Polymers from natural sources are particularly useful as biomaterials and in regenerative medicine, given their similarity to the polymers in the human body. This volume reviews the wealth of research on both established and promising new natural-based biomedical polymers, together with their applications as implantable biomaterials, controlled-release carriers, or scaffolds for tissue engineering.

The book explains the sources, processing, and properties of natural-based polymers for biomedical use; explains how surface modification of these materials improves their functionality; discusses the use of natural-based polymers for hydrogels in tissue engineering and for encapsulation and regenerative medicine; summarizes the use of natural-based polymers as delivery systems for drugs, hormones, enzymes, and growth factors; and more.

From the Preface: “Polymers and polymeric-based systems play a key role in most devices used in distinct biomedical applications. Among them, polymers of natural origin are one of the most attractive options, mainly due to their similarities with the extracellular matrix and other polymers found in the human body. Such systems are also chemically versatile, may be modified by well established chemical methods and usually exhibit a rather good biological performance. This book describes both the most widely studied, as well as some of the most promising naturally-derived polymers that have been more recently suggested...”

Target Audience: Biomedical scientists and engineers, pharmacologists, materials scientists, and other readers interested in biomedical uses of natural-based polymers.

Table of Contents:

Sources, Properties, Modification and Processing of Natural-Based Polymers:

Polysaccharides as Carriers of Bioactive Agents for Medical Applications

Purification of Naturally Occurring Biomaterials

Processing of Starch-Based Blends for Biomedical Applications

Controlling the Degradation of Natural Polymers for Biomedical Applications

Smart Systems Based on PolySaccharides

Surface Modification and Biomimetic Coatings:

Surface Modification for Natural-Based Biomedical Polymers

New Biomineralizaztion Strategies for the Use of Natural-Based Polymeric Materials in Bone-Tissue Engineering

Natural-Based Multilayer Films for Biomedical Applications

Peptide Modification of Polysaccharide Scaffolds for Targeted Cell Signaling

Biodegradable Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration:

Scaffolds Based on Hyaluronan Derivatives in Biomedical Applications

Electrospun Elastin and Collagen Nanofibers and Their Application as Biomaterials

Starch-Polycaprolactone Based Scaffolds in Bone and Cartilage Tissue Engineering Approaches

Chitosan-Based Scaffolds in Orthopedic Applications

Elastin-Like Systems for Tissue Engineering

Collagen-Based Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Polyhydroxyalkanoate and Its Potential for Biomedical Applications

Electrospinning of Natural Proteins for Tissue Engineering Scaffolding

Naturally-Derived Hyrdogels: Fundamentals, Challenges and Applications in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine:

Hydrogels from Polysaccharide-Based Materials: Fundamentals and Applications in Regenerative Medicine

Alginate Hydrogels as Matrices for Tissue Engineering

Fibrin Matrices in Tissue Engineering

Natural-Based Polymers for Encapsulation of Living Cells: Fundamentals, Applications and Challenges

Hydrogels for Spinal Cord Injury Regeneration

Systems for the Sustained Release of Molecules:

Particles for Controlled Drug Delivery

Thiolated Chitosans in Non-Invasive Drug Delivery

Chitosan—Polysaccharide Blended Nanoparticles for Controlled Drug Delivery

Biocompatibility of Natural-Based Polymers:

Immunological Issues in Tissue Engineering

Biocompatibility of Hyaluronic Acid: From Cell Recognition to Therapeutic Applications

Biocompatibility of Starch-Based Polymers

Vascularization Strategies in Tissue Engineering

Index