Thermoresponsive polymers and polymeric composites

Synthetic polymers are a promising agent in the biomedical field particularly in tissue engineering, genetic, and drug delivery as they can be molded into various products such as scaffolds, functional groups as cell sheets, and adaptable to be incorporated with other polymers or particles for desired clinical applications. In recent years, these polymers became high demand as their capability to alter to any slight environmental changes or stimuli. Among different types of polymers, thermoresponsive polymers are widely studied as they can undergo a transition phase either lower critical solution temperature (LCST) or upper critical solution temperature (UCST) based on different temperature ranges or variations. These thermoresponsive polymers are considered “smart” materials as they exhibit good biocompatibility, biodegradability, less toxicity which enhances cell growth and tissue regeneration. Besides that, these thermoresponsive biomaterials also can mimic the function of human structures, thus could be a potential substitute for skin and bone regeneration and provide efficient therapeutic effects for long-term disease treatment. The mechanisms involved in thermoresponsive polymers include protein absorption, cell adhesion and attachment, and its polymeric behavior. Thermoresponsive polymers can also be found in a variety of forms such as hydrogels, micelles, films, nanoparticles, interpenetrating networks, and polymersomes. Following that, these “smart” materials can then be applied in various aspects of the body, including the vascular system, drug delivery, wound healing, cell carrier material, and gene delivery.