Laser microperforated biodegradable microbial polyhydroxyalkanoate substrates for tissue repair strategies: an infrared microspectroscopy study

Modification of Polyhydroxyalkanoates Polymer Films Surface of Various Compositions by Laser Processing

The results of surface modification of solvent casting films made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) of various compositions are presented: homopolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate P(3HB) and copolymers comprising various combinations of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB), 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV), 4-hydroxybutyrate(4HB), and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HHx) monomers treated with a CO₂ laser in continuous and quasi-pulsed radiation modes. The effects of PHAs film surface modification, depending on the composition and ratio of monomers according to the results of the study of SEM and AFM, contact angles of wetting with water, adhesion and growth of fibroblasts have been revealed for the laser radiation regime used. Under continuous irradiation with vector lines, melted regions in the form of grooves are formed on the surface of the films, in which most of the samples have increased values of the contact angle and a decrease in roughness. The quasi-pulse mode by the raster method causes the formation of holes without pronounced melted zones, the total area of which is lower by 20% compared to the area of melted grooves. The number of viable fibroblasts NIH 3T3 on the films after the quasi-pulse mode is 1.5-2.0 times higher compared to the continuous mode, and depends to a greater extent on the laser treatment mode than on the PHAs' composition. The use of various modes of laser modification on the surface of PHAs with different compositions makes it possible to influence the morphology and properties of polymer films in a targeted manner. The results that have been obtained contribute to solving the critical issue of functional biodegradable polymeric materials.

Recent trends of biotechnological production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from C1 carbon sources

Growing concerns over the use of limited fossil fuels and their negative impacts on the ecological niches have facilitated the exploration of alternative routes. The use of conventional plastic material also negatively impacts the environment. One such green alternative is polyhydroxyalkanoates, which are biodegradable, biocompatible, and environmentally friendly. Recently, researchers have focused on the utilization of waste gases particularly those belonging to C1 sources derived directly from industries and anthropogenic activities, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and methanol as the substrate for polyhydroxyalkanoates production. Consequently, several microorganisms have been exploited to utilize waste gases for their growth and biopolymer accumulation. Methylotrophs such as Methylobacterium organophilum produced highest amount of PHA up to 88% using CH₄ as the sole carbon source and 52-56% with CH₃OH. On the other hand Cupriavidus necator, produced 71-81% of PHA by utilizing CO and CO₂ as a substrate. The present review shows the potential of waste gas valorization as a promising solution for the sustainable production of polyhydroxyalkanoates. Key bottlenecks towards the usage of gaseous substrates obstructing their realization on a large scale and the possible technological solutions were also highlighted. Several strategies for PHA production using C1 gases through fermentation and metabolic engineering approaches are discussed. Microbes such as autotrophs, acetogens, and methanotrophs can produce PHA from CO₂, CO, and CH₄. Therefore, this article presents a vision of C1 gas into bioplastics are prospective strategies with promising potential application, and aspects related to the sustainability of the system.

Laser Processing of Polymer Films Fabricated from PHAs Differing in Their Monomer Composition

The study reports results of using a CO2-laser in continuous wave (3 W; 2 m/s) and quasi-pulsed (13.5 W; 1 m/s) modes to treat films prepared by solvent casting technique from four types of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), namely poly-3-hydroxybutyrate and three copolymers of 3-hydroxybutyrate: with 4-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (each second monomer constituting about 30 mol.%). The PHAs differed in their thermal and molecular weight properties and degree of crystallinity. Pristine films differed in porosity, hydrophilicity, and roughness parameters. The two modes of laser treatment altered these parameters and biocompatibility in diverse ways. Films of P(3HB) had water contact angle and surface energy of 92° and 30.8 mN/m, respectively, and average roughness of 144 nm. The water contact angle of copolymer films decreased to 80-56° and surface energy and roughness increased to 41-57 mN/m and 172-290 nm, respectively. Treatment in either mode resulted in different modifications of the films, depending on their composition and irradiation mode. Laser-treated P(3HB) films exhibited a decrease in water contact angle, which was more considerable after the treatment in the quasi-pulsed mode. Roughness parameters were changed by the treatment in both modes. Continuous wave line-by-line irradiation caused formation of sintered grooves on the film surface, which exhibited some change in water contact angle (76-80°) and reduced roughness parameters (to 40-45 mN/m) for most films. Treatment in the quasi-pulsed raster mode resulted in the formation of pits with no pronounced sintered regions on the film surface, a more considerably decreased water contact angle (to 67-76°), and increased roughness of most specimens. Colorimetric assay for assessing cell metabolic activity (MTT) in NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblast culture showed that the number of fibroblasts on the films treated in the continuous wave mode was somewhat lower; treatment in quasi-pulsed radiation mode caused an increase in the number of viable cells by a factor of 1.26 to 1.76, depending on PHA composition. This is an important result, offering an opportunity of targeted surface modification of PHA products aimed at preventing or facilitating cell attachment.

