Abstract
Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks of hydrophilic polymers able to absorb and retain a considerable amount of water or biological fluid while maintaining their structure. Among these, thermo-sensitive hydrogels, characterized by a temperature-dependent sol–gel transition, have been massively used as drug delivery systems for the controlled release of various bioactives. Poloxamer 407 (P407) is an ABA-type triblock copolymer with a center block of hydrophobic polypropylene oxide (PPO) between two hydrophilic polyethyleneoxide (PEO) lateral chains. Due to its unique thermo-reversible gelation properties, P407 has been widely investigated as a temperature-responsive material. The gelation phenomenon of P407 aqueous solutions is reversible and characterized by a sol–gel transition temperature. The nanoencapsulation of drugs within biocompatible delivery systems dispersed in P407 hydrogels is a strategy used to increase the local residence time of various bioactives at the injection site. In this mini-review, the state of the art of the most important mixed systems made up of colloidal carriers localized within a P407 hydrogel will be provided in order to illustrate the possibility of obtaining a controlled release of the entrapped drugs and an increase in their therapeutic efficacy as a function of the biomaterial used.
Highlights
Nanosystems containing drugs are important formulations used for the clinical treatment of various diseases
Colloidal drug delivery systems are characterized by submicron particle sizes and are able to deliver therapeutic agents characterized by different physico-chemical natures [51,52,53]
Derivative was added to the liposomal composition. This phenomenon was explained hypothesizing an intrusion of poloxamer 407 (P407) residues within the phospholipid layers able to promote the formation of pores, fractures, or regions of high-fluidity; contrarily, the use of a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-derivative provided a steric barrier on the vesicular surface that decreased its interaction with the copolymer (Figure 4)
Summary
Nanosystems containing drugs are important formulations used for the clinical treatment of various diseases They offer important advantages such as specific cell/tissue targeting, prolonged systemic circulation, protection from metabolic modification, improved bioavailability, and increased therapeutic efficiency of entrapped/complexed bioactive compounds [1,2]. The physico-chemical configuration (amorphous, semicrystalline, and crystalline), and responsiveness to Due to their peculiar properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and good physiological environmental stimuli (e.g., pH, ionic strength, and temperature) [9,11]. Temperature-responsive hydrogels have including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the manufacture of contact lenses, diagnostics, stimulated great interest in pharmaceutical applications because they can be applied in situ forming and drug delivery systems [13,14,15]. Based-hydrogels containing various biocompatible nanocarriers as innovative formulations able to modulate the pharmacological and biopharmaceutical features of the drugs
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