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Biodegradable Polymers

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Biomaterials and Biopolymers

Part of the book series: AAPS Introductions in the Pharmaceutical Sciences ((AAPSINSTR,volume 7))

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Abstract

Biodegradable polymers are a rapidly growing field driven by increasing concerns about plastic waste and its environmental impact. Polymers prepared from inexpensive and renewable raw materials might be the perfect alternative to plastics, and the properties like biodegradability and biocompatibility make them suitable for various biomedical applications. The biodegradability of the polymers is controllable by altering the monomer concentration and adding hydrolytically degradable groups in the polymeric backbone. These biopolymers can provide a safe and effective way of preparing devices/implantable materials for various biomedical applications. This chapter discusses biodegradable polymers, their synthesis, biodegradability, biocompatibility, along with their advantages and disadvantages for various biomedical applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MDRCBB, Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Mudigunda V. Sushma, Aditya kadam & Isha Mutreja

  2. Division of Pediatrics Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Dhiraj Kumar

Authors
  1. Mudigunda V. Sushma
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  2. Aditya kadam
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  3. Dhiraj Kumar
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  4. Isha Mutreja
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isha Mutreja .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Centre for Cannabis Research and the Institute of Drug Research The Alex Grass Centre for Drug Design and Synthesis, Jerusalem, Israel

    Avi Domb

  2. Laboratory for Bio-materials Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Boaz Mizrahi

  3. The Laboratory for Advanced Functional/Medicinal Polymers & Smart Drug Delivery Technologies, The Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Shady Farah

Questions

Questions

  1. 1.

    Which option is correct for blending in the context of biodegradable polymers?

    1. (a)

      Grafting a biodegradable polymer on another polymer

    2. (b)

      Mixing two or more polymers to build a new material with improved properties

    3. (c)

      Chemically bonding polymer chains together to create a three-dimensional network

    4. (d)

      Polymerizing two or more different monomers to form a copolymer

  2. 2.

    Which of the following is an example biodegradable polymer?

    1. (a)

      Polylactic acid (PLA)

    2. (b)

      High molecular weight polyethylene

    3. (c)

      Polypropylene

    4. (d)

      Polyvinylchloride

  3. 3.

    Which monomers are used to synthesize PLGA?

    1. (a)

      Poly-L-lysine and glycolic acid

    2. (b)

      Lactose and glycine

    3. (c)

      Lactic acid and glycolic acid

    4. (d)

      Lactic acid and glycine

  4. 4.

    Which of the following methods increases the material’s strength and stability?

    1. (a)

      Ring-opening polymerization

    2. (b)

      Introduction of hydrolytically degradable groups

    3. (c)

      Grafting

    4. (d)

      Crosslinking

  5. 5.

    Which of the following is the protein-based polymer?

    1. (a)

      Polybutylene terephthalate

    2. (b)

      Silk

    3. (c)

      Polyethylene terephthalate

    4. (d)

      Polylactic acid

  6. 6.

    Which polymer is indigestible by humans?

    1. (a)

      Gelatin

    2. (b)

      Starch

    3. (c)

      Cellulose

    4. (d)

      Chitosan

  7. 7.

    Implantable medical devices prepared with biodegradable and biocompatible polymers have the following properties except.

    1. (a)

      It has minimal risk due to biodegradation and biocompatibility

    2. (b)

      No need to remove the implant by surgery

    3. (c)

      Produces harmful byproducts

    4. (d)

      Does not produce immunogenic responses

  8. 8.

    Why biopolymers are used in drug delivery?

    1. (a)

      It releases drugs all at once

    2. (b)

      It releases drugs in a controlled manner

    3. (c)

      It can release drugs at the targeted site

    4. (d)

      Both b and c

  9. 9.

    What are biodegradable polymers?

    1. (a)

      The polymers which do not degrade at all

    2. (b)

      The polymers do not degrade by enzymes and bacteria

    3. (c)

      The polymers degrade by enzymes, and bacteria and produce harmless byproducts

    4. (d)

      The polymers prepared from bacteria that do not degrade

  10. 10.

    What is the role of the scaffold in tissue engineering?

    1. (a)

      To create non-degradable artificial tissue

    2. (b)

      To support the cell attachment, growth, and differentiation

    3. (c)

      To prevent body from absorbing tissue

    4. (d)

      To make new tissue

1.1 Explanations

  1. 1.

    Poly lactic acid is a biodegradable polymer that is derived from resources like sugarcane, and corn starch. it has properties like high strength, stiffness, and good thermal properties.

  2. 2.

    In the context to biodegradable polymers, the term “blending” describes the process of combining two or more distinct polymers to create a composite material with improved properties. Strength, stiffness, thermal conductivity, and biodegradability could all be improved by this process.

  3. 3.

    Lactic and glycolic acid are used as the monomers in a ring-opening polymerization (ROP) reaction to synthesize PLGA. A catalyst, like stannous octoate, and a co-initiator, like benzyl alcohol, are used in the reaction to start the polymerization process. The ratio of lactic acid to glycolic acid controls the properties of PLGA, increasing glycolic acid proportion increases degradation rate, biodegradability, and hydrophilicity.

  4. 4.

    Crosslinking is the process of chemically linking or more polymer chains together to create a three-dimensional network structure. This process can increase the stability and strength of a material by preventing the sliding of chains and increasing the intermolecular forces between the chains.

  5. 5.

    Among the given options, two polymers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) are synthetic polymers made up of chemical reactions of synthetic monomers and they are non-biodegradable. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer made up of starch, and silk is only a protein-based natural polymer produced by silkworms, is it composed of two proteins sericin and fibroin.

  6. 6.

    Human digestive system can digest simple sugars like, glucose and fructose. The beta 1,4 glycosidic bond present in cellulose cannot be broken down by human digestive enzymes such as amylase.

  7. 7.

    Implantable medical devices prepared with biodegradable polymers would degrade in physiological conditions with time and form harmless byproducts, and there is no need to remove these implants by surgical procedure.

  8. 8.

    Biopolymers are biodegradable and biocompatible, which minimizes chances of toxicity and immune response to the delivery system, additionally, these polymers can be engineered to enhance the drug loading capacity, control release, and targeted delivery.

  9. 9.

    A scaffold is a three-dimensional structure used in tissue engineering those functions as a guide for the growth of new tissue. The scaffold gives cells a framework to stick to and arrange themselves on, directing the growth of new tissue and encouraging regeneration. it mimics the ECM of tissue which supports cell attachment, growth, and differentiation.

  10. 10.

    Biodegradable polymers are polymers that can be degraded naturally by enzymes, microorganisms, and other natural processes into harmless byproducts such as water and carbon dioxide. On the other hand, non-biodegradable polymers are a class of polymers that cannot degrade by these processes and can withstand this environment for many years. Some examples of biodegradable polymers are polylactic acids, polylactic acids, gelatin, and polyvinyl alcohol. In the given example (c) is the only option that defines a biodegradable polymer.

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Sushma, M.V., kadam, A., Kumar, D., Mutreja, I. (2023). Biodegradable Polymers. In: Domb, A., Mizrahi, B., Farah, S. (eds) Biomaterials and Biopolymers . AAPS Introductions in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36135-7_2

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