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Polymers
Special Issues
Smart-Polymer-Based Systems for Drug Delivery
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Smart-Polymer-Based Systems for Drug Delivery

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 16469

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rafal Konefal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry CAS, Heyrovského nám. 2, 162 06 Prague 6, Czech Republic
Interests: NMR; diffusion NMR; stimuli-responsive polymers; thermoresponsive polymers; self-assembly; electrolytes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Drug delivery is one of the most important and challenging applications of natural and synthetic polymers. The crucial aspect of the design of a successful drug delivery system is to deliver the drug into a precise area at the exact time with the right concentration. Different types of natural (carrageenan, chitosan, dextran, hyaluronic acid, and alginates) as well as synthetic (poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), polyesters, polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(meth)acrylates, etc.) polymer-based systems are constantly under investigation for controlled release and targeting of drugs. These systems are designed based on their different architectures on molecular (linear, graft, branched (co)polymers, and dendrimers) and macromolecular (micelles, nanoparticles, gels, films, etc.) levels. Additionally, smart polymers (pH, ROS, temperature responsive, etc.) provide the possibility to release the drugs in the specific targets. 

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect high-quality reviews and original research papers dedicated to the design and application of polymer-based drug-delivery systems. Articles on but not limited to all aspects of polymer drug delivery systems listed below in the list of keywords are welcome.

Dr. Rafal Konefal
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Drug delivery
  • Polymer conjugates
  • Controlled release
  • Nanoparticles
  • Polymer micelles
  • Polymer vesicles
  • Stimuli-responsive polymers
  • Self-assembly
  • Hydrogels
  • Dendrimers
  • pH responsive
  • ROS responsive
  • Polymer prodrugs
  • Biocompatible polymers

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3225 KiB  
Article
Development of an Acid-Labile Ketal Linked Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Nanoparticles for pH-Triggered Release of Paclitaxel
by Svetlana Lukáš Petrova, Eliézer Jäger, Alessandro Jäger, Anita Höcherl, Rafał Konefał, Alexander Zhigunov, Ewa Pavlova, Olga Janoušková and Martin Hrubý
Polymers 2021, 13(9), 1465; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13091465 - 01 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2178
Abstract
Here, we report on the construction of biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide monomethyl ether) (MPEO)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanoparticles (NPs) having acid-labile (acyclic ketal group) linkage at the block junction. In the presence of acidic pH, the nanoassemblies were destabilized as a consequence of cleaving [...] Read more.
Here, we report on the construction of biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide monomethyl ether) (MPEO)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanoparticles (NPs) having acid-labile (acyclic ketal group) linkage at the block junction. In the presence of acidic pH, the nanoassemblies were destabilized as a consequence of cleaving this linkage. The amphiphilic MPEO-b-PCL diblock copolymer self-assembled in PBS solution into regular spherical NPs. The structure of self-assemble and disassemble NPs were characterized in detail by dynamic (DLS), static (SLS) light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The key of the obtained NPs is using them in a paclitaxel (PTX) delivery system and study their in vitro cytostatic activity in a cancer cell model. The acid-labile ketal linker enabled the disassembly of the NPs in a buffer simulating an acidic environment in endosomal (pH ~5.0 to ~6.0) and lysosomal (pH ~4.0 to ~5.0) cell compartments resulting in the release of paclitaxel (PTX) and formation of neutral degradation products. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that the activity of the drug-loaded NPs was increased compared to the free PTX. The ability of the NPs to release the drug at the endosomal pH with concomitant high cytotoxicity makes them suitable candidates as a drug delivery system for cancer therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart-Polymer-Based Systems for Drug Delivery)
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17 pages, 3929 KiB  
Article
Chiral Recognition of Homochiral Poly (amidoamine) Dendrimers Substituted with R- and S-Glycidol by Keratinocyte (HaCaT) and Squamous Carcinoma (SCC-15) Cells In Vitro
by Małgorzata Malinga-Drozd, Łukasz Uram, Konrad Wróbel and Stanisław Wołowiec
Polymers 2021, 13(7), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13071049 - 27 Mar 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1893
Abstract
The generation 2 and 3 poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (PAMAM G2 and G3) were converted into N-(2,3-dihydroxy)propyl derivatives by the addition of enantiomerically pure S- and R-glycidol. The homochiral dendrimers bind to HaCaT and SCC-15 cell membranes with an R/S glycidol [...] Read more.
The generation 2 and 3 poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (PAMAM G2 and G3) were converted into N-(2,3-dihydroxy)propyl derivatives by the addition of enantiomerically pure S- and R-glycidol. The homochiral dendrimers bind to HaCaT and SCC-15 cell membranes with an R/S glycidol enantioselectivity ratio of 1.5:1, as was quantitatively determined by fluorescence microscopy and visualized by confocal microscopy. Fully substituted G2 and G3 dendrimers were equipped with 32 and 64 N-(2,3-dihydroxy)propyl residues and showed effectively radial symmetry for homochiral derivatives in 13C NMR spectrum in contrary to analogs obtained by reaction with rac-glycidol. The sub-stoichiometric derivatives of G2 and G3 were also obtained in order to characterize them spectroscopically. The homochiral dendrimers were labeled with two different fluorescent labels, fluorescein, and rhodamine B, using their isothiocyanates to react with G2 and G3 followed by the addition of S- and R-glycidol. Obtained fluorescent derivatives were deficiently filled with N-(2,3-dihydroxy)propyl substituents due to steric hindrance imposed by the attached label. Nevertheless, these derivatives were used to determine their ability to bind to the cell membrane of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and squamous carcinoma cells (SCC-15). Confocal microscopy images obtained from cells treated with variously labeled conjugates and fluorescence analysis with fluorescence reader allowed us to conclude that R-glycidol derivatives were bound and entered the cells preferentially, with higher accumulation in cancer cells. The G3 polyamidoamine (PAMAM)-based dendrimers were taken up more efficiently than G2 derivatives. Moreover, S- and R-glycidol furnished dendrimers were highly biocompatible with no toxicity up to 300 µM concentrations, in contrast to the amine-terminated PAMAM analogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart-Polymer-Based Systems for Drug Delivery)
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Review

