Bacterial biopolymers in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; current applications and future perspective

Tissue engineering (TE), a fast-growing field of regenerative medicine, has been designed to replace diseased or damaged tissues. As cellular factories, microbes produce a wide range of intracellular and extracellular biopolymers using energy resources. Bacterial biopolymers play an essential role in the competition of microorganisms with competitors. With the detailed knowledge of these bacterial metabolites, extensive applications have been provided in the medicine, food, and drug industry. Bacterial biopolymers, including polysaccharides, polyamides, polyphosphates, polyesters, and enzymes, with vast diversity and desirable properties, are the most frequently used products in TE. Herein we have summarized the potential applications of different types of polymers with bacterial origin in TE for therapeutic purposes. Novel bacterial-based antimicrobial, anti-cancerous, anti-fungal peptides, quorum sensing agents, or other active molecules can be used as additive biomaterials to the scaffolds. Some challenges in scaling up and growth maintenance are among the issues to consider when applying bacteria as biomaterial factories. Considering all data, the entry of microbial biotechnology into the TE area as a fast-paced approach can bring tremendous changes in clinical medicine.