Silk fibroin promotes mineralization of gellan gum hydrogels

Exosomes from young plasma stimulate the osteogenic differentiation and prevent osteoporosis via miR-142-5p

Osteoporosis (OP) is a multifactorial metabolic bone disorder commonly observed in the elderly, particularly prevalent in postmenopausal women. However, many conventional anti-osteoporosis drugs have undesirable side effects, limiting their long-term use. Here, we demonstrated that exosomes derived from both young and old healthy human plasma, which exhibited similar morphology, could significantly enhance the proliferation and migration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Furthermore, treatment with these exosomes increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, enhanced the mineralization of MSCs, and decreased the number of osteoclasts in vitro. When intravenously injected into rats, these exosomes accumulated in bone tissue. In vivo experiments demonstrated that both types of exosomes had a beneficial effect on osteoporosis by facilitating bone formation and suppressing osteoclast differentiation in an ovariectomized (OVX)-induced osteoporotic rat model. Strikingly, exosomes derived from young healthy human plasma exhibited stronger anti-osteoporosis effect. The miRNA sequencing analysis showed that miR-142-5p expression was significantly higher in the exosomes from young healthy adult plasma compared to in exosomes from older controls. Importantly, miR-142-5p overexpression exerted similar pro-osteogenic effects to those of exosomes from young healthy human plasma, while miR-142-5p downregulation had the opposite effect on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. The anti-osteoporosis effect of exosomes from young healthy adult plasma were reversed upon miR-142-5p inhibition. In addition, ZFPM2 was a potential target of miR-142-5p involved in osteoporosis. Therefore, our study reveals the potential anti-osteoporosis effects of plasma exosomes and their underlying mechanisms, thereby providing an effective therapeutic strategy for clinical treatment of osteoporosis.

Cranial repair-promoting effect of oxidised sodium alginate/amino gelatine injectable hydrogel loaded with deer antler blood peptides

This study aimed to enhance the treatment of bone defects and increase peptide bioavailability. To achieve this, antioxidant-active peptides (DBPs) were extracted from deer antler blood and incorporated into an oxidised sodium alginate/amino gelatine injectable hydrogel (OSA/N-Gel). This bioscaffold was created through the Schiff base reaction, resulting in the development of an injectable hydrogel comprising OSA, amino gelatine, and deer antler blood peptides (OSA/N-Gel/DBP). OSA/N-Gel/DBP is characterised by a loose and porous structure that enhances nutrient flow and confers good degradability, enabling the gradual release of DBP to meet the long-lasting treatment requirements for bone repair. In vitro, 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EDU), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and Alizarin Red S (ARS) staining showed the pro-proliferative and pro-mineralising abilities of OSA/N-Gel and OSA/N-Gel/DBP on osteoblasts (MC3T3). OSA/N-Gel/DBP effectively promoted the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, such as ALP and vascular endothelial growth factor (CD31), and deposition of collagen (COL-1), and activated the wingless-related integration site (Wnt) signalling pathway, thereby promoting bone regeneration. The effect of OSA/N-Gel/DBP was significantly superior to that of the OSA/N-Gel group, indicating that DBP has good osteogenic properties. We successfully repaired bone defects and broadened the application of antler blood, thereby providing a novel approach to treating bone defects.

ISO 10993-4 Compliant Hemocompatibility Evaluation of Gellan Gum Hybrid Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

This study examines the hemocompatibility of gellan-gum-based hybrid hydrogels, with varying gellan-gum concentrations and constant sodium alginate and silk fibroin concentrations, respectively, in accordance with ISO 10993-4 standards. While previous studies have focused on cytocompatibility, the hemocompatibility of these hydrogels remains underexplored. Hydrogels were formulated with 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1% gellan gum combined with 3% silk fibroin and 4.2% sodium alginate separately, using physical and ionic cross-linking. Swelling behavior was analyzed in phosphate (pH 7.4) and acetic (pH 1.2) buffers and surface morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Hemocompatibility tests included complete blood count (CBC), coagulation assays, hemolysis index, erythrocyte morphology, and platelet adhesion analysis. Results showed that gellan gum-sodium alginate hydrogels exhibited faster swelling than gellan gum-silk fibroin formulations. SEM indicated smoother surfaces with sodium alginate, while silk fibroin increased roughness, further amplified by higher gellan-gum concentrations. Hemocompatibility assays confirmed normal profiles in formulations with 0.3%, 0.5%, and 0.75% gellan gum, while 1% gellan gum caused significant hemolytic and thrombogenic activity. These findings highlight the excellent hemocompatibility of gellan-gum-based hydrogels, especially the sodium alginate variants, supporting their potential in bioengineering, tissue engineering, and blood-contacting biomedical applications.

