Hydrogels in pharmaceutical formulations

• Published in: European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 27 - 46
• Main Authors: Peppas, N.A., Bures, P., Leobandung, W., Ichikawa, H.
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.07.2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Animals; Applications in drug delivery; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Chemistry, Physical; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug release; General pharmacology; Humans; Hydrogels - chemistry; Medical sciences; pH-sensitive hydrogels; Pharmaceutical technology. Pharmaceutical industry; Pharmacokinetics; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polymer network structure; Temperature-sensitive hydrogels; Drug release; Temperature-sensitive hydrogels; Applications in drug delivery; pH-sensitive hydrogels; Polymer network structure; Human; Temperature; Pharmaceutical technology; Swelling; Controlled release form; Toxicity; Chemical structure; Mechanical properties; Review; Route of administration; In vitro; Physical properties; In vivo; Dosage form; pH; Active ingredient; Hydrogel; Chemical properties; Diffusion; Monomer; Release; Physicochemical properties; Physical structure
• ISSN: 0939-6411; 1873-3441
• DOI: 10.1016/S0939-6411(00)00090-4

The availability of large molecular weight protein- and peptide-based drugs due to the recent advances in the field of molecular biology has given us new ways to treat a number of diseases. Synthetic hydrogels offer a possibly effective and convenient way to administer these compounds. Hydrogels are hydrophilic, three-dimensional networks, which are able to imbibe large amounts of water or biological fluids, and thus resemble, to a large extent, a biological tissue. They are insoluble due to the presence of chemical (tie-points, junctions) and/or physical crosslinks such as entanglements and crystallites. These materials can be synthesized to respond to a number of physiological stimuli present in the body, such as pH, ionic strength and temperature. The aim of this article is to present a concise review on the applications of hydrogels in the pharmaceutical field, hydrogel characterization and analysis of drug release from such devices.