ABSTRACT
Microencapsulation being an emerging technique has provided effective solution to the challenges faced by pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food agriculture and textile industries to deliver ingredients in their active forms to the target sites. Chitosan is a non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible amino polysaccharide which makes it useful for the encapsulation of various active ingredients with potential applications. Chitosan coating on food products, for example, gives them protection from possible antimicrobial attacks, antioxidants and extended shelf life. Likewise, its coating on pharmaceutics has valuable applications in preserving drug and their targeted delivery. In this review, we discuss the formation of chitosan, its properties, microencapsulation process, micro-capsular morphologies, selection of core and shell materials in addition to the process of chitosan encapsulation of various active ingredients and their applications in various fields of science and technology.
Subject(s)
Chitosan/chemistry , Cosmetic Techniques , Drug Industry , Food Industry , Textile Industry , Capsules/chemistry , Carbohydrate Conformation , Drug CompoundingABSTRACT
Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) has been considered as a promising biopolymer produced in certain microbes under specific fermentative and physiological conditions. Being less functional, hydrophobic and brittle, the processability of PHB is difficult which limits its widespread applications. However, its blends with suitable biopolymers, for instance biopolyesters, may impart in them desirable structural functionalities and properties, such as surface reactivity, amphiphilicity, controlled degradation and mechanical strength; thus making them inevitable candidates for biomedical applications. Herein, various chemical modification approaches have been discussed and analyzed including hydroxylation, aminolysis, block copolymerization (via either grafting or blending) with suitable biopolymers. The mentioned approaches may tune the mechanical and other desirable properties of resultant blends for value added biomedical applications particularly in drug delivery, tissue engineering and so on. Furthermore, some key areas have been highlighted where the future research may be focused.
Subject(s)
Hydroxybutyrates/chemistry , Polymers/chemistry , Animals , Biopolymers/chemistry , Drug Delivery Systems/methods , Humans , Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions , Polyesters/chemistry , Polymerization , ProhibitinsABSTRACT
Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) has become an attractive biomaterial in research and development for past few years. It is natural bio-based aliphatic polyester produced by many types of bacteria. Due to its biodegradable, biocompatible, and eco-friendly nature, PHB can be used in line with bioactive species. However, high production cost, thermal instability, and poor mechanical properties limit its desirable applications. So there is need to incorporate PHB with other materials or biopolymers for the development of some novel PHB based biocomposites for value addition. Many attempts have been employed to incorporate PHB with other biomaterials (or biopolymers) to develop sustainable biocomposites. In this review, some recent developments in the synthesis of PHB based biocomposites and their biomedical, packaging and tissue engineering applications have been focused. The development of biodegradable PHB based biocomposites with improved mechanical properties could be used to overcome its native limitations hence to open new possibilities for industrial applications.
