Review
Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s: Diversification and biomedical applications: A state of the art review

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Abstract

Biomaterials have played an important role in the treatment of disease and the improvement of health care. Synthetic and naturally occurring biodegradable and biocompatible polymers have been used as biomaterials. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising materials for biomedical applications because they are biodegradable, non-toxic and biocompatible. We will shortly summarize the modification reactions, which include functionalization and grafting reactions, to improve the mechanical, thermal and hydrophilic properties of PHAs. The use of the modified PHAs in numerous biomedical applications, such as sutures, cardiovascular patches, wound dressings, scaffolds in tissue engineering, tissue repair/regeneration devices, drug carriers will be discussed in this review.

Highlights

► More recent chemical and biosynthetic modifications of the poly-3-hydroxy alkanoates (PHAs) were discussed. ► The more recent functionalization in point of enhanced hydrophilicity and mechanical properties of the PHAs was discussed. ► More recent in vivo biocompatibility of the diversified PHAs was reviewed. ► Medical application of the PHAs was reviewed.

Abbreviations

PHA
Polyhydroxyalkanoates
SclPHA
short chain length PHA
MclPHA
medium chain length PHA
PHACOS
poly-3-hydroxy-6-acetylthiohexanoate-co-4-acetylthiobutanoate
PHBHx
poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)
PHOU
poly(3-hydroxy-octanoate-co-3-hydroxy 10-undecenoate)
PHA-Sy
poly(3-hydroxy alkenoate) from soybean oil
PMMA
poly(methyl methacrylate)
THF
tetrahydrofuran
PHA-g-PTHF
poly(3-hydroxy alkanoates-graft-poly tetra hydro furan)
ATRP
atom transfer radical polymerization
P(3HB-co-4HB)
poly(3-hydroxy butyrate-co-4-hydroxy butyrate)
PHBV
poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)
CRP
C-Reactive Protein
HA
hydroxy apatite
P(3HB-co-3HHx)
poly(3-hydroxy butyrate-co-3-hydroxy hexanoate)
HMSCs
human mesenchymal stem cells

Keywords

Microbial polyester
Poly(3-hydroxy alkanoate)
Biomaterials
Biocompatibility
Medical applications

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Derya Burcu Hazer achieved her M.D in Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine in 2002 and worked as a research assistant in the same university, Department of Neurosurgery in between 2003 and 2009. She became neurosurgeon with a professional thesis on ‘Peripheral Nerve Grafting with poly-3-hydroxyoctanoate as an Alternative to Nerve Autograft’ in 2009, Hacettepe, Ankara, Turkey. Since then she has been working on in-vivo soft tissue response of different types of bacterial polyesters, especially behavior of PHAs in central nervous system. She practiced neurosurgery for two years in Çankırı State Hospital, Turkey. Now, she had an Assistant professor position in Muğla University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Muğla, Turkey.

Ebru Kılıçay was graduated from Hacettepe University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemistry and achieved her Msc from the same university, Institute of Pure and Applied Science Chemistry Dept. Biochemistry Division. She obtained her PhD from Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Institute of Pure and Applied Science Chemistry Department Biochemistry Division. She has been studying on production and characterization of polymeric biomaterials and modification of the surface of polymeric biomaterials by different methods (by chemically, biologically, plasma, etc.). She is also interested in preparation and characterization of nanotherapeutics, nanotechnologic approach in tissue engineering.

Baki Hazer received his PhD degree from the Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey, in 1978, and his M.S. and B.S. degrees in chemical engineering from the College of Chemical Engineering, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey, in 1972. He was a Visiting Scientist for the NASA-Glenn joint research project at The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, USA, in 2007. He had an honorary membership by the Turkish Chemical Society in May 2005. He received the NATO Collaborative Research Grant at the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass, USA, in 1995–1997, and was Fulbright Visiting Professor at the same department in 1992–1993. Hazer also received a postdoctoral fellowship by KTU at the University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK, in 1979–1980. He is a Member of the Turkish Chemical Society and Member of the Editorial Boards of Hacettepe Journal of Biology and Chemistry and Journal of Clinical Rehabilitative Tissue Engineering Research (CRTER). He is specialized in polymer chemistry, polymers from renewable sources, bacterial polyesters, block and graft copolymers, macromonomeric initiators, polymer modification, and crosslinked polymers.

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