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Review
. 2015 Nov 13;20(11):20397-408.
doi: 10.3390/molecules201119705.

Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Poorly Water-Soluble Drugs

Matthew McKenzie  1 , David Betts  2 , Amy Suh  3 , Kathryn Bui  4 , London Doyoung Kim  5 , Hyunah Cho  6
Affiliations
Review

Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Poorly Water-Soluble Drugs

Matthew McKenzie et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Hydrogels are three-dimensional materials that can withstand a great amount of water incorporation while maintaining integrity. This allows hydrogels to be very unique biomedical materials, especially for drug delivery. Much effort has been made to incorporate hydrophilic molecules in hydrogels in the field of drug delivery, while loading of hydrophobic drugs has not been vastly studied. However, in recent years, research has also been conducted on incorporating hydrophobic molecules within hydrogel matrices for achieving a steady release of drugs to treat various ailments. Here, we summarize the types of hydrogels used as drug delivery vehicles, various methods to incorporate hydrophobic molecules in hydrogel matrices, and the potential therapeutic applications of hydrogels in cancer.

Keywords: block copolymers; hydrogels; hydrophobic drugs; thermosensitive.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the writing of the manuscript and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hydrophobic polymer blocks in thermosensitive gel-forming triblock copolymers. PPO: poly(propylene oxide), PLA: (poly(d,l-lactide), PLGA: poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide), PCL: poly(ε-caprolactone), PHB: poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate].
Figure 2
Figure 2
A schematic illustration of a sol-to-gel transition of PLGA-PEG-PLGA triblock copolymers. CGT: critical gelation temperature.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Thermo- and pH-sensitive hydrogel-forming block copolymers. OSM-PCLA-PEG-PCLA-OSM: sulfamethazine oligomers-poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide)-poly(ethyleneglycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide)-sulfamethazine oligomers, PAE-PCL-PEG-PCL-PAE: poly(b-aminoester)-poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(b-amino ester), PAA-PEG-PAA: poly(amidoamine)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(amidoamine).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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