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Polymers for Drug Release and Drug Delivery

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 6075

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Centre for Additive Manufacturing, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Interests: polymer synthesis; polyphosphazenes; polymers for (bio)medical applications; drug delivery; macromolecular drugs

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers are versatile materials, widely applied in medicine. Even though many applications are devices, tubing, and implants, the importance of polymers for the delivery of drugs cannot be highlighted enough. Ranging from polymer therapeutics and nanomedicine to vaccines and wound healing, polymers are either directly involved, such as macromolecular drugs, or are used as a carrier or drug storage, such as in capsules or hydrogels, or even used to modify the release of drugs in tablets. Materials used for drug delivery range from synthetic, including biobased, materials, to natural polymers, offering different approaches to a common goal.

For this Special Issue, we invite you to present your research on this highly interesting topic, may it focus on the synthesis of polymers or go more into detail about the release or delivery of drugs.

Dr. Helena Henke
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymers
  • drug delivery
  • drug release
  • medical applications
  • nanomedicine
  • drug carriers
  • polymer therapeutics
  • polymer synthesis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 35282 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Polymer-Based Membranes for Methotrexate Drug Delivery
by Ionela-Amalia Bradu, Titus Vlase, Mădălin Bunoiu, Mădălina Grădinaru, Alexandru Pahomi, Dorothea Bajas, Mihaela Maria Budiul and Gabriela Vlase
Polymers 2023, 15(21), 4325; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15214325 - 4 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1284
Abstract
Methotrexate or amethopterin or 4-amino-N10-methyl pteroylglutamic acid is used for treating autoimmune diseases, as well as certain malignancies. Drug delivery systems, which are based on biopolymers, can be developed to improve the therapeutic and pharmacological properties of topically administered drugs. Biopolymers improve the [...] Read more.
Methotrexate or amethopterin or 4-amino-N10-methyl pteroylglutamic acid is used for treating autoimmune diseases, as well as certain malignancies. Drug delivery systems, which are based on biopolymers, can be developed to improve the therapeutic and pharmacological properties of topically administered drugs. Biopolymers improve the therapeutic effect of drugs, mainly by improving their biodistribution and modulating drug release. This study presents the synthesis of membranes based on anionic polysaccharides and cationic polysaccharides for transdermal delivery of the active ingredient methotrexate, as well as a compatibility study between methotrexate and each of the components used in the prepared membranes. The obtained membranes based on different marine polysaccharides, namely κ-carrageenan and chitosan, for the release of the active ingredient methotrexate were characterized using techniques such as TG, FTIR, UV–Vis spectrophotometry, FTIR microscopy, water absorption capacity, water vapor permeability, and biodegradation rate. Following the studies, the membranes suitable for the transdermal release of the active substance were validated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Drug Release and Drug Delivery)
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12 pages, 3227 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Methacryloylated Hydroxyethylcellulose and Development of Mucoadhesive Wafers for Buccal Drug Delivery
by Fhataheya Buang, Afroditi Chatzifragkou, Mohd Cairul Iqbal Mohd Amin and Vitaliy V. Khutoryanskiy
Polymers 2023, 15(1), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15010093 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2506
Abstract
Non-ionic hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) has limited mucoadhesive properties for application in transmucosal drug delivery. In this study, HEC was chemically modified by reaction with glycidyl methacrylate. This allowed introducing the methacryloyl groups to HEC structure to make it capable of forming covalent bonds with [...] Read more.
Non-ionic hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) has limited mucoadhesive properties for application in transmucosal drug delivery. In this study, HEC was chemically modified by reaction with glycidyl methacrylate. This allowed introducing the methacryloyl groups to HEC structure to make it capable of forming covalent bonds with the sulfhydryl groups present in the mucin glycoprotein to achieve enhanced mucoadhesive properties. The results showed a successful modification of HEC as confirmed by 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopies. The quantification of methacryloyl moieties was conducted using HPLC. The toxicity studies using in vivo planaria acute toxicity assay, in vivo planaria fluorescent test, and in vitro MTT assay with Caco-2 cell line confirmed that the chemical modification of HEC does not result in any toxicological effects. Mucoadhesive wafers were developed based on parent and modified HEC as a model dosage form for buccal delivery. The mucoadhesive properties of modified HEC assessed using a tensile test were found to be significantly better compared to unmodified HEC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Drug Release and Drug Delivery)
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12 pages, 3030 KiB  
Article
Novel Polymeric Nanomaterial Based on Poly(Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate-Methacryloylamidophenylalanine) for Hypertension Treatment: Properties and Drug Release Characteristics
by Fevzi Bardakci, Kevser Kusat, Mohd Adnan, Riadh Badraoui, Mohammad Jahoor Alam, Mousa M. Alreshidi, Arif Jamal Siddiqui, Manojkumar Sachidanandan and Sinan Akgöl
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 5038; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14225038 - 21 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1679
Abstract
In this study, a novel polymeric nanomaterial was synthesized and characterized, and it its potential usability in hypertension treatment was demonstrated. For these purposes, a poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-methacryloylamidophenylalanine)-based polymeric nanomaterial (p(HEMPA)) was synthesized using a mini-emulsion polymerization technique. The nanomaterials were characterized using scanning [...] Read more.
In this study, a novel polymeric nanomaterial was synthesized and characterized, and it its potential usability in hypertension treatment was demonstrated. For these purposes, a poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-methacryloylamidophenylalanine)-based polymeric nanomaterial (p(HEMPA)) was synthesized using a mini-emulsion polymerization technique. The nanomaterials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and zeta size analysis. The synthesized p(HEMPA) nanomaterial had a diameter of about 113 nm. Amlodipine-binding studies were optimized by changing the reaction conditions. Under optimum conditions, amlodipine’s maximum adsorption value (Qmax) of the p(HEMPA) nanopolymer was found to be 145.8 mg/g. In vitro controlled drug release rates of amlodipine, bound to the nanopolymer at the optimum conditions, were studied with the dialysis method in a simulated gastrointestinal system with pH values of 1.2, 6.8 and 7.4. It was found that 99.5% of amlodipine loaded on the nanomaterial was released at pH 7.4 and 72 h. Even after 72 h, no difference was observed in the release of AML. It can be said that the synthesized nanomaterial is suitable for oral amlodipine release. In conclusion, the synthesized nanomaterial was studied for the first time in the literature as a drug delivery system for use in the treatment of hypertension. In addition, AML–p(HEMPA) nanomaterials may enable less frequent drug uptake, have higher bioavailability, and allow for prolonged release with minimal side effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Drug Release and Drug Delivery)
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