Microbial Polysaccharides: Current innovations and Future trends in Medical science

Abstract

Microbial polysaccharides are water-soluble polymers gained an industrial importance over the past 20 years. They are an emerging class in several biomedical fields such as tissue regeneration, particularly for cartilage, drug delivery devices and gel entrapment systems for the immobilization of cells. Most of the polysaccharides derive from natural sources; particularly, alginate and chitin, which have an extensive use in medicine, pharmacy and basic sciences, and can be easily extracted from marine plants (algae kelp) and crab shells, respectively. Although there are numerous microbially produced polysaccharides, by focusing on two major commercial products, Xanthan and Dextran, an insight into their behavioral characteristics is unveiled. This was influenced by the fact that these microbial polysaccharides are considered to be classed as GRAS (generally regarded as safe) by the FDA. Their use as good emulsifying, gelling and viscosifying agents is an indication of their diverse capabilities in both industry and research. The recent rediscovery on microbial polysaccharides is also attributable to new synthetic routes for their chemical modification, with the aim of promoting new biological activities and/or to modify the final properties of the biomaterials for specific purposes. New technologies have revolutionized the production of Polysaccharide by use of microbes. Thus, leading to improved yields, higher throughput and making their production economically viable. This review is focused on the production strategy and applications of microbial polysaccharides in medical field.