Bio-inspired Biomaterials and their Drug Delivery Perspectives - A Review

Several disease conditions require controlled or sustained drug release leading to complete recovery. In recent years, there has been a considerable research interest in bio-inspired biomaterials due to their potential as an alternative to the traditional synthetic counterparts.

Herein, we extensively reviewed, analyzed and compiled salient information from the authentic bibliographic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Elsevier, Springer, Bentham Science and other scientific databases. A focused review question and inclusion/exclusion criterion were adopted to appraise the quality of retrieved peerreviewed research literature.

Research is underway around the globe on the development of 'greener' technologies with an aim to engineer novel drug delivery systems (DDS). Bio-based constructs are being engineered for target applications in different bio- and non-bio sectors of the modern world, to address growing concerns about a global dependence on nonrenewable petroleum-based resources. Therefore, in recent years, bio-inspired biomaterials have gained a considerable attention with high-value biomedical and pharmaceutical potentials. Moreover, owing to their novel characteristics like non-toxicity, biocompatibility, together with the adjustable thermo-mechanical and controllable properties, collagen, poly (lactic acid) (PLA), and chitosan-based novel constructs have raised interesting applications in many sectors of the medical world. So far, many of such bio-constructs have been implicated in drug delivery systems, tissue repair, nutritional and therapeutic uses.

In conclusion, this review comprised of different bio-based novel materials including collagen, PLA, and chitosan and their valorization for DDS. In this review, detailed information is summarized on various geometries like microspheres, composites, and nano-films, etc. from each material. Towards the end, information is also given on their future perspectives and concluding remarks.