Development of modified and multifunctional poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS)-based biomaterials for biomedical applications

In the recent decade, Poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) has received tremendous attention in versatile biomedical fields because of its superior elasticity, excellent biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Conventionally, PGS comprised of glycerol and sebacic acid is prepared via a two-step polymerization, where synthesis parameters such as curing time and temperature, and feeding ratio of the reagents can be readily tailored to improve the performance for the ultimate use. However, such tweaks are no longer able to catch the high demand of intended biomedical applications. As such, a series of modification strategies and construction modalities have been developed to extend traditional PGS with a wider range of physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties for unmet biomedical needs. Herein, we present a comprehensive literature review of these advanced modification approaches ranging from hydrophilization, functionalization, and mechanical reinforcement. Moreover, various PGS-related constructions used in biomedical applications are highlighted, including hard tissue engineering, soft tissue engineering, and drug delivery and device design. From the perspective of potential clinical use, challenges and limitations of current PGS-based biomaterials, and their future development are also discussed in this review.