Bacterial-derived biopolymers: Advanced natural nanomaterials for drug delivery and tissue engineering

There are several biocompatible and biodegradable biopolymers, which found tremendous medical and pharmaceutical applications and currently receiving unprecedented attention. Various microorganisms can synthesize a variety of these biopolymers such as polysaccharides, polyamides and polyesters, which could be used for development of new generation of drug carriers and tissue repairing materials. The size, charge, chemical structure and other physicochemical properties of bacterial biodegradable polymers represent a good compatibility in development of tissue scaffolds and also as delivery vehicles of therapeutic agents. Here, we highlight recent advances in engineering biopolymers derived from bacteria, especially for drug delivery and tissue engineering.