Polyphenol uses in biomaterials engineering

Abstract

Polyphenols are micronutrients obtained from diet that have been suggested to play an important role in health. The health benefits of polyphenols and their protective effects in food systems as antioxidant compounds are well known and have been extensively investigated. However, their functional roles as a "processing cofactor" in tissue engineering applications are less widely known. This review focuses on the functionality of polyphenols and their application in biomaterials. Polyphenols have been used to stabilize collagen and to improve its resistance to degradation in biological systems. Therefore, they have been proposed to improve the performance of biomedical devices used in cardiovascular systems by improving the mechanical properties of grafted heart valves, enhancing microcirculation through the relaxation of the arterial walls and improving the capillary blood flow and pressure resistance. Polyphenols have been found to stimulate bone formation, mineralization, as well as the proliferation, differentiation, and the survival of osteoblasts. These effects are brought about by the stimulatory effect of polyphenols on osteoblast cells and their protective effect against oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. In addition, polyphenols inhibit the differentiation of the osteoclast cells. Collectively, these actions lead to promote bone formation and to reduce bone resorption, respectively. Moreover, polyphenols can increase the cross-linking of dentine and hence its mechanical stability. Overall, polyphenols provide interesting properties that will stimulate further research in the bioengineering field.

Pentagalloyl Glucose and Its Functional Role in Vascular Health: Biomechanics and Drug-Delivery Characteristics

“…68 Binding of PGG with the structural proteins (primarily collagen and elastin) in the tissues (hydrophobic regions) provided superior compatibility, integration, and biomechanical stability to the cardiovascular grafts/scaffolds in several preclinical studies. 33,35,71,150,170 The remedial benefits (non-vascular) of PGG are summarized in Appendix Tables I and II.…”

Surface Functionalization of Bioactive Glasses with Polyphenols from Padina pavonica Algae and In Situ Reduction of Silver Ions: Physico-Chemical Characterization and Biological Response

“…The introduction of polyphenols from P. pavonica algae extract did not decrease cells metabolism, thus demonstrating cytocompatibility. Besides their recognized antibacterial activity, polyphenols are known to be effective at free radicals scavenging [42][43][44][45]. In cell cultures, they can directly interact with cell cytoskeletons through the phenolic hydroxyl groups [42][43][44].…”

“…Besides their recognized antibacterial activity, polyphenols are known to be effective at free radicals scavenging [42][43][44][45]. In cell cultures, they can directly interact with cell cytoskeletons through the phenolic hydroxyl groups [42][43][44]. Due to this tight interaction, polyphenols seem to be effective at protecting cells from damage due to oxidative stress, thus supporting proliferation [46].…”

Extracellular vesicle (EV)-polyphenol nanoaggregates for microRNA-based cancer diagnosis

“…Polyphenolic biomolecules, including (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), contain many catechol and gallol functional groups that influence protein binding and aggregation via hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and π-π stacking interactions [19][20][21][22][23][24] . The strong adhesive properties of polyphenol to biological molecules 25 permit the collection of exosomes in biofluids (e.g., whole blood, plasma, serum, and urine) for diagnostic and clinical assessment. A recent study demonstrated that green tea-derived polyphenolic molecules interact with isotropic bicelle lipid membranes; likewise, the gallol ring of EGCG interacts with the trimethylammonium group on the surface of lipid membranes 21,24,26 .…”