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20 pages, 2224 KiB  
Review
Enhancing Peptide Biomaterials for Biofabrication
by Kate Firipis, David R. Nisbet, Stephanie J. Franks, Robert M. I. Kapsa, Elena Pirogova, Richard J. Williams and Anita Quigley
Polymers 2021, 13(16), 2590; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162590 - 04 Aug 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3196
Abstract
Biofabrication using well-matched cell/materials systems provides unprecedented opportunities for dealing with human health issues where disease or injury overtake the body’s native regenerative abilities. Such opportunities can be enhanced through the development of biomaterials with cues that appropriately influence embedded cells into forming [...] Read more.
Biofabrication using well-matched cell/materials systems provides unprecedented opportunities for dealing with human health issues where disease or injury overtake the body’s native regenerative abilities. Such opportunities can be enhanced through the development of biomaterials with cues that appropriately influence embedded cells into forming functional tissues and organs. In this context, biomaterials’ reliance on rigid biofabrication techniques needs to support the incorporation of a hierarchical mimicry of local and bulk biological cues that mimic the key functional components of native extracellular matrix. Advances in synthetic self-assembling peptide biomaterials promise to produce reproducible mimics of tissue-specific structures and may go some way in overcoming batch inconsistency issues of naturally sourced materials. Recent work in this area has demonstrated biofabrication with self-assembling peptide biomaterials with unique biofabrication technologies to support structural fidelity upon 3D patterning. The use of synthetic self-assembling peptide biomaterials is a growing field that has demonstrated applicability in dermal, intestinal, muscle, cancer and stem cell tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart-Polymer-Based Systems for Drug Delivery)
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31 pages, 5569 KiB  
Review
Polymer-Based Smart Drug Delivery Systems for Skin Application and Demonstration of Stimuli-Responsiveness
by Louise Van Gheluwe, Igor Chourpa, Coline Gaigne and Emilie Munnier
Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1285; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081285 - 15 Apr 2021
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 8200
Abstract
Progress in recent years in the field of stimuli-responsive polymers, whose properties change depending on the intensity of a signal, permitted an increase in smart drug delivery systems (SDDS). SDDS have attracted the attention of the scientific community because they can help meet [...] Read more.
Progress in recent years in the field of stimuli-responsive polymers, whose properties change depending on the intensity of a signal, permitted an increase in smart drug delivery systems (SDDS). SDDS have attracted the attention of the scientific community because they can help meet two current challenges of the pharmaceutical industry: targeted drug delivery and personalized medicine. Controlled release of the active ingredient can be achieved through various stimuli, among which are temperature, pH, redox potential or even enzymes. SDDS, hitherto explored mainly in oncology, are now developed in the fields of dermatology and cosmetics. They are mostly hydrogels or nanosystems, and the most-used stimuli are pH and temperature. This review offers an overview of polymer-based SDDS developed to trigger the release of active ingredients intended to treat skin conditions or pathologies. The methods used to attest to stimuli-responsiveness in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart-Polymer-Based Systems for Drug Delivery)
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