10 - Oxazoline and caprolactone based polymeric materials

Abstract

The recent advances in biomedical sciences have provided solutions to various death-causing diseases along with development of biomedical implants utilized in diverse rehabilitation applications. Among the various available polymeric materials utilized in biomedical sciences, alkyl-substituted oxazolines as well as caprolactone have been observed to exhibit wide applications in drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. The oxazolines are five-member ring structured, biocompatible, hydrophilic, and flexible material that has significant applications when substituted with alkyl chains, which enable its diverse application in targeted drug delivery systems. Caprolactones are seven-membered cyclic structured rings having excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility as well as hydrophobic polymer leading to its applicability in targeted drug delivery systems implemented for curing cancer cells along with tissue engineering. The two monomers are copolymerized together by the formation of micelles, which are further fabricated for developing scaffolds having prospective applications in cancer therapy. The polymeric materials are elaborately discussed for action of enzymes and biodegradability as well as biocompatibility of materials along with their drug release characteristics in drug delivery systems. The materials are recorded to showcase distinctive characteristics in development of antimicrobial properties, bio-distribution, and blood clearance as well as release of nontoxic products after degradation. This book chapter elaborates on the structural as well as functional development of material and its application in biomedical applications.