Abstract
Hydrophilic polymeric networks that are capable of imbibing huge volumes of water and undergoing swelling and shrinkage suitably to facilitate controlled drug-release are called hydrogels. Hydrogels are promising, trendy, intelligent, and “smart” drug delivery vehicles that cater to the specific requirements for targeting drugs to the specific sites and controlling drug release. The attractive physical properties of hydrogels, especially their porosity, offer tremendous advantages in drug delivery applications such as sustained release of the loaded drug. Diffusion-controlled drug delivery with hydrogels uses reservoir or matrix devices that allow diffusion-based drug release through a hydrogel mesh or pores filled with water. The swelling-controlled drug release from hydrogels uses drugs dispersed within a glassy polymer which when in contact with a biofluid begins swelling. The supramolecular hydrogel system is composed of intermolecular interactions that are non-covalent and has two or more molecular entities held together. A newer variety of hydrogels used for drug delivery applications are the bioinspired hydrogels.
Highlights
Hydrophilic polymeric networks that are capable of imbibing huge volumes of water and undergoing swelling and shrinkage suitably to facilitate controlled drug-release are called hydrogels
Oxidized β-cyclodextrin was used in a recent study to exploit aldehyde groups on a hydrogel matrix for favorable reaction with amines in the tissue to result in an imine bond (Schiff’s base reaction) in order to adhere to the skin and to provide improved cyclodextrin solubility in order to improve loading efficiency
Structured networks are formed by hybridizing complementary DNA molecules and the resultant hydrogel structures expand upon encounter with an aqueous environment that result in swelling
Summary
Hydrophilic polymeric networks that are capable of imbibing huge volumes of water and undergoing swelling and shrinkage suitably to facilitate controlled drug-release are called hydrogels Their porosity and compatibility with aqueous environments make them highly attractive bio-compatible drug delivery vehicles. Diffusion-controlled drug delivery with hydrogels uses reservoir or matrix devices that allow diffusion-based drug release through a hydrogel mesh or pores filled with water. In the reservoir delivery system, the hydrogel membrane is coated on a drug-containing core producing capsules, spheres or slabs that have a high drug concentration in the very center of the system to facilitate a constant drug-release rate. While the reservoir delivery system produces time-independent and constant drug release, the matrix system works via the macromolecular pores or mesh. This paper discusses the recent trends in drug delivery applications using hydrogels, including their translation to the clinic and their applications to successfully deliver hydrophobic drugs
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