Human collagen sequence polypeptides mediated biomineralization and its molecular mechanism

Biotechnology provides alternatives for regenerative medicine with more controllable functions. Herein, the polypeptides encoded with human collagen I amino-acid sequences were studied for the first time to modulate biomimetic hydroxyapatite (HAP). With a length of 50-100 nm and a width of 20-30 nm, the HAP crystal formed was plate-like. The interaction of the human collagen sequence polypeptide on the (001), (100), and (211) crystal faces of HAP crystal had been studied using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, respectively. Based on MD simulations, van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds are the main interactions between polypeptides and HAP through the -NH2, -CH2-, -OH, and -COOH, respectively. According to the calculated results, der Waals forces might be the main interaction. The human collagen sequence polypeptides exhibited the highest adsorption energy on the (001) plane of HAP, significantly higher than any of the adsorption energy on the (100) and (211) planes. Therefore, the growth of the (001) would be inhibited, which kept accurate with the result of images from the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Study results provide a basis for rational designing of peptides with human collagen sequences to regenerate hard tissues.

Enhanced effects of slowly co-released TGF-β3 and BMP-2 from biomimetic calcium phosphate-coated silk fibroin scaffolds in the repair of osteochondral defects

Bioactive agents have demonstrated regenerative potential for cell-free bone tissue engineering. Nevertheless, certain challenges persist, including ineffective delivery methods and confined therapeutic potency. Here, we demonstrated that the biomimetic calcium phosphate coating system (BioCaP) could effectively uptake and slowly release the incorporated bioactive agents compared to the surface absorption system via osteoclast-mediated degradation of BioCaP coatings. The release kinetics were determined as a function of time. The release rate was stable without remarkable burst release during the first 1 day, followed by a sustained release from day 7 to day 19. Then, we developed the bi-functional BioCaP-coated silk fibroin scaffolds enabling the effective co-delivery of TGF-β3 and BMP-2 (SFI-T/SFI-B) and the corresponding slow release of TGF-β3 and BMP-2 exhibited superior potential in promoting chondrogenesis and osteogenesis without impairing cell vitality in vitro. The SFI-T/SFI-B scaffolds could improve cartilage and bone regeneration in 5 × 4 mm rabbit osteochondral (OC) defect. These findings indicate that the biomimetic calcium-phosphate coated silk fibroin scaffolds with slowly co-released TGF-β3 and BMP-2 effectively promote the repair of OC defects, hence facilitating the future clinical translation of controlled drug delivery in tissue engineering.

Progress and opportunities in Gellan gum-based materials: A review of preparation, characterization and emerging applications

Gellan gum, a microbial exopolysaccharide, is biodegradable and has potential to fill several key roles in many fields from food to pharmacy, biomedicine and tissue engineering. In order to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of gellan gum, some researchers take advantage of numerous hydroxyl groups and the free carboxyl present in each repeating unit. As a result, design and development of gellan-based materials have advanced significantly. The goal of this review is to provide a summary of the most recent, high-quality research trends that have used gellan gum as a polymeric component in the design of numerous cutting-edge materials with applications in various fields.

