Title:Stimuli-responsive Polymeric Nanosystems for Therapeutic Applications
Volume: 28
Issue: 11
Author(s): Mayank Handa, Ajit Singh, Swaran Jeet Singh Flora and Rahul Shukla*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Raebareli, Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh 226002, India
Keywords:
pH-responsive, polymeric nanoparticles, drug delivery, temperature responsive, cancer, neurodegeneration.
Abstract:
Background: Recent studies have been reported emerging polymeric nanoparticles as a promising
particulate carrier system for controlled and targeted drug delivery. Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers have
shown characteristics, such as high drug uptake at specific sites or targeted cells with an advantage of no drug
leakage. These stimuli-responsive polymeric systems are used to functionalize nanocarriers, such as dendrimers,
metallic nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, liposomal nanoparticles, and quantum dots.
Objective: The study reviews the potential of smart stimuli-responsive carriers for therapeutic application and
their behavior in external or internal stimuli, like pH, temperature, redox, light, and magnetic field. These stimuli-
responsive drug delivery systems exhibit different drug release patterns in in vitro and in vivo studies. Stimuli-
responsive nanocarriers are useful for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs and release them on applied
stimulus. This review highlights the recent development in the physical properties of polymeric materials and
their application in stimuli-responsive specific drug delivery.
Conclusion: The stimuli (smart, intelligent, programmable) drug delivery systems provide site-specific drug delivery
with potential therapy for cancer, neurodegenerative, and lifestyle disorders. The stimuli-responsive-
based nanocarriers are developing at a fast pace, and there is a huge demand for biocompatible and
biodegradable responsive polymers for effective and safe delivery.