  Citation: Bibire, T.; Yilmaz, O.; Ghiciuc, C.M.; Bibire, N.; D˘ anil˘ a, R. Biopolymers for Surgical Applications. Coatings 2022, 12, 211. https://doi.org/10.3390/ coatings12020211 Academic Editor: Elena Poverenov Received: 29 December 2021 Accepted: 3 February 2022 Published: 6 February 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). coatings Review Biopolymers for Surgical Applications Tudor Bibire 1,2 , Onur Yilmaz 3 , Cristina Mihaela Ghiciuc 1, * , Nela Bibire 4 and Radu Dănilă 2,5 1 Department of Morpho-Functional Sciences II—Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ias , i, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania; tudorbibire@yahoo.com 2 3rd Surgery Clinic, Saint Spiridon University Clinical Emergency Hospital, 700111 Iasi, Romania; radu.danila@umfiasi.ro 3 Leather Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Bornova, 35100 Izmir, Turkey; onur.yilmaz@ege.edu.tr 4 Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ias , i, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania; nela.bibire@umfiasi.ro 5 Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania * Correspondence: cristina.ghiciuc@umfiasi.ro Abstract: Biopolymers have gained significant attention as a class of polymer materials with a wide range of applications, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical field. Due to particular characteristics, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and functionality, they have become promising candidates for various surgical applications, including as bioadhesives, sealants, wound dressings, sutures, drug carriers, coating materials, etc. Recent research shows that further modification of biopolymers by advanced techniques can improve their functionality i.e., antibacterial activity, cell viability, drug-releasing capability, good wet adhesion performance, and good mechanical properties. This mini review aims to provide a brief report on the type of biopolymers and recent developments regarding their use in various surgical applications. Keywords: biopolymers; surgery; polysaccharides; proteins; biocompatible; sealants; sutures 1. Introduction Rapid advances in medical technology have resulted in the improvement of patient care, compliance, and expectations. Significant developments have been made in the tech- nology of the materials used during surgical operations. Surgical procedures, in particular, involve an instrumented incision made in an operating room and anesthesia and/or respi- ratory assistance. Surgical materials such as tissue adhesives, sealants, hemostatic agents, wound dressings, absorbent sponges, and suture materials are expected to be non-toxic, biocompatible, and to support cell proliferation for tissue healing. They should have suf- ficient long-term mechanical and physical properties. Biopolymers from natural sources are macromolecules similar to the extracellular matrix; therefore, they are recognized by the body and are biodegradable. Moreover, these biopolymers do not usually induce acute or chronic immune system responses or toxic effects, which are often induced by synthetic polymers [1–3]. Surgical interventions are usually specific and sensitive actions, and the motivation to select appropriate systems to improve patient compliance, health, and comfort is very high. Therefore, biopolymers represent excellent options for surgical materials. With the recent developments in chemistry and material science, the number of studies evaluating the improvement of functionality, physical–mechanical properties, regenerative and adsorption properties, etc., of biopolymers-based surgical materials is constantly growing. For this reason, this mini review aims to highlight the use of natural polymers in surgical applications. The first section of the review provides information on the type and structural particularities of biopolymers used for surgical applications and Coatings 2022, 12, 211. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12020211 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/coatings