Bioactive Polymeric Systems

The vast array of libraries in the world bear mute witness to the truth of the 3000-year-old observation of King Solomon who stated " ... of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh." Yet books are an essential written record of our lives and the progress of science and humanity. Here is another book to add to this huge collection, but, hopefully, not just another collection of pages, but rather a book with a specific purpose to aid in alleviating the "weariness of the flesh" that could arise from much studying of other journals and books in order to obtain the basic information contained herein. This book is about polymeric materials and biological activity, as the title notes. Polymeric materials, in the broad view taken here, would include not only synthetic polymers (e.g., polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, polyamides, etc.), but also the natural macromolecules (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides) which compose natural tissues in humans, animals and plants. In the broad sense used here, biological activity is any type of such action whether it be in medication, pest control, plant-growth regu lation, and so on. In short, this book attempts to consider, briefly, the use of any type of polymeric material system with essentially any kind of biological activity.

The biological and biomedical applications of polymeric materials have increased greatly in the past few years. This book will detail some, but not all, of these recent developments. There would not be enough space in this book to cover, even lightly, all of the major advances that have occurred. Some earlier books and summaries are available by two of this book's Editors (Gebelein & Carraher) and these should be consul ted for additional information. The books are: "Bioactive Polymeric Systems" (Plenum, 1985); "Polymeric Materials In Medication" (Plenum, 1985); "Biological Acti vi ties of Polymers" (American Chemical Society, 1982). Of these three, "Bioacti ve Polymeric Systems" should be the most useful to a person who is new to this field because it only contains review articles written at an introductory level. The present book primarily consists of recent research results and applications, with only a few review or summary articles. Bioactive polymeric materials have existed from the creation of life itself. Many firmly believe that life could not even exist unless poly meric materials are used to form the basic building blocks. Although this assumption can not be rigorously proven, it is a fact that most, if not all, of the major biochemical pathways involve polymeric species, such as the proteins (including enzymes), polysaccharides and nucleic acids.

The successful applications of synthetic polymers in medicine depend mainly on their physico-chemical and special characteristics. This book deals mainly with the kinetic and structural aspects which are essential for the realization of these characteristics.

Some have predicted that the coming several decades will be the decades of "biotechnology," wherein cancer, birth defects, life span increases, cosmetics, biodegradation, oil spills and exploration, solid waste disposal, and almost every aspect of our material life will be affected by this new area of science. There will also be an extension of emphasis on giant molecules: DNA, enzymes, polysaccharides, lignins, proteins, hemoglobin, and many others. Biotechnology has been defined in various ways. In one sense, this field is older than human history and references to the human use of biotechnology-derived materials can be found in the oldest human writings, such as the Bible. In this book, biotechnology refers to the direct usage of naturally occurring materials or their uses as a feedstock, including the associated biological activities and applications of these materials. Bioactive polymers, on the other hand, are polymers which exert some type of activity on living organisms. These polymers are used in agriculture, controlled release systems, medicine and many other areas. The papers in this book describe polymers which essentially combine features of biotechnology and bioactivity.

Biomedical applications of Polymers from Scaffolds toNanostructures The ability of polymers to span wide ranges of mechanicalproperties and morph into desired shapes makes them useful for avariety of applications, including scaffolds, self-assemblingmaterials, and nanomedicines. With an interdisciplinary list ofsubjects and contributors, this book overviews the biomedicalapplications of polymers and focuses on the aspect of regenerativemedicine. Chapters also cover fundamentals, theories, and tools forscientists to apply polymers in the following ways: Matrix protein interactions with synthetic surfaces Methods and materials for cell scaffolds Complex cell-materials microenvironments in bioreactors Polymer therapeutics as nano-sized medicines for tissuerepair Functionalized mesoporous materials for controlleddelivery Nucleic acid delivery nanocarriers Concepts include macro and nano requirements for polymers aswell as future perspectives, trends, and challenges in the field.From self-assembling peptides to self-curing systems, this bookpresents the full therapeutic potential of novel polymeric systemsand topics that are in the leading edge of technology.

Conventional materials technology has yielded clear improvements in regenerative medicine. Ideally, however, a replacement material should mimic the living tissue mechanically, chemically, biologically and functionally. The use of tissue-engineered products based on novel biodegradable polymeric systems will lead to dramatic improvements in health