Biomolecules are attractive building blocks with self-assembly ability, structural diversity, and excellent functionality for creating artificial materials. Heparin and protamine, a clinically relevant pair of biomolecules used in cardiac and vascular surgery, have been shown to coassemble into particulate polyelectrolyte complexes in vitro. The resulting heparin-protamine particles exhibit adhesive properties that enable advantageous interactions with proteins, cells, and various other substances and have been employed as functional materials for biomedical applications. In this review article, we summarize recent progress in research on the use of heparin-protamine particles as drug carriers, cell adhesives, and cell labels. Studies have demonstrated that heparin-protamine particles are potentially versatile in biomedical fields from drug delivery and regenerative medicine to plastic surgery.
Keywords: biomedical application; heparin; microparticle; molecular self-assembly; nanoparticle; polyelectrolyte complex; protamine.