Hydrogels, polymeric drug delivery systems

Xinming, L., Yingde, C., Lloyd, A. W. et al. 2008. Polymeric hydrogels for novel contact lens-based ophthalmic drug delivery systems. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye M 57-64. 

Swelling is one of the functional properties used to characterize biopolymers required for modified or controlled drug delivery systems. The biopolymers employed for modified drug delivery applications are hydrogels that form three-dimensional polymeric networks when they come into contact with water, they absorb many times their weight of water but they do not dissolve. Swelling of the ceUulosics in different biorelevant media must be established. 

Various methods to prepare polymeric hydrogels for novel CL-based ophthalmic drug delivery systems are critically analyzed in Section 51.4.8. In addition, advantages and limitations of CLs as drug carriers and then a more extensive analysis of the approaches made to modify the polymeric networks at the nanoscale in order to improve drug loading and release performance will be discussed. 

Hydrogel Hydrogels are water-swollen polymeric materials that can hold a significant amoimt of water while maintaining a distinct three-dimensional structure to act as a carrier for the drug delivery system (Xu and Kopecek, 2007). Nanoparticles (Figure 13.1). 

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