Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) have found outstanding medical applications since the mid-twentieth century, with the first clinical trials on dextran solutions as plasma expanders. Other EPS entered medicine firstly as conventional pharmaceutical excipients (e.g., xanthan - as suspension stabilizer, or pullulan – in capsules and oral care products). Polysaccharides, initially obtained from plant or animal sources, became easily available for a wide range of applications, especially when they were commercially produced by microbial fermentation. Alginates are used as anti-reflux, dental impressions, or as matrix for tablets. Hyaluronic acid and derivatives are used in surgery, arthritis treatment or wound healing. Bacterial cellulose is applied in wound dressings or scaffolds for tissue engineering. The development of drug controlled-release systems and of micro- and nanoparticulated ones, has opened a new era of medical applications for biopolymers. EPS and their derivatives are well suited potentially non-toxic, biodegradable drug carriers. Such systems concern rating and targeting of controlled release. Their large area of applications is explained by the available manifold series of derivatives, whose useful properties can be thereby controlled. From matrix inclusion to conjugates, different systems have been designed to solubilize, and to assure stable transport in the body, target accumulation and variable rate-release of a drug substance. From controlled drug delivery, EPS potential applications expanded to vaccine adjuvants and diagnostic imaging systems. Other potential applications are related to the bioactive (immunomodulator, antitumor, antiviral) characteristics of EPS. The numerous potential applications still wait to be developed into commercial pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Based on previous and recent results in important medical-pharmaceutical domains, one can undoubtedly state that EPS medical applications have a broad future ahead.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymers. These biomaterials have grown in importance in the fields of tissue engineering and tissue reconstruction for structural applications where tissue morphology is critical, such as bone, cartilage, blood vessels, and skin, among others. Furthermore, they can be used to accelerate the regeneration in combination with drugs, as drug delivery systems, thus reducing microbial infections. When cells are cultured under stress conditions, a wide variety of microorganisms produce them as a store of intracellular energy in the form of homo- and copolymers of [R]—hydroxyalkanoic acids, depending on the carbon source used for microorganism growth. This paper gives an overview of PHAs, their biosynthetic pathways, producing microorganisms, cultivation bioprocess, isolation, purification and characterization to obtain biomaterials with medical applications such as tissue engineering.

Fungal exopolysaccharides (EPSs) represent an important group of bioactive compounds secreted by fungi. These biopolymers can be utilized individually or in combination with different bioactive substances for a broad range of pharmaceutical field applications, due to their various biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-diabetic, and anticoagulant effects. The paper presents an up-to-date review of the main fungal polysaccharides (pullulan, schizophyllan, scleroglucan, botryosphaeran, lentinan, grifolan, and lasiodiplodan), highlighting their structures, producing strains, and useful properties in a double position, as controlled release (rate and selectively targeting) drug carriers, but mostly as active immunomodulating and antitumor compounds in cancer therapy.

Since they are more environmentally acceptable than their chemically synthesized counterparts, biosurfactants are used in a wide range of environmental applications. However, less research has been done on biosurfactants within the context of the circular economy, despite their theoretical potential to fulfill a number of circular economy ambitions, including closing the consumption loop, regenerating natural systems, and maintaining resource value within the system. Hence, the main objective of this review is to identify and analyze the contributions of biosurfactants to the implementation of the circular economy. A final sample of 30 papers from the Web of Science database was examined. We identified five broad categories of contributions: waste stream-derived production, combating food waste, strengthening soil health, and improving the efficiency of water resources. We concluded that, while manufacturing biosurfactants from waste streams can reduce production costs, optimizing yield remains a contentious issue that complicates the adoption of biosurfactants into the circular economy framework.

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic molecules produced by various microorganisms, with potential applications in different industries or processes. The present study aimed to investigate the potential of food (whey) and industrial (corn extract) by-products to be used as single sources of nutrients for microbial surfactants production by two Pseudomonas strains. The supernatants obtained at the end of the bioprocess were used to form emulsions with heptane, octane, and sunflower oil, in order to determine the emulsification index. Good results were obtained with both Pseudomonas sp., the biggest values of the emulsification index being obtained with Pseudomonas putida ICCF 391 strain, followed by Pseudomonas fluorescens ICCF 392.

The objective of this paper is to develop polymeric nanoparticles loaded with a cardiovascular drug (an angiotensin II receptor blocker, valsartan). Polymeric nanoparticles were prepared via the nanoprecipitation method using pullulan acetate as biodegradable polymeric matrix and Pluronic F127 as a stabilizer. Pullulan acetate was obtained through the chemical modification of pullulan (produced through a fermentation process using the Aureobasidium pullulans strain) with dimethylformamide, pyridine and acetic anhydride. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized in terms of entrapment efficiency, size, and polydispersity index using spectrophotometric and dynamic light scattering techniques. The valsartan-loaded nanoparticles showed a good entrapment efficiency of valsartan, nanometric sizes (lower than 200 nm), and a narrow dispersity (polydispersity index below 0.2). This research revealed that pullulan and pullulan derivatives show great potential for the production of nanoparticles, with potential application in the delivery of cardiovascular agents.