Picosecond Laser Ablation of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs): Comparative Study of Neat and Blended Material Response

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have emerged as a promising biodegradable and biocompatible material for scaffold manufacturing in the tissue engineering field and food packaging. Surface modification is usually required to improve cell biocompatibility and/or reduce bacteria proliferation. Picosecond laser ablation was applied for surface micro structuring of short- and medium-chain length-PHAs and its blend. The response of each material as a function of laser energy and wavelength was analyzed. Picosecond pulsed laser modified the surface topography without affecting the material properties. UV wavelength irradiation showed halved ablation thresholds compared to VIS wavelength, revealing a greater photochemical nature of the ablation process at UV wavelength. Nevertheless, the ablation rate and, therefore, ablation efficiency did not show a clear dependence on beam wavelength. The different mechanical behavior of the considered PHAs did not lead to different ablation thresholds on each polymer at a constant wavelength, suggesting the interplay of the material mechanical parameters to equalize ablation thresholds. Blended-PHA showed a significant reduction in the ablation threshold under VIS irradiation respect to the neat PHAs. Picosecond ablation was proved to be a convenient technique for micro structuring of PHAs to generate surface microfeatures appropriate to influence cell behavior and improve the biocompatibility of scaffolds in tissue engineering.

Poly hydroxyalkanoates (PHA): Role in bone scaffolds

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are prokaryotic macromolecules accumulated within the cytoplasm as granules. Due to their suitable mechanical properties, biocompatibility, degradation time, ability to be blended, surface modified, and form copolymers, it is widely used in medical devices and as scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. This review describes in brief the production and extraction sources, physico-chemical characteristic, mechanical properties, degradation rate and applications of various PHAs and its copolymers with special emphasis to its role as scaffolds in bone tissue engineering.

Switching from petro-plastics to microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA): the biotechnological escape route of choice out of the plastic predicament?

The benefit of biodegradable “green plastics” over established synthetic plastics from petro-chemistry, namely their complete degradation and safe disposal, makes them attractive for use in various fields, including agriculture, food packaging, and the biomedical and pharmaceutical sector. In this context, microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are auspicious biodegradable plastic-like polyesters that are considered to exert less environmental burden if compared to polymers derived from fossil resources.

The question of environmental and economic superiority of bio-plastics has inspired innumerable scientists during the last decades. As a matter of fact, bio-plastics like PHA have inherent economic drawbacks compared to plastics from fossil resources; they typically have higher raw material costs, and the processes are of lower productivity and are often still in the infancy of their technical development. This explains that it is no trivial task to get down the advantage of fossil-based competitors on the plastic market. Therefore, the market success of biopolymers like PHA requires R&D progress at all stages of the production chain in order to compensate for this disadvantage, especially as long as fossil resources are still available at an ecologically unjustifiable price as it does today.

Ecological performance is, although a logical argument for biopolymers in general, not sufficient to make industry and the society switch from established plastics to bio-alternatives. On the one hand, the review highlights that there’s indeed an urgent necessity to switch to such alternatives; on the other hand, it demonstrates the individual stages of the production chain, which need to be addressed to make PHA competitive in economic, environmental, ethical, and performance-related terms. In addition, it is demonstrated how new, smart PHA-based materials can be designed, which meet the customer’s expectations when applied, e.g., in the biomedical or food packaging sector.

Biodegradable and Biocompatible Polyhydroxy-alkanoates (PHA): Auspicious Microbial Macromolecules for Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Applications

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are bio-based microbial biopolyesters; their stiffness, elasticity, crystallinity and degradability are tunable by the monomeric composition, selection of microbial production strain, substrates, process parameters during production, and post-synthetic processing; they display biological alternatives for diverse technomers of petrochemical origin. This, together with the fact that their monomeric and oligomeric in vivo degradation products do not exert any toxic or elsewhere negative effect to living cells or tissue of humans or animals, makes them highly stimulating for various applications in the medical field. This article provides an overview of PHA application in the therapeutic, surgical and tissue engineering area, and reviews strategies to produce PHA at purity levels high enough to be used in vivo. Tested applications of differently composed PHA and advanced follow-up products as carrier materials for controlled in vivo release of anti-cancer drugs or antibiotics, as scaffolds for tissue engineering, as guidance conduits for nerve repair or as enhanced sutures, implants or meshes are discussed from both a biotechnological and a material-scientific perspective. The article also describes the use of traditional processing techniques for production of PHA-based medical devices, such as melt-spinning, melt extrusion, or solvent evaporation, and emerging processing techniques like 3D-printing, computer-aided wet-spinning, laser perforation, and electrospinning.

Laser processing of polymer constructs from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)

CO2 laser radiation was used to process poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) constructs - films and 3D pressed plates. Laser processing increased the biocompatibility of unperforated films treated with moderate uniform radiation, as estimated by the number and degree of adhesion of NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. The biocompatibility of perforated films modified in the pulsed mode did not change significantly. At the same time, pulsed laser processing of the 3D plates produced perforated scaffolds with improved mechanical properties and high biocompatibility with bone marrow-derived multipotent, mesenchymal stem cells, which show great promise for bone regeneration.

Poly(hydroxy alkanoate)s in Medical Applications

This review summarizes the state-of-the-art knowledge of the usage of poly(hydroxy alkanoate)s in medical and sanitary applications. Depending on the monomers incorporated into the polymers and copolymers, this class of polymers exhibits a broad range of (thermo-)plastic properties, enabling their processing by, e.g., solution casting or melt extrusion. In this review, strategies for the polymer analogous modification of these materials and their surfaces are highlighted and correlated with the potential applications of the corresponding materials and blends. While the commercial availability of purified PHAs is addressed in brief, special focus is put on the (bio-)degradability of these polymers and ways to influence the degradation mechanism and/or the duration of degradation.