Classification and Medical Applications of Biomaterials–A Mini Review

Abstract

Biomaterials are natural, synthetic, or hybrid materials, which are used in medical devices or implants that are placed in contact with the human biological system to compensate for or restore diminished functions of the body. The field of biomaterials has rapidly developed to meet the ever-expanding needs in healthcare and medicine practices. Advancements in science and technology have enabled the fabrication and reengineering of biomaterials into useful medical devices or implants, such as heart valves, bone plates, hip joints, and cardiac pacemakers. Because biomaterials are placed in continuous close contact with the recipient’s body fluids or tissues, the classification of available biomaterials is crucial for selecting safer and highly biocompatible materials. This review focuses on biomaterial classification, namely bioceramic, polymeric, and metallic biomaterials. Their medical applications, advantages, and disadvantages are discussed. Current trends in biomaterials involved in disease treatments, such as controlled drug delivery and cancer therapy, are additionally explored.

Advancing burn wound treatment: exploring hydrogel as a transdermal drug delivery system

“…Hydrogels exhibit 3D, hydrophilic, insoluble structures composed of crosslinked polymer chains that undergo swelling in aqueous solutions without disintegration (Yao et al., 2021 ). Hydrogels can be synthesized from natural or synthetic polymers, or a combination of both (Jiann Chong et al., 2022 ). Polymeric hydrogels have garnered significant attention in wound dressing research due to their hydrophilic, ability to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM), biocompatibility, and biodegradability (Madaghiele et al., 2014 ; Pan et al., 2021 ).…”

Developments in Biomedical Materials: From Conventional Implantation to State-of-the-Art Pharmaceutical Uses

“…Different biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, drug transport, therapies, and diagnostics can benefit from the diverse range of shapes and functionalities that synthetic polymers provide. Polymeric biomaterials have a number of intrinsic features that affect their biocompatibility, including material chemistry, molecular weight, solubility, form, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, surface energy, water absorption, and degradation mechanism [10]. Synthetic or natural bioceramics have become a competitive alternative to metallic implants because of their ability to form a link with bone [11].…”

Advances in Biodegradable Polymers and Biomaterials for Medical Applications—A Review

“…In addition, the main advantages of polymeric materials are ease of processing, low cost of production, and the possibility of modification. However, these materials have a number of disadvantages, including absorbing water and protein in the human body, and their surfaces are easily contaminated and difficult to sterilize [35]. Therefore, before their potential use in medicine, they undergo a number of tests and modifications.…”

“…However, it should be remembered that the suitability of a given synthetic material for medical applications is conditioned by the structure of the main compound that is part of the polymer and the type of additional component used [4]. Currently, various synthetic polymeric materials are used in many medical applications, including polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyurethanes [35]. However, biodegradable polymers have recently gained a lot of interest.…”