Water-soluble Photoinitiators: State of Art and Applications in Biomedical Science.

In recent years, waterborne photo-curable technology have been used in biomedical applications, such as dental materials, 3D biological printing, in vitro polymerization, cell encapsulation, etc. Water-soluble photoinitiators exhibiting good water solubility, low cytotoxicity, and high initiation efficiency have become key substances for the widespread development and application of photo-curable technology in biomedical applications. Therefore, researchers designed and synthesized a serious of water-soluble photoinitiators, and explored the application of this photoinitiators in drug delivery, bio-inspired detoxification, cell sensor, cartilage repair, volumetric bioprinting, biological tissue adhesive and photodynamic tumor therapy, and so on. In this review, the recent state of art of water-soluble photoinitiator including types, photoinitiation mechanisms, and application examples in biomedicine of water-based photoinitiators is provided. Moreover, the perspective on the future development of water-soluble photoinitiators is also discussed, hoping to provide some inspiration for the development and application of water-based photoinitiating systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]