Chapter 5 - Nanocellulose and nanohydrogel-mediated sustained drug delivery: smart medical technology

Abstract

Effective drug delivery requires that the delivery system provides control over the rate and the site of drug release. Smart drug delivery carriers are developed to overcome the barriers to the effective drug delivery and to avoid nonselective distribution of drugs in the body. These smart delivery systems are able to respond to environmental factors such as pH, temperature, biological fluids, and external stimuli, resulting in shape changes, solubility alterations, stretching and shrinking, among others. However, these changes should be reversible if the delivery systems are to be called smart delivery devices. Nanohydrogels are biocompatible and biodegradable systems that can be tuned or designed to respond to a specific stimulus and cause changes in its properties. Nanocellulose, due to their safety, availability, and adaptability to various chemical modifications, make it an ideal candidate as a platform for the development of such smart delivery systems. Based on nanocellulose, smart drug delivery systems such as aerogels, pH-responsive hydrogels, implants, films, electrospun nanofibers, injectable hydrogels, magnetic guided nanoparticles, and others have been prepared. In addition, nanocellulose-based smart systems that respond to multiple stimuli such as pH and temperature and pH and light have also been developed to achieve improved drug delivery.