Polysaccharide-Based Composite Scaffolds for Osteochondral and Enthesis Regeneration

The rotator cuff and Achilles tendons along with the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are frequently injured with limited healing capacity. At the soft-hard tissue interface, enthesis is prone to get damaged and its regeneration in osteochondral defects is essential for complete healing. The current clinical techniques used in suturing procedures to reattach tendons to bones need much improvement for the generation of the native interface tissue, that is, enthesis, for patients to regain their full functions. Recently, inspired by the composite native tissue, much effort has been made to fabricate composite scaffolds for enthesis tissue regeneration. This review first focuses on the studies that used composite scaffolds for the regeneration of enthesis. Then, the use of polysaccharides for osteochondral tissue engineering is reviewed and their potential for enthesis regeneration is presented based on their supporting effects on osteogenesis and chondrogenesis. Gellan gum (GG) is selected and reviewed as a promising polysaccharide due to its unique osteogenic and chondrogenic activities that help avoid the inherent weakness of dissimilar materials in composite scaffolds. In addition, original preliminary results showed that GG supports collagen type I production and upregulation of osteogenic marker genes. Impact Statement Enthesis regeneration is essential for complete and functional healing of tendon and ligament tissues. Current suturing techniques to reattach the tendon/ligament to bones have high failure rates. This review highlights the studies on biomimetic scaffolds aimed to regenerate enthesis. In addition, the potential of using polysaccharides to regenerate enthesis is discussed based on their ability to regenerate osteochondral tissues. Gellan gum is presented as a promising biopolymer that can be modified to simultaneously support bone and cartilage regeneration by providing structural continuity for the scaffold.

Mimicking bone matrix through coaxial electrospinning of core-shell nanofibrous scaffold for improving neurogenesis bone regeneration

There is a significant clinical demand for bone repair materials with high efficacy. This study was designed to fabricate nanofibrous scaffolds to promote bone defect regeneration using magnesium doped mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG), a fusion protein Osteocalcin-Osteopontin-Biglycan (OOB), silk fibroin (SF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) for facilitating accelerated bone formation. We found that MBG adsorbed with OOB (OOB@MBG) as core, and SF adsorbed with NGF (SF@NGF) as shell to fabricate the nanofibrous scaffolds (OOB@MBG/NGF@SF) through coaxial electrospinning. OOB@MBG/NGF@SF scaffolds could effectively mimic the component and structure of bone matrix. Interestingly, we observed that OOB@MBG/NGF@SF scaffolds could substantially promote bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) osteogenesis through stimulating Erk1/2 activated Runx2 and mTOR pathway, and it could also activate the expression level of various osteogenic marker genes. Intriguingly, OOB@MBG/NGF@SF scaffolds could also enhance BMSCs induced neural differentiation cells differentiated into neuron, and activate the expression of the different neuron specific marker genes. Moreover, it was found that OOB@MBG/NGF@SF scaffolds accelerated bone regeneration with neurogenesis, and new neurons were formed in Haversian canal in vivo. Consistent with these observations, we found that Erk1/2 and mTOR signaling pathways also regulated osteogenesis with the neurogenesis process from RNA sequencing result. Overall, our findings provided novel evidence suggesting that OOB@MBG/NGF@SF scaffolds could function as a potential biomaterial in accelerating bone defect regeneration with neurogenesis, as well as in recovering the motor ability and improving the quality of life of patients.

Advanced 3D Magnetic Scaffolds for Tumor-Related Bone Defects

The need for bone substitutes is a major challenge as the incidence of serious bone disorders is massively increasing, mainly attributed to modern world problems, such as obesity, aging of the global population, and cancer incidence. Bone cancer represents one of the most significant causes of bone defects, with reserved prognosis regarding the effectiveness of treatments and survival rate. Modern therapies, such as hyperthermia, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and magnetic therapy, seem to bring hope for cancer treatment in general, and bone cancer in particular. Mimicking the composition of bone to create advanced scaffolds, such as bone substitutes, proved to be insufficient for successful bone regeneration, and a special attention should be given to control the changes in the bone tissue micro-environment. The magnetic manipulation by an external field can be a promising technique to control this micro-environment, and to sustain the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts, promoting the expression of some growth factors, and, finally, accelerating new bone formation. By incorporating stimuli responsive nanocarriers in the scaffold's architecture, such as magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with bioactive molecules, their behavior can be rigorously controlled under external magnetic driving, and stimulates the bone tissue formation.

