Smart Hydrogels for Drug Delivery

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2018) | Viewed by 22079

Special Issue Editors

Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, 000185 Rome, Italy
Interests: polysaccharide; hydrogels; nanohydrogels; drug delivery; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, Sapienza, University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: nanohydrogels, hyaluronan, drug delivery, polysaccharides, hydrogels

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the intrinsic nature of high water content systems, hydrogels are increasingly exploited in biomedical and pharmaceutical research and applications. Indeed, they can be formed using many different building blocks, such as natural and synthetic polymers, as well as low molecular weight compounds; and an incredibly wide variety of final systems can be obtained. Among these, according to the different approaches and formulations, it is possible to find appropriate drug delivery scaffolds for the controlled release of drugs that can be used for topical applications, depot systems, parenteral administrations, or as stimuli-responsive devices for smart applications. In this respect, by using the appropriate “bricks” intelligent systems can be obtained, thus fulfilling many different specific needs. In this Special Issue, we would like to explore the up to date situation in this field, and to depict, at the same time, the main perspectives of the fascinating world of hydrogels.

Dr. Pietro Matricardi
Dr. Chiara Di Meo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Hydrogel
  • Drug delivery
  • Smart hydrogels
  • Depot
  • Stimuli responsive systems
  • Nanotechnologies
  • Drug targeting
  • Smart polymers

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 10636 KiB  
Article
Rational Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of γ-CD-Containing Cross-Linked Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel as a Prednisone Delivery Platform
by Adolfo Marican, Fabián Avila-Salas, Oscar Valdés, Sergio Wehinger, Jorge Villaseñor, Natalia Fuentealba, Mauricio Arenas-Salinas, Yerko Argandoña, Verónica Carrasco-Sánchez and Esteban F. Durán-Lara
Pharmaceutics 2018, 10(1), 30; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pharmaceutics10010030 - 07 Mar 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5243
Abstract
This study describes the in-silico rational design, synthesis and evaluation of cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels containing γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CDHSAs) as platforms for the sustained release of prednisone (PDN). Through in-silico studies using semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations, the effectiveness of 20 dicarboxylic acids to generate [...] Read more.
This study describes the in-silico rational design, synthesis and evaluation of cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels containing γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CDHSAs) as platforms for the sustained release of prednisone (PDN). Through in-silico studies using semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations, the effectiveness of 20 dicarboxylic acids to generate a specific cross-linked hydrogel capable of supporting different amounts of γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) was evaluated. According to the interaction energies calculated with the in-silico studies, the hydrogel made from PVA cross-linked with succinic acids (SA) was shown to be the best candidate for containing γ-CD. Later, molecular dynamics simulation studies were performed in order to evaluate the intermolecular interactions between PDN and three cross-linked hydrogel formulations with different proportions of γ-CD (2.44%, 4.76% and 9.1%). These three cross-linked hydrogels were synthesized and characterized. The loading and the subsequent release of PDN from the hydrogels were investigated. The in-silico and experimental results showed that the interaction between PDN and γ-CDHSA was mainly produced with the γ-CDs linked to the hydrogels. Thus, the unique structures and properties of γ-CDHSA demonstrated an interesting multiphasic profile that could be utilized as a promising drug carrier for controlled, sustained and localized release of PDN. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Hydrogels for Drug Delivery)
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13 pages, 1081 KiB  
Review
Hydrogels for Atopic Dermatitis and Wound Management: A Superior Drug Delivery Vehicle
by Ian P. Harrison and Fabrizio Spada
Pharmaceutics 2018, 10(2), 71; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pharmaceutics10020071 - 14 Jun 2018
Cited by 62 | Viewed by 16122
Abstract
Wound management, in addition to presenting a significant burden to patients and their families, also contributes significantly to a country’s healthcare costs. Treatment strategies are numerous, but in most cases not ideal. Hydrogels, three-dimensional polymeric materials that can withstand a great degree of [...] Read more.
Wound management, in addition to presenting a significant burden to patients and their families, also contributes significantly to a country’s healthcare costs. Treatment strategies are numerous, but in most cases not ideal. Hydrogels, three-dimensional polymeric materials that can withstand a great degree of swelling without losing structural integrity, are drawing great attention for their use as topical wound management solutions in the form of films and as vehicles for drug delivery, due to their unique properties of high water content, biocompatibility, and flexibility. Hydrogels, both naturally and synthetically derived, can be tuned to respond to specific stimuli such as pH, temperature and light and they are ideally suited as drug delivery vehicles. Here we provide a brief overview of the history and characteristics of hydrogels, assess their uses in wound management and drug delivery, and compare them with other types of common drug delivery vehicle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Hydrogels for Drug Delivery)
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