Microbiologically extracted poly(hydroxyalkanoates) and its amalgams as therapeutic nano-carriers in anti-tumor therapies.

Requisite of contriving strategies for mitigating polymeric waste generated in Nature via synthetic polymers has conceded in development of biopolymers like poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), poly(hydroxyvalerate) (PHV), poly(lactic acid) (PLA) etc. Amongst all these biopolymers, PHB and its assorted homologues have sought more attention from scientific researchers due to their non-toxic nature coupled with their intrinsic biodegradability as well as biocompatibility. Concurrently, they also demonstrate ease of production via microbial fermentation and closely analogous physical traits against their synthetic counterparts utilized in biomedical sector. Researchers have extensively exploited PHB and its amalgams for an array of biomedical functions extending from carriers for drug delivery to scaffolds in tissue engineering to resorbable medical devices like cardiovascular grafts and so on. Additionally, advancement of science and technology in recent times has realized in utilization of PHB and its various derivatives as chemoembolizing agents as well as carriers of encapsulated drugs in nanomedicine sector for cancer treatment functions. PHB and its derivative polymeric systems have been extensively explored and probed, however, no amalgamated information on their effective utilization in cancer treatment applications is available as such. Within this review, we consolidate and discuss current progress and strategies of PHB and its copious amalgams from available literature, while concurrently outlining their future potential for implementation in cancer treatment as nano-carriers for therapeutic agents.

Biocompatible alkyl cyanoacrylates and their derivatives as bio-adhesives.

Cyanoacrylate adhesives and their homologues have elicited interest over the past few decades owing to their applications in the biomedical sector, extending from tissue adhesives to scaffolds to implants to dental material and adhesives, because of their inherent biocompatibility and ability to polymerize solely with moisture, thanks to which they adhere to any substrate containing moisture such as the skin. The ability to tailor formulations of alkyl cyanoacrylate to form derivative compounds to meet application requirements along with their biodegradability in conjunction with their inherent biocompatibility make them highly sought after candidates in the biomedical sector. There has been extensive exploration of cyanoacrylate adhesives and their homologue systems in biomedical applications, but no consolidated literature of the vast data is available. The ability of cyanoacrylate adhesives to cure at low temperatures and without the need for any hardener, which is attributed to the high-strength bonding interaction between two non-amalgamating substrates, with their ease of dispersion and self-curing, avoids the curtailing of the effective utilization of such adhesives in biomedical engineering applications as bio glues for amalgamating tissues, implants, scaffolds etc. This article consolidates copious work on cyanoacrylate adhesives and their derived systems which are functional in versatile biomedical engineering applications such as bio glues, dental material and adhesives and other potential applications.