Biopolymer-Based Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Biomedical Applications of Electrospun Nanofibers

Introduction

Biopolymers include a wide range of materials from plants, animals, insects, microorganisms and synthetic materials which are biodegradable in nature. The term “biopolymers” encompass not only polymeric materials that occur naturally but also natural substances that have been polymerized into high molecular weight materials by biological systems (Lau et al., 2011). Compared to the synthetic polymers, biopolymers possess diverse and versatile biomedical applications. Natural polymers such as cellulose, chitosan, alginate, pectin, starch etc., exhibit remarkable properties such as purity, crystallinity, tensile solidity, improved elasticity, and extensive surface area than the synthetic polymers. Biodegradable polymers are broadly classified into three types. 1. Chemically synthesized biopolymers: It comprises of biodegradable polymers synthesized by chemical methods with biodegradable properties. It includes diverse polymers such as polycaprolactone, polyethylene oxide and polylactic acid etc., They are amenable to enzymatic modification or microbial degradation. 2. Biobased biodegradable polymers: These groups of polymers are biodegradable and compostable ex: cellulose, starch etc., these polymers are partially degradable and their degraded fragments are obstinate and prevail in nature for a long period of time. 3. Microbial biopolymers: Microbially derived polymers are synthesized by microbes under stress conditions both intra and extra cellular to cope up the harsh environmental conditions. Based on the structure and chemical composition, microbial biopolymers are grouped as bacterial cellulose, poly (γ- glutamic acid), hyaluronic acid, dextran and polyhydroxyalkanoates. Microbially derived polymers are completely safe, biodegradable, and biocompatible and zero toxic in nature. In recent years, studies on microbially derived biopolymers pretend to possess tunable properties and applications compared to other biodegradable polymers from natural sources. General outline classifications of biopolymers are summarized in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Outline classification of biopolymers

Nanotechnology is garnering significant attention in scientific research due to its diverse and commercial applications in diverse fields. Nanomaterials are given prime importance in the development of smart materials with versatile properties. The unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials such as size, high surface to volume ratio and quantum nature enable them for the application in multiple fields like medicine, biology and chemistry. The field of bionanotechnology ought to have a special focus due to its fascinating interdisciplinary approach of research that brings together biology, materials science, and nanotechnology for better clinical endings. Application of biopolymer based nanomaterials is gathering interest in diverse biomedical applications such as drug and gene delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, cancer therapy etc., Medical applications of biopolymers are depicted in Figure 2. Different nanomaterials such as nanofibers, nanocomposites and nanowires fabricated by nanotechniques such as electrospinning, sol-gel method, chemical vapour deposition and self assembly techniques have received importance in the field of bionanotechnology. Therefore, in this chapter it is intended discuss about the features, applications and limitations of biopolymer nanomaterials and their role in biomedical applications.

Figure 2

.Biomedical applications of biopolymers