Polymeric Hydrogel: A Flexible Carrier System for Drug Delivery

Abstract

Hydrogels are promising and innovative drug delivery system that plays a vital role by addressing the problems associated with old and modern therapeutics such as nonspecific effects and poor stability. Hydrogels are extensively being explored as drug delivery systems due to ease of their modifications and ability to efficiently encapsulate therapeutics of diverse nature through simple mechanisms. These are essentially based on hydrophilic polymer networks, with a tendency to imbibe water when placed in an aqueous environment. The affinity to aqueous solutions, superior colloidal properties, inertness in the biological system and the internal aqueous environment, make them suitable for incorporation of bulky drugs for delivery of chemotherapeutics and proteins. Present chapter presents introduction to hydrogel based drug delivery including types of hydrogel, their composition, types of polymerization techniques used for formulation of hydrogel and characterization of hydrogel. Furthermore, stimuli responsive hydrogels and their biomedical applications will be summarized.