Silk fibroin scaffolds: A promising candidate for bone regeneration

It remains a big challenge in clinical practice to repair large-sized bone defects and many factors limit the application of autografts and allografts, The application of exogenous scaffolds is an alternate strategy for bone regeneration, among which the silk fibroin (SF) scaffold is a promising candidate. Due to the advantages of excellent biocompatibility, satisfying mechanical property, controllable biodegradability and structural adjustability, SF scaffolds exhibit great potential in bone regeneration with the help of well-designed structures, bioactive components and functional surface modification. This review will summarize the cell and tissue interaction with SF scaffolds, techniques to fabricate SF-based scaffolds and modifications of SF scaffolds to enhance osteogenesis, which will provide a deep and comprehensive insight into SF scaffolds and inspire the design and fabrication of novel SF scaffolds for superior osteogenic performance. However, there still needs more comprehensive efforts to promote better clinical translation of SF scaffolds, including more experiments in big animal models and clinical trials. Furthermore, deeper investigations are also in demand to reveal the degradation and clearing mechanisms of SF scaffolds and evaluate the influence of degradation products.

Biomimetic Antibacterial Pro-Osteogenic Cu-Sericin MOFs for Osteomyelitis Treatment

Osteomyelitis is an inflammation of the bone caused by bacterial infection. It usually develops from broken bones, decayed teeth, or heavily punctured wounds. Multi-drug-resistant bacteria are the major hurdle in the treatment of osteomyelitis. The ever-rising antibiotic resistance even leads to amputations or fatalities as a consequence of chronic osteomyelitis. Hence, a single agent with antibacterial activity as well as bone regenerative properties can serve as a potential off-the-shelf product in the treatment of osteomyelitis. Herein, the antibacterial and pro-osteogenic characteristics of copper sericin (Cu-SER) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are reported. Sericin, a silk protein with antibacterial activity and an osteoinduction property, acts as an organic template for the deposition of Cu-SER MOFs, similar to collagen during biomineralization in bone. The MOFs exhibit cytocompatibility and osteogenic activity in a dose-dependent manner, as revealed by cell proliferation (alamarBlue) and mineralization (Alizarin Red S and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis). The bactericidal activity of Cu-SER MOFs was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and a growth kinetic analysis. Together, the report illuminates the unique phenomenon of Cu-SER MOFs that kill bacteria upon contact while being well-tolerated by primary human cells. Hence, Cu-SER MOFs hold the potential to minimize antibiotic dependence.

Silkworm spinning inspired 3D printing towards high strength scaffold for bone regeneration

Inspired by the silkworm spinning process for production of tough cocoon, a gradient printing-assembly technique with silk fibroin (SF) and hydroxyapatite (HA) to achieve high strength scaffold for bone regeneration...

Recent approaches towards bone tissue engineering

Bone tissue engineering approaches have evolved towards addressing the challenges of tissue mimetic requirements over the years. Different strategies have been combining scaffolds, cells, and biologically active cues using a wide range of fabrication techniques, envisioning the mimicry of bone tissue. On the one hand, biomimetic scaffold-based strategies have been pursuing different biomaterials to produce scaffolds, combining with diverse and innovative fabrication strategies to mimic bone tissue better, surpassing bone grafts. On the other hand, biomimetic scaffold-free approaches mainly foresee replicating endochondral ossification, replacing hyaline cartilage with new bone. Finally, since bone tissue is highly vascularized, new strategies focused on developing pre-vascularized scaffolds or pre-vascularized cellular aggregates have been a motif of study. The recent biomimetic scaffold-based and scaffold-free approaches in bone tissue engineering, focusing on materials and fabrication methods used, are overviewed herein. The biomimetic vascularized approaches are also discussed, namely the development of pre-vascularized scaffolds and pre-vascularized cellular aggregates.

Gastroretentive Technologies in Tandem with Controlled-Release Strategies: A Potent Answer to Oral Drug Bioavailability and Patient Compliance Implications

There have been many efforts to improve oral drug bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. A variety of controlled-release oral delivery systems have been developed to meet these needs. Gastroretentive drug delivery technologies have the potential to achieve retention of the dosage form in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) that can be sufficient to ensure complete solubilisation of the drugs in the stomach fluids, followed by subsequent absorption in the stomach or proximal small intestine. This can be beneficial for drugs that have an “absorption window” or are absorbed to a different extent in various segments of the GIT. Therefore, gastroretentive technologies in tandem with controlled-release strategies could enhance both the therapeutic efficacy of many drugs and improve patient compliance through a reduction in dosing frequency. The paper reviews different gastroretentive drug delivery technologies and controlled-release strategies that can be combined and summarises examples of formulations currently in clinical development and commercially available gastroretentive controlled-release products. The different parameters that need to be considered and monitored during formulation development for these pharmaceutical applications are highlighted.

