Microbial Exo-Polysaccharides for Biomedical Applications

I.-L.      Shih

Abstract

The productions and applications of various microbial exopolysaccharides have been under intensive researches over the past few decades. Some of these exopolysaccharides are commercial available and some are currently under intensive development; they include ionic heteropolysaccharide and neutral homopolysaccharide. These extracellular polymers constitute a structurally diverse class of biological macromolecules with a wide range of physiochemical properties which are the basis for the different applications in the broad fields of pharmacy and medicine. They have found applications in such diverse biomedical fields as ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, tissue engineering, implantation of medical devices and artificial organs, prostheses, dentistry, bone repair and drug delivery.

Keywords: Microbial exopolysaccharides, ionic heteropolysaccharide, neutral homopolysaccharide, fermentation, biomedicine, monosaccharide, glycosidic linkage, oligosaccharides, autolysis, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, Hyaluronic Acid (HA), D-glucuronic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, synovial fluid, mucopolysaccharide, Streptococcus, Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Levan, Pullulan, Cellulose, Dextran, Gellan, Alginate, Xanthan, CD44, fibrinogen, transfructosylation reaction, Bacillus polymyxa, Zymomonas mobilis, Aerobacter levanicum, Bacillus subtilis, polymerization, Aureobasidium pullulans, bovine serum albumin, a-chemotrypsin, Acetobacter xylinum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Xanthomonas compestris, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Azotobacter vinelandii, Azotobacter chrococcum