Polymers Of Collagen

There are two type of polymers can be used in polymeric nanodelivery systems which is natural and synthetic . Natural polymer or biopolymers may be naturally occurring materials which is formed in nature during the life cycles of green plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. While synthetic polymers usually comes from the ester family. Natural polymers, or polymers derived from living creatures, are of great interest in polymeric nanodelivery systems because generally they are biodegradable, non-toxic/non-inflammatory , mechanically similar to the tissue to be replaced, highly porous , encouraging of cell attachment and growth easy and cheap to manufacture and they are capable of attachment with other molecules (to potentially increase scaffold interaction with normal tissue). Synthetic polymers are those refined or modified or synthesized in laboratory by using

Collagen may also be processed into a variety of formats, including porous sponges, gels, and sheets, and can be crosslinked with chemicals to make it stronger or to alter its degradation rate. However, some disadvantages to using collagen as a polymer in nanodelivery systems do exist. Collagen can potentially cause alteration of cell behavior (e.g., changes in growth or movement), have inappropriate mechanical properties, or undergo contraction (shrinkage). Because cells interact so easily with collagen, cells can actually pull and reorganize collagen fibers, causing scaffolds to lose their shape if they are not properly stabilized by crosslinking or mixing with another less "vulnerable" material. Fortunately, collagen can be easily combined with other biological or synthetic materials to improve its mechanical properties or change the way cells behave when grown upon