Hydrogels: Smart Materials in Drug Delivery

Abstract

The prominence of hydrogels in various fields of life sciences is due to their significant and functional three-dimensional biopolymeric networks, which tend to imbibe water due to-OH,-CONH2,-SO3H,-CONH,-COOR groups which have a hydrophilic tendency enabling them to be an excellent super absorbent and remain insoluble in water. Hydrogels can embed physiologically active molecules in their water-swollen network and are appealing materials for the controlled release of medicines. Several significant advancements in the realm of hydrogels for therapeutic delivery have resulted from recent advances in organic and polymer chemistry, bioengineering, and nanotechnology. We offer our perspective on the state-of-the-art in the field in this chapter, focusing on several intriguing issues such as current trends in hydrogel-based drug delivery, stimuli-responsive hydrogels, nanogels, and therapeutic release from 3D printed hydrogels. We also discuss the obstacles that must be solved to promote translation from academia to the clinic, as well as our predictions for the future of this quickly changing field of research.