Marine-Origin Polysaccharides and Their Chemically Modified Derivatives as Sources of Advanced Biofunctional Materials for Biomedical Applications

Marine polysaccharides are widely available sustainable renewable macromolecules, which have attracted considerable attention owing to their enhanced biocompatibility, biodegradability, noncytotoxic, nonimmunogenic properties, and close similarity to the native cellular microenvironment of tissues and organs. Herein, a comprehensive overview of the main sources and properties of most studied cationic, anionic, and neutral marine-origin polysaccharides, their main chemical functionalization strategies, as well as their processing into advanced biofunctional materials/devices is provided. Several recent examples are given on the bottom-up processing of marine-origin polysaccharide-based biomaterials in the form of nano-/microparticles and capsules, nanofibers, thin films, membranes, hydrogels, cryogels, and (bio)inks to be used as high added-value antimicrobial coatings, adhesives, and wound dressings, or in food packaging, cosmetics, controlled drug delivery, in vitro disease modeling, or tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The main challenges hampering the clinical translation and commercialization of most marine-origin polysaccharide-based biomaterials and devices, and future perspectives in the field are also discussed.