SMART POLYMERS FOR STIMULI RESPONSIVE DRUGS

Smart polymers are the polymeric materials which respond to minute external stimuli are of utmost significance in the domain of pharmaceutical sciences. It has also been known as “stimuli responsive” materials or “intelligent” materials. The stimuli which induce the conformational changes in the polymers includes salt, UV irradiation, temperature, pH, magnetic or electric field, and ionic variables. Emphasizing on the delivery of the therapeutic molecule at the site of action, smart polymer’s responsiveness to the stimuli makes it a perfect candidate of the novel drug delivery system. Besides delivery the therapeutic molecule it is also employed in cell culture, gene carriers, textile engineering, oil recovery, radioactive waste, and protein purification. Possibility of administering therapeutic agents to a patient in an optimum release pattern has been an ultimate aim of researchers in the domain of drug delivery. Soft materials with similar shear modulus or mechanical strength to human body tissues have been highly focused in the decades, especially those soft materials with unique properties that we called “smart polymeric materials”. Smart materials, which are synthetic materials with one or more properties that can be significantly altered in a controlled manner by external stimuli. Internal stimuli-responsive smart biomaterials include those that respond to specific enzymes or changes in microenvironment pH; external stimuli can consist of electromagnetic, light, or acoustic energy; with some smart biomaterials responding to multiple stimuli. In the present article effects are taken to give overview on type of smart polymer, their mechanisms, components and applications.

Keywords :- Smart polymers, Stimuli Responsive, Soft Materials, Shear Modulus, Stimuli