Cannabidiol Encapsulation in Polymeric Hydrogels and Its Controlled Release: A Review

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Cannabidiol (CBD) exhibits therapeutic properties (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer) but faces clinical translation challenges due to poor solubility and instability.
• Polymeric encapsulation offers a solution by protecting CBD from degradation, enhancing bioavailability, and enabling controlled release.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of polymeric encapsulation in overcoming CBD's physicochemical limitations.
• To explore CBD-polymer interactions, encapsulation techniques, and characterization methods.
• To identify challenges and future directions for polymer-based CBD delivery systems.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on CBD properties, polymer matrices (hydrogels, nanofibers, microparticles, films, hybrid systems), and encapsulation techniques (emulsion solvent evaporation, electrospinning, supercritical fluid).
• Discussion of material characterization methods (microscopy, thermal, degradation analyses).

Main Results:

• Polymeric encapsulation effectively addresses CBD's low water solubility, high lipophilicity, and instability.
• Various polymer matrices and encapsulation techniques demonstrate potential for stable and scalable CBD delivery.
• Characterization methods are crucial for optimizing encapsulation system performance.

Conclusions:

• Polymer-based encapsulation is a promising strategy for unlocking CBD's therapeutic and commercial potential.
• Further research is needed to address challenges in large-scale production, regulatory compliance, and personalized delivery systems.
• Optimized polymer-CBD systems can lead to innovative pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.