Latest Advances in the Study of Smart Hydrogels for Drug Delivery Systems
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2023) | Viewed by 2507
Special Issue Editors
Interests: nanomaterials; hybrid systems; drug delivery; smart hydrogels
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hydrogels are reticulated three-dimensional polymeric networks with a high-water absorption capacity that enables them to reach several times their dry weight. Their responsiveness to environmental changes (such as temperature, magnetic field, ultrasound intensity, electrical or light pulses, pH, enzyme concentration, and gradient redox) enables diffusibility control, thus making them a promising tool in the field of medicine for the release of drugs. Hydrogels that change their properties in response to an external stimulus are known as smart materials. In the case of cancer therapy, the macromolecules are usually too large to leak out and accumulate in healthy tissue, and are also too large to cross the disorganized and porous vasculature of tumor regions, thus accumulating inside their interstices. Nevertheless, some of these polymeric networks may have insufficient mechanical strength when subjected to the shear rates of the circulatory system if this material is administered intravenously. The association of a second phase with this class of intelligent hydrogels is an alternative whereby the mechanical strength of the inorganic phase is combined with the responsiveness of the organic one, thus giving rise to compounds with broader applicability. Herein, we aim to provide an overview of the latest research concerning controlled drug delivery using smart hydrogels as a platform for therapy. Original articles on the synthesis and use of these systems for specific treatments, multi-agent encapsulation, hybrid system delivery, and/or multifunctional approaches to therapy are encouraged.
Prof. Dr. Edésia Martins Barros De Sousa
Dr. Andreza de Sousa Andrada
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- smart hydrogels
- drug delivery
- multifunctional systems
- hybrids
- nanomaterials
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