Smart biopolymers for controlled drug delivery applications

Abstract

Abstract The favorable physicochemical properties and excellent safety profile of biopolymers have enabled their extensive applications in biomedical applications, specifically in drug delivery. Smart biopolymers have especially gained a lot of attention because of their programmable drug release capacity in response to specific stimuli or alterations in their surrounding environment. The stimuli-responsive element of these smart biopolymers undergoes structural or conformational changes in response to physical, biological stimuli, or signals that arise from pathological abnormalities, enabling targeting and self-controlled release of therapeutics under desired physiological conditions. Although slow response time to stimulus is one of the major drawbacks of these polymers, fine-tuning can be done using a combinational approach due to their varying adaptability and source of origin. Therefore in this chapter, we have discussed several types of smart polymeric systems, including thermosensitive, pH-sensitive, phase-sensitive, light-sensitive, and bioresponsive polymers. We have also highlighted recent applications of these systems in controlled drug delivery.