title: Biomedical applications of synthetic, biodegradable polymers for the development of anti-infective strategies.
abstract: The emergence of antibiotic resistance in microbial strains is representing one of the major threats to public health worldwide, due to the decreased or total cancelling of the available antibiotics effectiveness, correlated with the slow development of novel antibiotics. Due to their excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility, the synthetic polymers could find a lot of biomedical applications, such as the development of biomaterials with optimized properties and of drug delivery systems. This review is focusing on the applications of synthetic, biodegradable polymers for the improvement of antiinfective therapeutic and prophylactic agents (i.e., antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents and vaccines) activity, as well as for the design of biomaterials with increased biocompatibility and resistance to microbial colonization.
authors.forename: Serban
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertesteanu
authors.forename: Mariana Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chifiriuc
authors.forename: Alexandru Mihai
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Grumezescu
authors.forename: Atnanasia G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Printza
authors.forename: Thill
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marie-Paule
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grumezescu
authors.forename: Vlad
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mihaela
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.affiliation: University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, Microbiology Department, Ale. Portocalelor 1-3, 60101, Bucharest, Romania. carmen_balotescu@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Raluca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grigore
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D035843:Biomedical Research; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050997:Nanomedicine; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers