Hydrogel: A Novel Drug Delivery System
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Abstract
Hydrogel materials are becoming an important tool in the field of pharmacology due to their high level of water content, biocompatibility, and the capability of entrapping a broad range of therapeutic agents. The amenable nature of their chemical structure of choice allows for effective regulation of drug loading and release via diffusion, swelling, degradation, and environmental stimulus responses, including pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Due to these properties, we can observe that hydrogels are intelligent and bio-responsible systems able to release drugs based on definite physiological requirements. The development of hydrogel-based systems is now being applied in oral, transdermal, ocular, injectable, and implantable delivery of drugs, and protein, peptide, and gene delivery. The emergent advances in polymer modification, nanotechnology, and crosslinking methodologies have resulted in hybrid and nanocomposite hydrogels with superior mechanical strength and tailored drug release profiles which makes the study in this field highly encouraging. Though mechanical stability, future sterilization problems, and even lack of biodegradability remain issues that curtail their translation to the clinic. These drawbacks demonstrate that, in the meantime, hydrogel cannot entirely substitute traditional systems of drug delivery. The future studies are hence directed towards establishing the hydrogel platforms that can be employed as therapy, diagnostic, and patient-specific systems. Through the current interdisciplinary efforts and technological advancements, there are high hopes for hydrogel and hydrogel-based drug delivery systems to be widely applicable in targeted and controlled drug delivery in the near future.
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