Abstract
Stimuli-responsive, “smart” polymeric materials used in the biomedical field function in a bio-mimicking manner by providing a non-linear response to triggers coming from a physiological microenvironment or other external source. They are built based on various chemical, physical, and biological tools that enable pH and/or temperature-stimulated changes in structural or physicochemical attributes, like shape, volume, solubility, supramolecular arrangement, and others. This review touches on some particular developments on the topic of stimuli-sensitive molecular tools for biomedical applications. Design and mechanistic details are provided concerning the smart synthetic instruments that are employed to prepare supra- and macro-molecular architectures with specific responses to external stimuli. Five major themes are approached: (i) temperature- and pH-responsive systems for controlled drug delivery; (ii) glycodynameric hydrogels for drug delivery; (iii) polymeric non-viral vectors for gene delivery; (iv) metallic nanoconjugates for biomedical applications; and, (v) smart organic tools for biomedical imaging.
Highlights
The exponential evolution of macromolecular science reached the natural point in which polymeric materials are required to display a “smart” functional character
Our research spans diverse topics, from bioagents’ carriers, biosynthesis [9,10,11], genotypic mapping [12,13,14,15,16], and cell growth [17,18], to artificial water channels [19,20,21,22], and the exploration of investigative methods [23,24], the review considers the hot topics of drug and gene delivery, antioxidants development, and bioimaging. We addressed these topics by following five major themes: (i) temperature- and pH-responsive systems; (ii) glycodynameric frameworks; (iii) polymeric non-viral vectors; (iv) metallic nanoconjugates; and, (v) smart organic tools
The success of the proof of concept confirms their potential in local antitumor therapy and certifies the feasibility of the glycodynameric pathway for bio-related applications. The advantages of this system were even further tested by encapsulating a model drug, diclofenac sodium salt (DCF), in nitrosalicylaldehyde-imine-chitosan hydrogels as drug delivery vehicles for local therapy [96]
Summary
The exponential evolution of macromolecular science reached the natural point in which polymeric materials are required to display a “smart” functional character. Inspired by the ancestral need to mimic nature, the progress of stimuli-responsive polymers is based on the quest for similar stimuli-sensitive building blocks, architectures, and mechanisms in order to reach biological intelligence in a less intricate fashion [1,2,3] These macromolecular constructs are able to modify their shape, volume, solubility, supramolecular arrangement, and other structural or physicochemical attributes in response to an environmental trigger [4,5,6]. These changes have a subtle, low energetic nature, but they add up along the macromolecular structure into solid modifications and biologically-relevant responses [8] This short review compiles (among others) some of the most interesting results recently obtained (in the last five years) by our group in the broad field of smart supra- and macro-molecular tools for biomedical applications. These represent additional starting points or refined research pathways in the quest for smart solutions for the ever-demanding challenges of the biomedical realm
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