Stimuli-responsive Biomaterials with Pharmacological Applications

Natural and synthetic biomaterials are useful for different biological and industrial applications, and their impact, as well as the interest (in both academy and industry) in those materials, have grown up in the last few years. This chapter presents some advances in the synthesis of biopolymers and related materials using different synthetic and non-synthetic strategies (from conventional chemical synthesis using click reactions and more sophisticated ones, such as electrospinning) and their applications in the field of medicine and biology. For the treatment of diseases and tissue engineering, we describe several biomaterials prepared by different extraction methodologies from natural sources (e.g., chitosan and collagen) and their benefits as biodegradability, circular economy, and recycling. Several synthetic approximations for the preparation of biopolymers and their potential in several applications are discussed based on the available information about synthesis, application, and biodegradability. As several approaches are currently applied for the synthesis of biomaterials with different applications, in the second and last sections, we discuss some of these strategies considering the green chemistry principles. In many cases, an appropriate building and synthesis of biopolymers could optimize chemical and physical properties, such as solubility, viscosity, adhesiveness, degradability, and in vivo response. In this chapter, also the conditions of synthesis of monomers will be discussed, focusing on some advanced and green strategies for replacing toxic solvents (and even complexes) that are used and make the process of obtaining green materials difficult according to the desired target biopolymers. Finally, some applications related to pharmacology and tissue engineering will be presented.