Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026
05:43
Four-Dimensional Printing of Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel-Based Soft Robots
Published on: January 13, 2023
4.3K
Stimuli-Responsive Cationic Hydrogels in Drug Delivery Applications
1Soft Materials Laboratory, Natural Sciences and Science Education AG, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1-Nanyang Walk, Singapore 637616, Singapore. roshan.gulam@nie.edu.sg.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 25, 2019
Summary
Stimuli-responsive cationic polymers and hydrogels exhibit reversible swelling and shrinking in response to pH changes. This property makes them valuable for advanced applications like smart drug delivery systems.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Stimuli-responsive polymers react to environmental changes (pH, temperature, light).
- Cationic polymers and hydrogels are smart materials that change volume with pH.
- These materials are synthesized in diverse architectures like hydrogels and dendrimers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the properties of stimuli-responsive cationic polymers and hydrogels.
- To focus on their pH-dependent swelling and de-swelling behavior.
- To highlight their applications in drug delivery systems.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on stimuli-responsive polymer properties.
- Analysis of pH-induced volume transitions in cationic polymers.
- Examination of network architectures influencing material response.
Main Results:
- Cationic polymers and hydrogels show significant swelling at acidic pH and shrinking at alkaline pH.
- Reversible volume changes are directly linked to external pH fluctuations.
- Diverse material architectures enable tunable responses.
Conclusions:
- Stimuli-responsive cationic polymers and hydrogels are promising smart materials.
- Their pH-dependent behavior is key to their utility in drug delivery.
- Further research can optimize these materials for targeted therapeutic applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Drug Delivery: Overview
844
The selection of a drug's delivery route depends upon its physicochemical properties, including lipid or water solubility and ionization, as well as the therapeutic requirement, such as immediate or sustained effect. These routes can be divided into three primary categories: enteral, parenteral, and topical.
Enteral delivery involves administering drugs directly through swallowing, sublingual placement, or buccal application. Orally administered drugs predominantly navigate the...
Enteral delivery involves administering drugs directly through swallowing, sublingual placement, or buccal application. Orally administered drugs predominantly navigate the...
844
01:18Drug Delivery: Enteral Route
1.7K
The enteral drug administration involves three primary routes: oral, sublingual, and buccal. Oral ingestion is the most prevalent, safe, economical, and convenient method for drug administration. However, it has certain drawbacks, including limited absorption due to the drug's low water solubility or poor membrane permeability, possible emesis from GI mucosa irritation, destruction of drugs by digestive enzymes or low gastric pH, and irregular absorption along with food or other drugs.
1.7K
01:29Drug Delivery: Parenteral Route
1.7K
The parenteral route is a critical method of drug administration. It delivers compounds directly into the systemic circulation and bypasses the gastrointestinal tract. This approach is particularly advantageous for drugs that exhibit poor absorption or instability when administered orally.
There are three primary parenteral routes: intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC). The IV route introduces the drug directly into the bloodstream, ensuring immediate action. The IM route...
There are three primary parenteral routes: intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC). The IV route introduces the drug directly into the bloodstream, ensuring immediate action. The IM route...
1.7K
01:22Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes
814
Drug delivery methods like oral inhalation, nasal sprays, transdermal patches, eye drops, intravitreal injection, and rectal administration provide localized effects with reduced toxicity.
Oral inhalation and nasal sprays swiftly transfer drugs across the respiratory epithelium's mucosal layer. Inhaled glucocorticoids and bronchodilators directly target lung conditions such as asthma, while fluticasone nasal spray mitigates allergic rhinitis.
Transdermal patches transport drugs...
Oral inhalation and nasal sprays swiftly transfer drugs across the respiratory epithelium's mucosal layer. Inhaled glucocorticoids and bronchodilators directly target lung conditions such as asthma, while fluticasone nasal spray mitigates allergic rhinitis.
Transdermal patches transport drugs...
814
01:21Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
3.0K
When it comes to infants and young children, they are typically administered smaller doses of medication in comparison to adults. This is primarily because their organ functions still need to fully develop, meaning their bodies are not as efficient at metabolizing or eliminating drugs. Additionally, their blood-brain barrier is more permeable than in adults. As a result, high concentrations of drugs can easily penetrate the central nervous system (CNS), potentially leading to neurological...
3.0K
01:29Applications of GIS: Disaster Management and Emergency Response
520
Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is essential for risk identification, action prioritization, and resource optimization in critical situations like flooding and earthquakes. By integrating spatial and demographic data, GIS provides a comprehensive framework for emergency response.GIS integrates data layers, like rainfall intensity, topography, elevation profiles, and river levels, to model high-risk flood zones. These layers assess areas susceptible to flooding based on their...
520