Next-Generation Albumin Hydrogels: Innovative Formulation Strategies and Therapeutic Applications for Various...

Hydrogels have emerged as one of the most important and promising strategies for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications due to their unique physicochemical properties and intrinsic biocompatibility. Among various biomaterials, albumin is one of the most abundant plasma proteins derived from blood plasma, which exhibits excellent mechanical properties, biodegradability, and high biocompatibility, enabling controlled and sustained drug release while improving drug stability, making it an ideal biomaterial for biomedical applications, as well as a suitable platform for fabricating hydrogels for drug delivery. Albumin-based hydrogel drug delivery strategies have been explored for various diseases, including cancer, wound healing, ocular disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disorders, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal conditions, and other advanced applications such as biosensors. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in albumin hydrogel in drug delivery through various strategies employed for hydrogel formation, such as physical, chemical, and enzymatic crosslinking approaches, as well as the development of albumin hybrid hydrogels. These approaches allow modification of mechanical strength, swelling behavior, and drug-release profiles to meet specific requirements. Furthermore, this review highlights the potential of albumin hydrogels for biomedical applications and therapeutic drug delivery across various disease conditions. Overall, albumin hydrogels represent an innovative biomaterial platform capable of addressing current challenges in drug delivery and improving patient outcomes through advanced biomedical applications.