Lignin Composites for Biomedical Applications: Status, Challenges and Perspectives

Fruit pomace-lignin as a sustainable biopolymer for biomedical applications

“…Unconventional units are also recognized in transgenic or mutant plants to be the most important in the monolignol biosynthetic pathway (Boerjan et al, 2003;Ralph et al, 2019). Recent findings regarding the bioengineering of lignin have led to a revolution in many fields such as the biomedical industry (Eudes et al, 2014;Terzioğlu et al, 2020). For instance, zip-lignin is bio-engineered lignincontaining ester bonds in its structure (Wilkerson et al, 2014).…”

“…Furthermore, although matrices in lignin can be used for the controlled release of bioactivities in biomedical applications, the utilization of lignin used in this manner is limited by variabilities in water uptake and swelling capacity of lignin due to its inherent structural heterogeneity (Klugman, 2015). According to Terzioğlu et al (2020) the abundance of biomass such as waste pomace suggests that lignin-based applications may lead to improved economic outcomes compared to when synthetic polymer materials are used in biomedical applications. Notably, however, existing technologies are limited with respect to the use of lignin in 3D printing, meltelectrospinning, lithography, 3D braiding, etc.…”

“…Notably, however, existing technologies are limited with respect to the use of lignin in 3D printing, meltelectrospinning, lithography, 3D braiding, etc. (Terzioğlu et al, 2020). Furthermore, although the medical benefits of lignin, have been established in the literature, work is required to demonstrate the efficacy and long-term effects of such lignin-derived drugs.…”

“…Additional issues that may limit the applicability of pomace-lignin in the biomedical industry may be due to concerns associated with the translation of bench-scale experimental outcomes to practical large-scale operations. This is because the heterogeneity and non-ordered structure of lignin is indicative of its complexity and varying molecular weight distributions making standardization and large-scale production difficult for lignin-derived products difficult (Ralph et al, 2008;Terzioğlu et al, 2020;Zhang et al, 2006). This limitation significantly hinders the feasibility of designing novel lignin-based products such as composites that are characterized by distinct properties (Terzioğlu et al, 2020).…”

A Flexible and Moisturizing Multilayer Microporous Sponge Copolymerized with Keratin and Alginate

“…The inner layer is consistent with materials with good biocompatibility, strong water absorption, excellent air permeability, strong adhesion, excellent antibacterial performance, and hemostatic function. Biopolymer, such as collagen, bioactive fiber, [3,4] lignin, [5] and alginate, [6] were used as materials. It could not only absorb the wound exudate to ensure adequate drainage, but also keep the exudate part in the dressing to maintain a local moist environment imitating the physiological healing of the wound, which is conducive to the regeneration of the wound granulation tissue and epithelial cells, and accelerate the healing of the wound.…”