Amino acid-based poly(ester urea)s (PEUs) are an emerging class of highly tunable, degradable polymers that have found utility in a wide scope of biomedical applications. PEUs possess three points of tunability at the amino acid side chain, diol length, and copolymer stoichiometric ratio, resulting in a broad range of chemical, thermal and mechanical properties. PEUs are interesting biologically because they degrade into naturally occurring amino acids, urea, oxidized products from the diols, and carbon dioxide, each of which can be metabolized or excreted. The diversity in structure, properties and biodegradation characteristics of PEUs have led to their exploration in a number of pre-clinical applications including hernia repair, adhesives, radiopaque implants, and drug delivery. In this review, we provide a thorough history of PEU synthesis methodology. The polymer properties arising from the various synthetic methods including mechanical, thermal, and biocompatibility properties are also summarized. This review concludes with an overview of progress in the primary applications of PEUs to date including hard and soft-tissue engineering, radiopaque biomaterials, adhesives, and drug delivery.

中文翻译：

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聚（酯脲）：合成、材料性能和生物医学应用


基于氨基酸的聚（酯脲）（PEU）是一类新兴的高度可调、可降解的聚合物，已在广泛的生物医学应用中得到应用。 PEU 在氨基酸侧链、二醇长度和共聚物化学计量比方面具有三个可调点，从而具有广泛的化学、热和机械性能。 PEU 在生物学上很有趣，因为它们会降解为天然存在的氨基酸、尿素、二醇的氧化产物和二氧化碳，每种物质都可以代谢或排出体外。 PEU 结构、性质和生物降解特性的多样性促使其在许多临床前应用中进行探索，包括疝气修复、粘合剂、不透射线植入物和药物输送。在这篇综述中，我们提供了 PEU 合成方法的完整历史。还总结了各种合成方法产生的聚合物性能，包括机械、热和生物相容性。本综述最后概述了迄今为止 PEU 主要应用的进展，包括硬组织和软组织工程、不透射线生物材料、粘合剂和药物输送。