Taurine-functionalized carbohydrate polymers as emerging multifunctional biotherapeutics for human and veterinary...

Taurine-functionalized carbohydrate polymers represent a rapidly developing class of hybrid biomaterials that integrate the structural versatility of polysaccharides with the intrinsic bioactivity of taurine. While chitosan, alginate, cellulose, and related carbohydrate polymers are well-established in biomedical applications, their chemical conjugation with taurine introduces unique enhancements in charge balance, hydrophilicity, oxidative stability, and biological performance, enabling smarter drug- and nutrient-delivery systems. Despite growing interest, research in this area remains scattered, with limited understanding of how specific functionalization strategies translate into improved physicochemical and therapeutic properties. This review consolidates recent advances in taurine-polymer conjugation chemistry, characterization methods, and structure-function relationships, highlighting how taurine incorporation enhances antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-interactive behavior of polymer matrices. Translational opportunities in human and veterinary medicine, including gut-targeted delivery, wound repair, metabolic disease management, and taurine-deficiency supplementation, are critically analyzed. Finally, the review outlines regulatory considerations and key research gaps to accelerate the clinical development of taurine-functionalized carbohydrate polymer platforms. By directly comparing different polysaccharide systems and their conjugation approaches, this review provides the first comprehensive evaluation of taurine-functionalized biomaterials as multifunctional and scalable biotherapeutics. This unified perspective establishes a clear novelty framework that bridges material engineering, taurine biology, and One Health translational priorities, providing a focused and comprehensive roadmap to guide future innovation in multifunctional biotherapeutics.