Bio-Based Polymers with Antimicrobial Properties towards Sustainable Development

Abstract

This article concisely reviews the most recent contributions to the development of sustainable bio-based polymers with antimicrobial properties. This is because some of the main problems that humanity faces, nowadays and in the future, are climate change and bacterial multi-resistance. Therefore, scientists are trying to provide solutions to these problems. In an attempt to organize these antimicrobial sustainable materials, we have classified them into the main families; i.e., polysaccharides, proteins/polypeptides, polyesters, and polyurethanes. The review then summarizes the most recent antimicrobial aspects of these sustainable materials with antimicrobial performance considering their main potential applications in the biomedical field and in the food industry. Furthermore, their use in other fields, such as water purification and coating technology, is also described. Finally, some concluding remarks will point out the promise of this theme.

Assessment of biological activities of chitosan Schiff base tagged with medicinal plants

“…The screening of the constituents of medicinal plants in therapeutic purpose gained importance since antimicrobial resistance has become a serious problem . The chitosan, modified chitosan derivatives and combination with antimicrobial agents must fight antimicrobial resistance of antibiotics …”

“…[59][60][61] The chitosan, modified chitosan derivatives and combination with antimicrobial agents must fight antimicrobial resistance of antibiotics. [11] 4 | CONCLUSIONS Chitosan Schiff bases gained prominence due to their biological importance against pathogenic bacteria, fungi and MDR bacteria. The chemically modified chitosan reported here showed improvement of its biological potential in terms of antibacterial and antifungal efficacy.…”

“…Chitosan shows antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli , Staphylococci , Coliforms , Corynebacterium michiganense , Staphylococcus aureus , and Micrococcus luteus . Antibacterial activity of chitosan is also significant against foodborne diseases mostly caused by S aureus and Aeromonas hydrophila . Chemical modification of chitosan has got serious attention in the scientific community because alterations in the chitosan structure can enhance its biological and functional properties .…”

Physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of in situ crosslinked alginate/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose/ε‐polylysine films

“…For the first case, the polymer chains carry functional groups such as amine and quaternary ammonium groups . In the second case, synthetic or natural antibiotics can be chemically or physically attached to the polymer matrices . Polysaccharides are interesting materials for the development of antimicrobial coatings for food or wound dressings due to their biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and biodegradability.…”

“…1 In the second case, synthetic or natural antibiotics can be chemically or physically attached to the polymer matrices. 2 Polysaccharides are interesting materials for the development of antimicrobial coatings for food 3 or wound dressings 4 due to their biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and biodegradability. Alginate (Alg), an anionic polysaccharide found in the cell walls of brown algae, composed of β-(1-4) linked D-mannuronic acid (M) and α-(1-4) linked L-guluronic acid (G) blocks [ Figure 1(a)], is widely used for food and drug formulations.…”