Smart polymeric platforms for endotoxin removal from biopharmaceuticals: advanced architectures, design strategies and applications
RSC Applied Polymers, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1039/d6lp00282j
- Dergi Adı: RSC Applied Polymers
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
- Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Endotoxins, due to their lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structures found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, are a significant source of contamination in biopharmaceutical production processes, posing a threat to product safety and quality. Their ability to trigger strong biological responses even at low concentrations necessitates their efficient removal during production and purification steps. Therefore, in recent years, there has been increased interest in polymer-based platforms that can provide high selectivity, suitable adsorption capacity, and product recovery. This review presents smart polymeric platforms developed for endotoxin removal in biopharmaceuticals, highlighting their advanced architectures and design strategies. First, the structural and physicochemical properties of endotoxins, and the challenges in their removal are explained. Advanced architectures (particle adsorbents, membranes, monolithic structures, cryogels) are evaluated in terms of adsorption capacity, selectivity, regeneration potential and biomolecule recovery. Then, the impact of fundamental design principles (electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, affinity-based recognition, and surface functionalization) on endotoxin removal performance is discussed. In addition, application areas of these platforms in the purification of biopharmaceuticals are given. Finally, considering existing limitations, perspectives are presented for the development of more effective, sustainable, and industrially applicable polymeric systems in the future. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of polymer-based platforms for endotoxin removal and reveals their potential in developing more selective and efficient biopharmaceutical purification strategies.