NATURAL POLYMERS OF BACTERIAL ORIGIN AND THEIR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Ipsita Roy
Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Westminster W1W 6UW, UK
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are natural polymers produced by bacteria under nutrient limiting conditions [1]. These polymers are biodegradable and biocompatible in nature and hence can be used in a variety of medical applications such as tissue engineering, wound healing, medical device production and drug delivery [2, 3]. PHA synthases are the main enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of PHAs. Due to their varied mechanical properties and degradation rates, PHAs can be used to replace a range of tissue types including bone [4], nerve [5], cartilage [6], pancreas, cardiac4 and skin. In addition, they can be used for short term and long term controlled drug delivery. The talk will describe various PHA biosynthetic pathways, the PHA synthase enzyme, various modes of PHA production and their application in hard and soft tissue engineering, biodegradable stent production [7], nerve conduit production [5], cardiac patch development [8], wound healing and controlled drug delivery applications.
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[7] Basnett P, Kyon YC, Stolz M, Knowles JC, Boccaccini AR, Smith C, Locke CI, Roy I. Aspirin loaded PHA films: new materials for biodegradable drug eluting stents. Bioinspired Biomim Nanobiomater 2013; 2(BBN3):141-53.
[8] Basnett P, Kyon YC, Stolz M, Knowles JC, Boccaccini AR, Smith C, Locke CI, Keshavarz T, Roy I. Novel Poly (3-hydroxyoctanoate)/ Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) blends for medical application. React Func Polym 2013; 73:1340–48.