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Special Issue "Smart Polymers and Their Aggregates in Biomedical Applications"

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2023 | Viewed by 5280

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xibo Yan

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Guest Editor

School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
Interests: polymer self-assembly; smart nanomaterials; biomacromolecules

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Smart polymers (or stimuli-responsive polymers) can undergo drastic changes in structures, properties, and functions in response to external stimuli or signals (e.g., temperature, light, sound, chemicals, electric fields, magnetic fields, etc.) from the surrounding environment. Such unique behavior makes smart polymers or smart polymer-based materials as programmable practical platforms for a large range of biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, therapeutic agents, bioimaging, tissue engineering, and so on.

This Special Issue “Smart Polymers and Their Aggregates in Biomedical Applications” will cover the recent development of smart polymers and intelligent polymeric materials ranging from delicate design, synthesis, and preparation to functional applications in biomedical fields. In addition, other fundamental topics, such as the theoretical study of programmable responsive behaviors of the polymer and polymeric materials are also encompassed in this Special Issue. Research articles, reviews, perspectives, as well as communications and letters are welcome.

Dr. Xibo Yan
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

smart polymers
stimuli-responsive polymers
biomacromolecules
glycopolymers
macromolecular drugs
smart nanomaterials
nanomedicines
advanced biomaterials
hydrogels
soft robotics

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Gelatin/Hyaluronic Acid Scaffold Coupled to CpG and MAGE-A5 as a Treatment against Murine Melanoma

Gabriela Piñón-Zárate

Beatriz Hernández-Téllez

Katia Jarquín-Yáñez

Miguel Ángel Herrera-Enríquez

América Eréndira Fuerte-Pérez

Esther Alejandra Valencia-Escamilla

and

Andrés Eliú Castell-Rodríguez

Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4608; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214608 - 30 Oct 2022

Viewed by 997

Abstract

The half-time of cells and molecules used in immunotherapy is limited. Scaffolds-based immunotherapy against cancer may increase the half-life of the molecules and also support the migration and activation of leukocytes in situ. For this purpose, the use of gelatin (Ge)/hyaluronic acid (HA) scaffolds coupled to CpG and the tumor antigen MAGE-A5 is proposed. Ge and HA are components of the extracellular matrix that stimulate cell adhesion and activation of leucocytes; CpG can promote dendritic cell maturation, and MAGE-A5 a specific antitumor response. C57BL/6 mice were treated with Ge/HA/scaffolds coupled to MAGE-A5 and/or CpG and then challenged with the B16-F10 melanoma cell line. Survival, tumor growth rate and the immune response induced by the scaffolds were analyzed. Ge/HA/CpG and Ge/HA/MAGE-A5 mediated dendritic cell maturation and macrophage activation, increased survival, and decreased the tumor growth rate and a tumor parenchyma with abundant cell death areas and abundant tumor cells with melanin granules. Only the scaffolds coupled to MAGE-A5 induced the activation of CD8 T cells. In conclusion, Ge/HA scaffolds coupled to CpG or MAGE-A5, but not the mixture, can induce a successful immune response capable of promoting tumor cell clearance and increased survival. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Their Aggregates in Biomedical Applications)

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Biomaterials as Implants in the Orthopedic Field for Regenerative Medicine: Metal versus Synthetic Polymers

Faisal Dakhelallah Al-Shalawi

Azmah Hanim Mohamed Ariff

Dong-Won Jung

Mohd Khairol Anuar Mohd Ariffin

Collin Looi Seng Kim

Dermot Brabazon

and

Maha Obaid Al-Osaimi

Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2601; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122601 - 07 Jun 2023

Viewed by 2170

Abstract

Patients suffering bone fractures in different parts of the body require implants that will enable similar function to that of the natural bone that they are replacing. Joint diseases (rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis) also require surgical intervention with implants such as hip and knee joint replacement. Biomaterial implants are utilized to fix fractures or replace parts of the body. For the majority of these implant cases, either metal or polymer biomaterials are chosen in order to have a similar functional capacity to the original bone material. The biomaterials that are employed most often for implants of bone fracture are metals such as stainless steel and titanium, and polymers such as polyethene and polyetheretherketone (PEEK). This review compared metallic and synthetic polymer implant biomaterials that can be employed to secure load-bearing bone fractures due to their ability to withstand the mechanical stresses and strains of the body, with a focus on their classification, properties, and application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Their Aggregates in Biomedical Applications)

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Open AccessReview

Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems: An Inspiring Therapeutic Strategy for Neurodegenerative Diseases

and

Polymers 2023, 15(9), 2196; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15092196 - 05 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are common, incurable neurological disorders with high prevalence, and lead to memory, movement, language, and intelligence impairments, threatening the lives and health of patients worldwide. The blood–brain barrier (BBB), a physiological barrier between the central nervous system and peripheral blood circulation, plays an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of the intracerebral environment by strictly regulating the transport of substances between the blood and brain. Therefore, it is difficult for therapeutic drugs to penetrate the BBB and reach the brain, and this affects their efficacy. Nanoparticles (NPs) can be used as drug transport carriers and are also known as nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems (NDDSs). These systems not only increase the stability of drugs but also facilitate the crossing of drugs through the BBB and improve their efficacy. In this article, we provided an overview of the types and administration routes of NPs, highlighted the preclinical and clinical studies of NDDSs in neurodegenerative diseases, and summarized the combined therapeutic strategies in the management of neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, the prospects and challenges of NDDSs in recent basic and clinical research were also discussed. Above all, NDDSs provide an inspiring therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Their Aggregates in Biomedical Applications)

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Special Issue "Smart Polymers and Their Aggregates in Biomedical Applications"

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