Abstract

BIODEGRADABLE AND BIOINSPIRED POLYMERS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATIONS AND DRUG DELIVERY: A BRIEF REVIEW

Abstract

The knowledge and skill in the area of biodegradable polymer technology is expanding rapidly. This cutting edge technology has generated a substantial number of biodegradable polymers with a wide range of degradation rates. This has widened the horizon of the option that researchers have at their disposal for controlled and targeted delivery of a whole array of therapeutic moieties .Needless to say that in the recent years the application of biodegradable and environmentally sensitive polymers in drug delivery system has reached dizzy heights. Biospecific polymer and copolymers having suitable chemical groups and or functional monomers have been synthesized. The individual classes of polymers in the family of biodegradable polymers have their distinct characteristics in terms of biodegradation, biocompatibility, stability and versatility, and thus their application potential for various delivery applications through different routes of administration in interplay of these factors. Advances in supramolecular chemistry that allow us to use noncovalent bonds to fabricate well defined and well organized materials. This part-I review provides a short overview of important research on the synthesis and applications of biodegradable and bioinspired polymers and gels for pharmaceutical formulations and drug delivery.

Keywords: Bioinspired polymers, biospecific polymer, natural and synthetic polymers.