Abstract
Controlled drug delivery technology represents one of the most rapidly advancing areas of science. They offer numerous advantages compared to conventional dosage forms including improved efficacy, reduced toxicity, improved patient compliance and convenience. Over the past several decades, many delivery tools or methods were developed such as viral vector, liposome-based delivery system, polymer-based delivery system, and intelligent delivery system. Recently, nonviral vectors, especially those based on biodegradable polymers, have been widely investigated as vectors. Unlike the other polymers tested, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have been intensively investigated as a family of biodegradable and biocompatible materials for in vivo applications as implantable tissue engineering material as well as release vectors for various drugs. On the other hand, the direct use of these polyesters has been hampered by their hydrophobic character and some physical shortcomings, while its random copolymers fulfilled the expectation of biomedical researchers by exhibiting significant mechanical and thermal properties. This paper reviews the strategies adapted to make functional polymer to be utilized as delivery system.
Highlights
For the last decades, drug delivery systems have enormously increased their performances, moving from simple pills to sustained/controlled release and sophisticated programmable delivery systems
An increasing appreciation of the latter has led to the evolution and development of novel drug delivery systems (NDDSs) [2], whereas traditional delivery systems (TDSs) are characterized by immediate and uncontrolled drug release kinetics [3]
A large number of both natural and synthetic polymers have been studied for possible application in an outstanding range of extended/controlled release properties for a wide variety of dosage forms and processing methods
Summary
Drug delivery systems have enormously increased their performances, moving from simple pills to sustained/controlled release and sophisticated programmable delivery systems. The primary method of accomplishing this controlled release has been through incorporating the existing drugs into new drug delivery systems such as polymers. This novel approach considerably improves drug performance in terms of efficacy, safety and patient compliance. A large number of both natural and synthetic polymers have been studied for possible application in an outstanding range of extended/controlled release properties for a wide variety of dosage forms and processing methods. Two promising synthetic polymers which have been developed for biomedical applications are polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyethylene glycol acrylate-based hydrogels [3] Both of them are biodegradable and form copolymers with natural macromolecules. Each range has fundamentally different hydrophilicity, swelling and erosion characteristics which provide flexibility in controlling the release mechanisms
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