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Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes

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Drug delivery methods like oral inhalation, nasal sprays, transdermal patches, eye drops, intravitreal injection, and rectal administration provide localized effects with reduced toxicity.
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Injectable Supramolecular Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cell and Drug Delivery Applications

Injectable Supramolecular Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cell and Drug Delivery Applications

Published on: February 7, 2021

Spiropyran-Based Drug Delivery Systems.

Andrew Fagan¹, Michał Bartkowski¹, Silvia Giordani¹

¹School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University (DCU), Dublin, Ireland.

Frontiers in Chemistry

|August 16, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Spiropyrans, photochromic molecular switches, offer advantages for drug delivery systems (DDSs) by encapsulating drugs and responding to stimuli. This review explores their potential and challenges in DDS applications.

Keywords:

drug delivery merocyanine molecular switch nanocarrier nanomedicine smart release spiropyran

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

Nanocarriers are increasingly vital in drug delivery, surpassing traditional methods by improving solubility and reducing side effects.
Functionalization of nanocarriers with imaging and targeting agents enhances their therapeutic capabilities.
Spiropyrans, photochromic molecular switches, are emerging as promising candidates for nanocarrier applications due to their responsiveness and biocompatibility.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the advancements in spiropyran-based drug delivery systems (DDSs).
To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using spiropyrans in drug delivery.
To present an outline of current spiropyran-based DDSs.

Main Methods:

Literature review of spiropyran applications in drug delivery.
Analysis of spiropyran properties relevant to nanocarrier functionality.
Assessment of biocompatibility and responsiveness of spiropyran-based systems.

Main Results:

Spiropyrans demonstrate multi-responsiveness to various stimuli, enabling controlled drug release.
Their intrinsic biocompatibility supports their use in biological systems.
Spiropyran-based DDSs offer enhanced functionality compared to conventional delivery methods.

Conclusions:

Spiropyrans represent a promising class of materials for developing advanced drug delivery systems.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the benefits and overcome the limitations of spiropyran-based DDSs.
The unique properties of spiropyrans position them as valuable tools in the future of targeted and stimuli-responsive drug delivery.