Abstract
In the treatment of health related dysfunctions, it is desirable that the drug reaches its site of action at a particular concentration and that this therapeutic dose range remains constant over a sufficiently long period of time to alter the process. However, the action of pharmaceutical agents is limited by various factors, including their degradation, their interaction with other cells, and their incapacity to penetrate tissues as a result of their chemical nature. For these reasons, new formulations are being studied to achieve a greater pharmacological response; among these, polymeric systems of drug carriers are of high interest. These systems are an appropriate tool for time- and distribution-controlled drug delivery. The mechanisms involved in controlled release require polymers with a variety of physicochemical properties. Thus, several types of polymers have been tested as potential drug delivery systems, including nano- and micro-particles, dendrimers, nano- and micro-spheres, capsosomes, and micelles. In all these systems, drugs can be encapsulated or conjugated in polymer matrices. These polymeric systems have been used for a range of treatments for antineoplastic activity, bacterial infections and inflammatory processes, in addition to vaccines.
Keywords: Dendrimers, drug delivery, micelles, nano-micro-particle, nano-micro-spheres, polymers
Current Drug Delivery
Title:Polymers and Drug Delivery Systems
Volume: 9 Issue: 4
Author(s): Gemma Vilar, Judit Tulla-Puche and Fernando Albericio
Affiliation:
Keywords: Dendrimers, drug delivery, micelles, nano-micro-particle, nano-micro-spheres, polymers
Abstract: In the treatment of health related dysfunctions, it is desirable that the drug reaches its site of action at a particular concentration and that this therapeutic dose range remains constant over a sufficiently long period of time to alter the process. However, the action of pharmaceutical agents is limited by various factors, including their degradation, their interaction with other cells, and their incapacity to penetrate tissues as a result of their chemical nature. For these reasons, new formulations are being studied to achieve a greater pharmacological response; among these, polymeric systems of drug carriers are of high interest. These systems are an appropriate tool for time- and distribution-controlled drug delivery. The mechanisms involved in controlled release require polymers with a variety of physicochemical properties. Thus, several types of polymers have been tested as potential drug delivery systems, including nano- and micro-particles, dendrimers, nano- and micro-spheres, capsosomes, and micelles. In all these systems, drugs can be encapsulated or conjugated in polymer matrices. These polymeric systems have been used for a range of treatments for antineoplastic activity, bacterial infections and inflammatory processes, in addition to vaccines.
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Cite this article as:
Vilar Gemma, Tulla-Puche Judit and Albericio Fernando, Polymers and Drug Delivery Systems, Current Drug Delivery 2012; 9 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720112801323053
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720112801323053 |
Print ISSN 1567-2018 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5704 |
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