pH-Responsive Microgels: Promising Carriers for Controlled Drug Delivery

Abstract

The development of a new drug entity is a time-consuming and an expensive process; therefore, the design of new drug delivery systems for an existing drug molecule can significantly improve the safety and efficacy of the drug with improved patient compliance. In recent years, polymeric carriers have been widely investigated and are playing an important role in controlled drug delivery, biomedical applications, and tissue engineering. Microgels are microscopic hydrogels and have attracted much attention as vehicle for drug delivery. Stimuli-responsive MGs are smart drug delivery carriers and have the capability to incorporate and release their host molecules in response to stimuli (pH, ionic strength, and temperature), for targeted drug delivery. Of the many stimuli, alteration in pH is markedly fascinating because of the availability of pH gradients admissible for drug targeting. For example, pH gradients between normal tissues and some pathological sites between the extracellular environment and some cellular compartments, and along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, are well characterized. Microgels can be fabricated through different methods.