl chitosan hydrogels based on the Diels–Alder click reaction with different poly(ethylene)glycol-maleimide derivatives in dilute aqueous acidic solutions. [...] Read more.
The Diels–Alder reaction is recognized to generate highly selective and regiospecific cycloadducts. In this study, we carried out a rheological and kinetic study of N-furfuryl chitosan hydrogels based on the Diels–Alder click reaction with different poly(ethylene)glycol-maleimide derivatives in dilute aqueous acidic solutions. It was possible to prepare clear and transparent hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties. Applying the Winter and Chambon criterion the gel times were estimated at different temperatures, and the activation energy was calculated. The higher the temperature of gelation, the higher the reaction rate. The crosslinking density and the elastic properties seem to be controlled by the diffusion of the polymer segments, rather than by the kinetics of the reaction. An increase in the concentration of any of the two functional groups is accompanied by a higher crosslinking density regardless maleimide:furan molar ratio. The hydrogel showed an improvement in their mechanical properties as the temperature increases up to 70 °C. Above that, there is a drop in G’ values indicating that there is a process opposing to the Diels–Alder reaction, most likely the retro-Diels–Alder. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications)
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20 pages, 4380 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Properties of the Triclosan-Loaded Polymeric Composite Based on Unsaturated Polyester Resin: Synthesis, Characterization and Activity
by Zhandos Tauanov, Olzhas Zakiruly, Zhuldyz Baimenova, Alzhan Baimenov, Nuraly S. Akimbekov and Dmitriy Berillo
Polymers 2022, 14(4), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14040676 - 10 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2546
Abstract
The manufacturing of sanitary and household furniture on a large scale with inherently antimicrobial properties is an essential field of research. This work focuses on the synthesis of polymer composites based on the unsaturated polyester of resin loaded with 5 wt.%-Triclosan produced by [...] Read more.
The manufacturing of sanitary and household furniture on a large scale with inherently antimicrobial properties is an essential field of research. This work focuses on the synthesis of polymer composites based on the unsaturated polyester of resin loaded with 5 wt.%-Triclosan produced by a co-mixing approach on automated technological complex with a potential for broad applications. According to findings, the polymer composite has a non-porous structure (surface area < 1.97 m2/g) suitable for sanitary applications to reduce the growth of bacteria. The chemical composition confirmed the presence of major elements, and the inclusion of Triclosan was quantitatively confirmed by the appearance of chlorine on XRF (1.67 wt.%) and EDS (1.62 wt.%) analysis. Thermal analysis showed the difference of 5 wt.% in weight loss, which confirms the loading of Triclosan into the polymer matrix. The polymer composite completely inhibited the strains of S. aureus 6538-P, S. aureus 39, S. epidermidis 12228, and Kl. Pneumoniae 10031 after 5-min contact time. The antimicrobial effects against Kl. pneumoniae 700603, Ps. aeruginosa 9027 and Ps. aeruginosa TA2 strains were 92.7%, 85.8% and 18.4%, respectively. The inhibition activity against C. albicans 10231 and C. albicans 2091 was 1.6% and 82.4%, respectively; while the clinical strain of C. albicans was inhibited by 92.2%. The polymer composite loaded with 5 wt.%-Triclosan displayed a stability over the period that illustrates the possibility of washing the composite surface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications)
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Review

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22 pages, 2967 KiB  
Review
The Impacts of Plastic Waste from Personal Protective Equipment Used during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Anelise Leal Vieira Cubas, Elisa Helena Siegel Moecke, Ana Paula Provin, Ana Regina Aguiar Dutra, Marina Medeiros Machado and Isabel C. Gouveia
Polymers 2023, 15(15), 3151; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153151 - 25 Jul 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3146
Abstract
The period from 2019 to 2022 has been defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an unprecedented demand for and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). However, the disposal of PPE without considering its environmental impact and proper waste management practices has become [...] Read more.
The period from 2019 to 2022 has been defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an unprecedented demand for and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). However, the disposal of PPE without considering its environmental impact and proper waste management practices has become a growing concern. The increased demand for PPE during the pandemic and associated waste management practices have been analyzed. Additionally, the discussion around treating these residues and exploring more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as biodegradable or reusable PPE, is crucial. The extensive use of predominantly non-degradable plastics in PPE has led to their accumulation in landfills, with potential consequences for marine environments through the formation of microplastics. Therefore, this article seeks to establish a connection between these issues and the Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing the importance of efficient management aligned with sustainable development objectives to address these emerging challenges and ensure a more sustainable future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications)
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32 pages, 3310 KiB  
Review
Polymer-Based Hybrid Nanoarchitectures for Cancer Therapy Applications
by Arun Kumar, Mirkomil Sharipov, Abbaskhan Turaev, Shavkatjon Azizov, Ismatdjan Azizov, Edwin Makhado, Abbas Rahdar, Deepak Kumar and Sadanand Pandey
Polymers 2022, 14(15), 3027; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153027 - 26 Jul 2022
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2643
Abstract
Globally, cancer is affecting societies and is becoming an important cause of death. Chemotherapy can be highly effective, but it is associated with certain problems, such as undesired targeting and multidrug resistance. The other advanced therapies, such as gene therapy and peptide therapy, [...] Read more.
Globally, cancer is affecting societies and is becoming an important cause of death. Chemotherapy can be highly effective, but it is associated with certain problems, such as undesired targeting and multidrug resistance. The other advanced therapies, such as gene therapy and peptide therapy, do not prove to be effective without a proper delivery medium. Polymer-based hybrid nanoarchitectures have enormous potential in drug delivery. The polymers used in these nanohybrids (NHs) provide them with their distinct properties and also enable the controlled release of the drugs. This review features the recent use of polymers in the preparation of different nanohybrids for cancer therapy published since 2015 in some reputed journals. The polymeric nanohybrids provide an advantage in drug delivery with the controlled and targeted delivery of a payload and the irradiation of cancer by chemotherapeutical and photodynamic therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Biomedical Engineering and Applications)
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