A review on injectable hydrogels from xanthan gum for biomedical applications

Abstract

Biomaterials are a broad category of materials that include polymeric constructs and metallic orthopaedic implants. Their purpose is to replace, regenerate, or repair tissue structure and/or function that has been lost. Hydrogels are frequently made using both synthetic and natural polymers. Demand for less expensive biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic products has increased recently, with natural polymers outpacing synthetic polymers in this regard. Xanthan gum (XG) is recognised as one of the most popular natural polymers extensively used today due to its biodegradable and biocompatible properties, and, therefore, XG can be used to produce hydrogels with other polymers to expand its uses. However, at present, there has not been much research on preparing injectable hydrogels from XG. Moreover, up to now, there are only a limited number of review articles related to this topic. This review will provide a well-organised and somewhat extensive presentation of previous studies that have been executed on injectable hydrogels from XG. Also, applications have been using XG to fabricate injectable hydrogels such as cartilage tissue engineering, bone tissue engineering, delivery system, and bioink will be reviewed.