Molecular weight effects of low acyl gellan gum on antioxidant capacity and rheological properties

The current study investigated the antioxidant capacity of enzymatically cleaved low acyl gellan gum (LA-GAGR) fragments, named midi-GAGR (MW_v : 1.2 × 10⁵  Da) and mini-GAGR (MW_v : 2.5 × 10⁴  Da). Three different methods-hydroxide assay, superoxide assay, and DPPH assay-were used to measure the antioxidant capacity of the low acyl gellan gum fragments. Both mini-GAGR and midi-GAGR showed similar antioxidant capacities, 27.1% and 25.6%, respectively, for hydroxide radicals, whereas ascorbic acid showed 9.8%. For superoxide radicals, the fragments scavenged 41.7% (mini) and 35.6% (midi) of free radicals compared to 10.6% removal by ascorbic acid. Mini- and midi-GAGR displayed modest scavenging capabilities with DPPH radicals (8.5% and 6.6%, respectively) as compared to ascorbic acid (96.3%). Both midi- and mini-GAGR showed less gel-like behaviors than LA-GAGR. Midi-GAGR was observed to have a transition from liquid to gel at 63 rad/s. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results in the manuscript are helpful when gellan gum and its derivatives are directly applied to food processing as a dietary fiber supplement or a stabilizer for functional beverages. The antioxidant capacity results can be used to promote the functionality of gellan gum as a food additive and for controlling cell adhesion and growth on gellan gum scaffolds. The rheology results will be useful for synthesis of scaffolds for bone tissue generation and facilitating clinical treatments when gellan gum is injected as an adsorbent or a filler for treating bone fractures. In the pharmaceutical industry, they are useful when controlling the therapeutic effects of drug delivery systems.

adipoSIGHT in Therapeutic Response: Consequences in Osteosarcoma Treatment

Chemotherapeutic resistance is a major problem in effective cancer treatment. Cancer cells engage various cells or mechanisms to resist anti-cancer therapeutics, which results in metastasis and the recurrence of disease. Considering the cellular heterogeneity of cancer stroma, the involvement of stem cells is reported to affect the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma. Hence, the duo (osteosarcoma: Saos 2 and human adipose-derived stem cells: ASCs) is co-cultured in present study to investigate the therapeutic response using a nonadherent, concave surface. Staining with a cell tracker allows real-time microscopic monitoring of the cell arrangement within the sphere. Cell–cell interaction is investigated by means of E-cadherin expression. Comparatively high expression of E-cadherin and compact organization is observed in heterotypic tumorspheres (Saos 2–ASCs) compared to homotypic ones (ASCs), limiting the infiltration of chemotherapeutic compound doxorubicin into the heterotypic tumorsphere, which in turn protects cells from the toxic effect of the chemotherapeutic. In addition, genes known to be associated with drug resistance, such as SOX2, OCT4, and CD44 are overexpressed in heterotypic tumorspheres post-chemotherapy, indicating that the duo collectively repels the effect of doxorubicin. The interaction between ASCs and Saos 2 in the present study points toward the growing oncological risk of using ASC-based regenerative therapy in cancer patients and warrants further investigation.

A new cancellous bone material of silk fibroin/cellulose dual network composite aerogel reinforced by nano-hydroxyapatite filler

Composites materials comprised of biopolymeric aerogel matrices and inorganic nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) fillers have received considerable attention in bone engineering. Although with significant progress in aerogel-based biomaterials, the brittleness and low strengths limit the application. The improvements in toughness and mechanical strength of aerogel-based biomaterials are in great need. In this work, an alkali urea system was used to dissolve, regenerate and gelate cellulose and silk fibroin (SF) to prepare composite aerosol. A dual network structure was shaped in the composite aerosol materials interlaced by sheet-like SF and reticular cellulose wrapping n-HA on the surface. Through uniaxial compression, the density of the composite aerogel material was close to the one of natural bone, and mechanical strength and toughness were high. Our work indicates that the composite aerogel has the same mechanical strength range as cancellous bone when the ratio of cellulose, n-HA and SF being 8:1:1. In vitro cell culture showed HEK-293T cells cultured on composite aerogels had high ability of adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Totally, the presented biodegradable composite aerogel has application potential in bone tissue engineering.

