Rhamnolipids in Advanced Biomaterial Engineering: Applications in antimicrobial, wound healing, and drug delivery

Abstract

Biosurfactants, widely utilized today in applications ranging from the food industry to medical fields, are among the most captivating biotechnological molecules for researchers. These remarkable molecules can be defined as amphiphilic compounds produced either on microbial cell surfaces or secreted extracellularly, comprising both hydrophobic and hydrophilic components. Among biosurfactants, rhamnolipids are the most extensively studied and widely used. Although rhamnolipids can be obtained and produced from different sources, they are predominantly obtained from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whose structures are well-characterized. Rhamnolipids are important for their use in the medical field due to their many advantages such as being extremely biocompatible, exhibiting antibacterial properties, high selectivity, and stability. Specifically, synthesizing biomaterials for medical purposes using rhamnolipids or their functionalization with rhamnolipids can impart superior properties to these materials. Considering that these biomaterials will be used in clinical applications, they must exhibit antibacterial/antimicrobial properties. Furthermore, these biomaterials are highly suitable for applications such as drug delivery or wound healing. This review focuses on the preparation of rhamnolipids and applications of rhamnolipid-based biomaterials such as antimicrobial, wound healing, and drug delivery. It aims to highlight the significant potential of these materials in advancing the field of biomaterials science.