BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS: PRODUCTION, PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS -- BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS: PRODUCTION, PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 TOWARDS PEDIATRIC URINARY BLADDER TISSUE ENGINEERING -- NORMAL BLADDER ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY -- ETIOLOGY OF THE NEUROGENIC BLADDER -- CURRENT TREATMENT MODALITIES FOR THE NEUROGENIC BLADDER ARE INADEQUATE -- ADVANCES IN TISSUE ENGINEERING FOR BLADDER REGENERATION -- ALTERNATE CELL SOURCES FOR BLADDER TISSUE ENGINEERING -- BONE MARROW MICROENVIRONMENT -- MSC MULTIPOTENTIALITY AND GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS -- THE USE OF MSCS AS A TOOL FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE -- BONE MARROW CELLS AND BLADDER REGENERATION -- ENDOTHELIAL PROGENITOR CELLS FOR VASCULAR GROWTH -- NEURAL PROGENITOR/STEM CELLS -- EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS -- INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS -- SCAFFOLD MATERIAL SELECTION: BIOLOGICS VS. SYNTHETICS/POLYMERICS -- CONTROLLED DELIVERY OF GROWTH FACTORS FROM SCAFFOLDS ENHANCES TISSUE REGENERATION -- THE USE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY WITH SELF-ASSEMBLING MATRICES PROVIDES AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF GROWTH FACTOR DELIVERY -- SELF-ASEMBLING NANOMOLECULES -- PA MOLECULES FOR TETHERED GROWTH FACTOR DELIVERY -- DIFFERENTIATION OF NEURAL PROGENITOR CELLS WITH IKVAV PRESENTING NANOFIBERS -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 2 CHITOSAN FROM AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL ORGANISMS AND MICROORGANISMS: PRODUCTION, PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- RAW MATERIALS FOR PRODUCTION OF CHITIN AND CHITOSAN -- PRODUCTION OF CHITIN AND CHITOSAN FROM AQUATIC CRUSTACEANS, INSECTS, MUSHROOMS AND FUNGI -- PRODUCTION OF LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT CHITOSAN AND CHITO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES -- PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF CHITOSANS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES -- INDUSTRIAL-SCALE PRODUCTION OF CHITIN AND CHITOSAN -- A-Z APPLICATIONS OF CHITOSANS -- NOMENCLATURE OF CHITIN AND CHITOSAN -- CONCLUSION.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 3 DEGRADATION PARAMETERS AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES EVOLUTION -- RANGE OF PROPERTIES FOR DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS -- INFLUENCE OF PRODUCTION PROCESS ON DEGRADATION -- EROSION PROCESS AND DEGRADATION -- Diffusion -- Hydrolysis -- Surface and Bulk Erosion -- Phenomenon of Hollow Formation -- DAMAGE EVOLUTION OF BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS -- Hydrolytic Damage -- Creep and Fatigue Damage -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 4 POLY LACTIC ACID: AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BIODEGRADABLE POLYMER -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- LACTIC ACID AND ITS PRODUCTION -- PLA SYNTHESIS -- PROPERTIES OF PLA -- APPLICATIONS OF PLA -- PLA DEGRADATION -- FUTURE PROSPECTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENT -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 5 BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS: A GREENER TECHNOLOGY FOR WATER PURIFICATION -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. BIODEGRADATION -- 3. BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS APPLIED FOR WATER TREATMENT -- 3a) Lignocellulosics -- 3b) Compost and Peat for Water Treatment -- 3c) Activated Sludge for Water Treatment -- 3d) Biodegradable Polymers for Water Treatment -- 3e) Biodegradable Polymer Composites for Water Treatment -- CONCLUDING REMARKS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 6 FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF BIOPOLYMERS FOR DRUG DELIVERY APPLICATIONS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPOLYMERS -- POLYSACCHARIDES -- Chitin -- CHITOSAN -- Functional Properties of Chitosan in Drug Delivery -- Swelling of Chitosan -- Bioadhesive Properties of Chitosan -- CELLULOSE -- Cellulose Modification -- Microcrystalline Cellulose -- Other Modifications -- Cellulose Esters -- Hemicellulose -- KONJAC GLUCOMANNAN -- GUAR GUM -- LOCUST BEAN GUM -- STARCH -- Modified Starch -- Acid-Modified Corn Starch -- Oxidized Corn Starch -- Dextrins -- PECTIN -- INULIN -- ALGINATES -- CARRAGEENANS -- ROSIN -- ACACIA GUM (GUM ARABIC) -- PSYLLIUM.

POLYSACCHARIDES FROM MICROORGANISMS -- GELLAN GUM -- XANTHAN GUM -- PEPTIDES /PROTEINS -- POLYNUCLEOTIDES -- GELATIN -- MUCIN -- APPLICATION OF BIOPOLYMERS IN DRUG DELIVERY -- Drug Delivery Systems -- Biopolymers in Immediate Release Dosage Forms -- Biopolymers in Modified Release Dosage Forms -- Modified Delivery System -- Delayed Release -- Sustained Release -- Site Specific Targeting -- Receptor Targeting -- Biopolymer-Based Drug Carriers Systems -- Peptide Carriers -- SOME PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF BIOPOLYMERS -- Particle Properties -- Swelling -- Bioadhesion -- Polymer Crystallinity -- ASSESSMENT OF POLYMER CRYSTALLINITY -- DSC Thermal Analysis -- X-Ray Diffraction -- Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) -- Raman Spectroscopy -- Future Perspectives -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 7 BIODEGRADABLE HYDROGELS AS DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS* -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- HYDROGELS -- MICROSPHERE TECHNOLOGY -- COMBINATIONS OF MICROSPHERES AND HYDROGELS -- CLINICAL APPLICATIONS -- CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 8 POLYHYDROXYALKANOATES: A NEW GENERATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGICALLY PRODUCED BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS* -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- HISTORY -- OCCURRENCE AND BIOSYNTHESIS OF POLYHYDROXYALKANOATES -- PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PHAS -- PHA SYNTHASES -- PHA Synthases in the Cell -- Structural Features of PHA Synthases -- Genetic Organisation of the PHA Biosynthetic Genes -- The Mechanism of Action of PHA Synthases -- PHA Synthases in Bacillus -- PHA PRODUCTION FROM MICROORGANISMS -- Effect of Carbon Sources on PHA Production -- Large-Scale Production of PHAs -- DETECTION, ISOLATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF PHAS -- Traditional Methods -- GC and MS -- NMR -- HPLC -- BIODEGRADATION -- Biodegradation in the Environment -- Biodegradation in Living Systems -- APPLICATIONS -- Medical Applications.

Industrial Applications -- Agricultural Applications -- Nanocomposites -- Chiral Hydroxyalkanoates -- PHA Blends and Composites -- OTHER POSSIBLE ROUTES OF PRODUCTION OF PHAS -- Cyanobacteria -- PHA Production in Transgenic Plants -- Other Areas -- INDUSTRIALLY AVAILABLE PHAS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS -- NodaxTM -- DegraPol -- BIOPOL® -- ECONOMICS AND LEGAL ASPECTS -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENT -- REFERENCES -- INDEX -- Blank Page.