Biodegradable Elastomers in Tissue Engineering Applications

Biodegradable elastomers constitute a class of soft, resilient polymers that undergo controlled degradation in vivo to yield non-toxic byproducts, while providing mechanical properties akin to native tissues. Their viscoelasticity, tunable modulus and capacity for chemical modification render them indispensable in scaffold fabrication for soft tissue and organ regeneration. Poly(glycerol sebacate), poly(diol-citrate)s and related aliphatic polyesters exemplify this class, offering adjustable crosslink densities, degradation rates and surface chemistries to guide cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Such materials have found applications in cardiovascular grafts, cartilage repair, neural interfaces and controlled drug delivery, enabling reduced foreign body responses and obviating secondary surgeries. Recent progress has seen the integration of bioactive motifs, photopolymerisable groups and antimicrobial functionalities, bridging polymer chemistry with cell biology to meet the exacting demands of personalised regenerative medicine. This convergence underpins global efforts to address tissue deficits arising from trauma, disease and ageing, establishing biodegradable elastomers as a foundation for next-generation tissue engineering strategies.

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Research from all publishers

Advances in citrate-based biodegradable elastomers have leveraged the multifunctionality of citric acid to fashion scaffolds that not only provide structural support but also actively regulate cell metabolism and differentiation. A series of poly(octamethylene citrate)/hydroxyapatite composites recently gained regulatory approval for human use in orthopaedic fixation, underscoring the material’s capacity to combine controlled degradation, osteoconductivity and immunomodulation in bone regeneration.

Innovations in photopolymerisable elastomers have centred on methacrylated poly(glycerol sebacate), which enables rapid, ambient-temperature crosslinking under UV light. Using two-photon polymerization, researchers have fabricated micro-scale three-dimensional scaffolds with tunable mechanical resilience and degradation kinetics, demonstrating enhanced cytocompatibility for soft tissue constructs and bespoke cellular architectures.

PEGylation of poly(glycerol sebacate) has yielded a family of copolyesters with finely tuned hydrophilicity, degradation profiles and mechanical strength. By varying the polyethylene glycol content and carboxyl-to-hydroxyl stoichiometry, optimised elastomers have been shown to reinforce calcium phosphate bone scaffolds and to support mouldable vascular grafts, highlighting their versatility in both hard and soft tissue engineering domains.

Biodegradable Elastomers in Tissue Engineering Applications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biodegradable elastomers in tissue engineering applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biodegradable elastomer: An elastic polymer that gradually decomposes into non-toxic byproducts within a biological environment.

Crosslinking: Chemical bonds formed between polymer chains to create a three-dimensional network enhancing mechanical stability.

Photopolymerization: A light-induced process that converts a monomer or prepolymer into a crosslinked polymer network.

Poly(glycerol sebacate): A biodegradable elastomer formed by polycondensation of glycerol and sebacic acid, known for its tunable elasticity and biocompatibility.

Citric acid-based polymer: A polyester elastomer synthesised using citric acid as a multifunctional monomer, offering bioactivity and controlled degradation.

References

1. Citric Acid: A Nexus Between Cellular Mechanisms and Biomaterial Innovations. Advanced Materials (2024).
2. Study on the Antimicrobial Properties of Citrate-Based Biodegradable Polymers. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2014).
3. Recent Advances in Synthetic Bioelastomers. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2009).
4. Synthesis, Characterization and 3D Micro-Structuring via 2-Photon Polymerization of Poly(glycerol sebacate)-Methacrylate–An Elastomeric Degradable Polymer. Frontiers in Physics (2018).
5. Optimized Synthesis of Biodegradable Elastomer PEGylated Poly(glycerol sebacate) and Their Biomedical Application. Polymers (2019).