Pullulan in biomedical research and development - A review

Pullulan is an imperative microbial exo-polymer commercially produced by yeast like fungus Aureobasidium pullulans Its structure contains maltosyl repeating units which comprises two alpha-(1 -> 4) linked glucopyranose rings attached to one glucopyranose ring through alpha-(1 -> 6) glycosidic bond. The co-existence of alpha-(1 -> 6) and alpha-(1 -> 4) glycosidic linkages endows distinctive physico-chemical properties to pullulan. It is highly biocompatible, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic in nature. It is extremely resistant to any mutagenicity or immunogenicity. The unique properties of pullulan make it a potent candidate for biomedical applications viz. drug delivery, gene delivery, tissue engineering, molecular chaperon, plasma expander, vaccination. etc. This review highlights the potential of pullulan in biomedical research and development. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.