Stimuli-responsive polymeric systems for smart drug-delivery

DARIANA ARISTIZÁBAL BEDOYA; FIGUEROA, FRANCISCO; MACCHIONE, MICAELA A.; STRUMIA, MIRIAM C.; AMIT KUMAR NAYAK ; MD SAQUIB HASNAIN

Advanced Biopolymeric Systems for Drug Delivery

Springer

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 have thedistinctiveness of carrying out the release of therapeutics at the target sites in aspatially controlledmanner. Thismeans that the drug is released with suitable speedsexclusively at the site of action. Specifically, smart DDSs ensure that the drug isnot freely extravagate during blood circulation, and only released at specific sites(organs/tissues) where these nanocarriers accumulate through an active or passivetargeting strategy. Various polymers-based nanomaterials offer new opportunitiesfor the preparation of smart DDSs due to their unique nanoscale properties andspecific bio-functions. In this way, there is a special type of polymers called ?stimuliresponsive?,?intelligent?, ?smart? or ?environmental-sensitive? polymers, becausethey have the particularity of responding to small physical or chemical stimulileading to a macroscopic alteration in their structure/properties. The basis of thedifferent stimulus-sensitive polymers used in the preparation of intelligent DDSswillbe presented in the different sections of this chapter taking into account the stimulusthat trigger polymer alteration and their specific applications in drug delivery.