Enzyme-Responsive Hydrogels

Abstract

In an enzymatically responsive system, a suitable enzyme is used as a stimulus for a control release or delivery at a specifically targeted site where that enzyme is designed in such a way that can work at certain controlled conditions (such as temperature, pH). Enzyme-responsive hydrogels prepared from cellulose along with other materials have suitable macromolecular networks and can work in controlled environment. Specifically designed enzymatic stimuli-responsive system, one of the highly explored techniques, popularly explored to add a triggerable agent (such as a polymer or a lipid) that can encapsulate the active component in a protective manner. Usually, this active agent is responsive to degradation or swelling when it reaches at the target site. An enzymatic stimulus-responsive system is highly attractive field of research due to its many potential applications (e.g., in controlled release, drug delivery, and other areas of life and material sciences). This chapter gives a brief overview on the design and uses of enzyme-responsive hydrogels based on cellulose and other polymers for their various applications in different fields including in controlled drug delivery and other areas of biomedical and material sciences.