Dissolution and processing of silk fibroin for materials science

In recent decades, silk fibroin (SF) from silkworm Bombyx mori has been extensively researched and applied in several fields, including: cosmetics, biomedicine and biomaterials. The dissolution and regeneration of SF fibers is the key and prerequisite step for the application of silk protein-based materials. Various solvents and dissolving systems have been reported to dissolve SF fibers. However, the dissolution process directly affects the characteristics of SF and particularly impacts the mechanical properties of the resulting silk biomaterials in subsequent processing. The purpose of this review is to summarize the common solvents, the dissolution methods for silk protein, the properties of the resulting SF protein. The suitable use of SF dissolved in the corresponding solvent was also briefly introduced. Recent applications of SF in various biomaterials are also discussed.

Metal-Protein Hybrid Materials with Desired Functions and Potential Applications

Metal nanohybrids are fast emerging functional nanomaterials with advanced structures, intriguing physicochemical properties, and a broad range of important applications in current nanoscience research. Significant efforts have been devoted toward design and develop versatile metal nanohybrid systems. Among numerous biological components, diverse proteins offer avenues for making advanced multifunctional systems with unusual properties, desired functions, and potential applications. This review discusses the rational design, properties, and applications of metal-protein nanohybrid materials fabricated from proteins and inorganic components. The construction of functional biomimetic nanohybrid materials is first briefly introduced. The properties and functions of these hybrid materials are then discussed. After that, an overview of promising application of biomimetic metal-protein nanohybrid materials is provided. Finally, the key challenges and outlooks related to this fascinating research area are also outlined.

Gellan gum based gastroretentive tablets for bioavailability enhancement of cilnidipine in human volunteers

Cilnidipine, a fourth-generation both L-and N-type calcium channel blocker (CCB) is safe and effective in lowering blood-pressure without reflex tachycardia compared to other dihydropyridine CCBs. However, its low solubility coupled with extensive first-pass metabolism results in very low oral bioavailability. Thus the study aimed to improve oral bioavailability of Cilnidipine by increasing its gastrointestinal transit-time and mucoadhesion. Gastroretentive tablets were prepared by direct-compression technique using gellan gum as hydrogel forming polymer and sodium bicarbonate as gas-generating agent. Statistical optimization was carried out by design approach which showed that gellan gum has significant impact on floating lag time, mucoadhesive strength, % drug release at 1 h and time to release 90% of drug. Drug release study revealed that optimized tablets prolonged drug release for 12 h and followed anomalous-diffusion indicating drug release is by coupling of both diffusion and erosion mechanism. Intragastric behaviour of formulation in human volunteers revealed that radio-opaque tablets remain buoyant in stomach for more than 6 h with sufficient mucoadhesion. Comparative pharmacokinetic profiling in human subjects revealed that relative bioavailability of Cilnidipine GR tablets was enhanced compared to reference tablets. Thus concluded that gastroretentive tablets to be promising strategy for improved oral bioavailability of Cilnidipine for effective treatment of hypertension.

Microbial Exopolysaccharides as Drug Carriers

Microbial exopolysaccharides are peculiar polymers that are produced by living organisms and protect them against environmental factors. These polymers are industrially recovered from the medium culture after performing a fermentative process. These materials are biocompatible and biodegradable, possessing specific and beneficial properties for biomedical drug delivery systems. They can have antitumor activity, they can produce hydrogels with different characteristics due to their molecular structure and functional groups, and they can even produce nanoparticles via a self-assembly phenomenon. This review studies the potential use of exopolysaccharides as carriers for drug delivery systems, covering their versatility and their vast possibilities to produce particles, fibers, scaffolds, hydrogels, and aerogels with different strategies and methodologies. Moreover, the main properties of exopolysaccharides are explained, providing information to achieve an adequate carrier selection depending on the final application.