Abstract

The rapid advancement of biomedical research has led to many creative applications for biocompatible polymers. As modern medicine discerns more mechanisms of both physiology and pathophysiology, the approach to healing is to mimic, or if possible, to recreate the physiology of healthy functioning. Thus, the area of responsive drug delivery has evolved. Also called “smart” polymers, for drug delivery, the developments fall in two categories: externally regulated or pulsatile systems (also known as “open-loop” systems) and self-regulated systems (also called “closed-loop”). The fundamentals of this research area a detailed account of the most recent advances in both pusatile and self-regulated drug delivery systems are detailed.

Controlled release technologies present an invaluable scientific and practical tool for improving performance and safety of drugs. These technologies involve designing the system of materials/drugs/site of action in such a way that barriers surrounding the drug to deliver the latter act with efficacy and safety of the drug at the optimum time and the rate needed. Advances in polymer science have led to the development of several novel drug delivery systems. A proper consideration of surface and bulk properties can aid in designing of polymeric systems for various drug delivery applications. This article is an overview of polymeric controlled release technology starting from fundamentals to applications.