Biodegradable polymers—an overview

TLDR

Biodegradable polymers, first identified decades ago, have become central to biomaterials such as drug delivery systems, regenerative medicine, and implants, driving a surge in marketed products and clinical trials due to their synthetic versatility, customizability, long‑term biocompatibility, and the advantage of eliminating the need for surgical removal. This review surveys biodegradable polymers, detailing their properties, degradation mechanisms, and potential biomedical applications. The authors analyze polymer characteristics, degradation pathways, and application prospects to guide biomedical use. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

The revelation of biodegradable polymers dates back to many years ago. From then, their emergence leads to the surge of many biomaterials applicable in various fields like controlled drug delivery, regenerative medicine, orthopedic and long‐term implants which proved out to be momentous contributions of these materials. The immense effort and investigation kept on these materials are reflected by significant upsurge of the biodegradable polymer‐based marketed products and ongoing clinical trials of these materials. The synthetic versatility and flexible features of these polymers to get custom designed in accordance with need make them attractive for various therapeutic strategies. Long‐term biocompatibility and avoidance of surgery to remove implants are the main advantages of biodegradable materials over biostable polymers by which the former stand in for various indications over the latter. This review gives an overview on various biodegradable polymers with details on properties, mode of degradation and the potential biomedical applications associated with them. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.