Bionanocomposites of Alginates, Their Chemistry, and Applications

NANCY LIS GARCIA; NORMA DACCORSO; MARIO CONTIN; CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

Alginate: Versatile Polymers in Biomedical Applications and Therapeutics

Apple Academic Press

Año: 2018; p. 35 - 70

The bionanocomposites are composites materials that contain constituent(s) of biological origin and particles with at least one dimension in the range of 1-100 nm. Choosing an adequate polymer matrix is the key for getting most salient properties of bionanocomposites related to biocompatibility, biodegradability, and good mechanical properties.Alginate (ALG) is a preferred biodegradable biomaterial which consists in â-D-mannuronic (M) and á-L-guluronic acid residues used in bionanocomposite formulation, especially in biomedicine like cell transplantation, regeneration of skin, cartilage, bone, liver, cardiac tissue, wound dressings and scaffold materials. (ALG) is a naturally biocompatible polysaccharide with strong hydrophilic character that maintains a physiologically moist microenvironment, minimizes the bacterial contamination, mild ionotropic gelation and excellent injectability.The aim of this chapter is to review the last studies and developments in the field of alginate based composites, especially in drug delivery by nanoencapsulation and regenerative medicine in the development of bone tissue engineering.