Abstract
Targeted and controlled drug delivery employing smart materials is a widely investigated field, within which stimuli-responsive polymers, particularly those which are thermo-responsive, have received considerable attention. Thermo-responsive polymers have facilitated the formulation of insitu gel forming systems which undergo a sol-gel transition at physiological body temperature, and have revolutionised the fields of tissue engineering, cell encapsulation, and controlled, sustained delivery of both drugs and genes. However, the use of single thermo-responsive polymers in the creation of these systems has posed numerous problems in terms of physico-mechanical properties. Hybridisation of these thermo-responsive polymers has therefore been employed, resulting in the creation of tailor-made drug delivery systems with optimal gelation temperatures and concentrations, ideal viscosities and improved gel strengths. This article reviews various thermo-responsive polymers that have been employed in the formulation of thermo-gelling systems. Special attention has been given to the hybridisation of each of these polymers, the resulting systems that have been created, and their biomedical applications.
Highlights
Stimuli responsive drug delivery systems have been widely investigated due to their role in facilitating targeted and controlled drug delivery (Thambi and Lee, 2019)
Promising results in reducing the gelation temperature while simultaneously speeding up the gelation process were shown in another study, where xylitol was used in addition to sodium phosphate dibasic to reduce the gelation temperature of a methylcellulose based thermogel to 32◦C, below the physiological body temperature, to facilitate the delivery of placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSC) at lower body temperatures for the treatment of ischemia within limbs
Hybridization of natural polymers with synthetic ones is a common trend that has been exploited by researchers
Summary
Stimuli responsive drug delivery systems have been widely investigated due to their role in facilitating targeted and controlled drug delivery (Thambi and Lee, 2019). Hybrid chitosan based thermogels show promising results in terms of their potential in tissue engineering applications due to the reduction in toxicity and improvement in gel strength provided by hybridization (Zarrintaj et al, 2020).
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