Heparin-functionalized polymeric biomaterials in tissue engineering and drug delivery applications

Heparin plays an important role in many biological processes via its interaction with various proteins, and hydrogels and nanoparticles comprising heparin exhibit attractive properties, such as anticoagulant activity, growth factor binding, and antiangiogenic and apoptotic effects, making them great candidates for emerging applications. Accordingly, this review summarizes recent efforts in the preparation of heparin-based hydrogels and formation of nanoparticles, as well as the characterization of their properties and applications. The challenges and future perspectives for heparin-based materials are also discussed. Prospects are promising for heparin-containing polymeric biomaterials in diverse applications ranging from cell carriers for promoting cell differentiation to nanoparticle therapeutics for cancer treatment. (C) 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.