Hydrogel Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery

Abstract

Hydrogel nanoparticles known as nanogels are among the most promising nanoparticulate drug delivery system currently under investigation for both timed-controlled release and targeted delivery of drugs and other bioactive agents. This system combines the remarkable advantages of the hydrogels and the wide possibilities of nanoparticles in one system. The high degree of hydrophilicity, high capacity for drug loading, flexibility in size, as well as surface electrical charge, ease of production and handling, availability of raw materials for fabrication, and remarkable biocompatibility are among the main advantages of this system in drug delivery. Nanogels can be prepared using both chemically- and physically-based methods via formation of covalent or noncovalent bonds in polymer structures. This leads to the formation of crosslinked networks, suitable to be loaded by a variety of drug molecules via chemical binding or physical entrapment within the structures. One of the most important and promising features of the nanogels is their potential to be used as smart drug delivery systems. Based on the polymeric systems used, different stimuli-responsive nanoparticles, such as pH-responsive, temperature-sensitive, magnetic-responsive, and ion-sensitive intelligent systems, can be prepared. In this review, the background, current status, and future horizons of the hydrogel nanoparticulate systems are reviewed extensively with the main focus on their drug delivery potential as smart nanoparticulate systems. © 2012 Scrivener Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.