Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Systems for Smart Drug Delivery

ARISTIZABAL DARIANA; FIGUEROA FRANCISCO; MACCHIONE, MICAELA; STRUMIA MIRIAM; AMIT KUMAR NAYAK; MD SAQUIB HASNAIN

Advanced Biopolymeric Systems for Drug Delivery

Springer International Publisher

Año: 2020; p. 115 - 134

This chapter provides a general description of smart drug delivery systems(DDSs) based on the use of stimuli-responsive polymers. Smart DDSs havethe particularity of carrying out the release of therapeutics at the target sites ina spatially controlled manner. This means that the drug is released withsuitable speeds exclusively at the site of action. Specifically, smart DDSsensure that the drug is not freely extravagate during blood circulation, andonly released at specific sites (organs/tissues) where these nanocarriersaccumulate through an active or passive targeting strategy. Various polymersbasednanomaterials offer new opportunities for the preparation of smartDDSs due to their unique nanoscale properties and specific bio-functions. Inthis way, there is a special type of polymers called ?stimuli-responsive?,?intelligent?, ?smart? or ?environmental-sensitive? polymers, because they havethe particularity of responding to small physical or chemical stimuli leading toa macroscopic alteration in their structure/properties. The basis of the differentstimulus-sensitive polymers used in the preparation of intelligent DDSs willbe presented in the different sections of this chapter taking into account thestimulus that trigger polymer alteration and their specific applications in drugdelivery.