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Polymers in Drug Delivery: Fundamentals

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Advanced Polymers in Medicine

Abstract

Drug delivery has experienced an outstanding advance in the last few decades. Two key elements have contributed in a large extent to such a progress: the better knowledge of the physio/pathological environments through which the drugs have to pass through to reach their targets, and the development of novel excipients that actively participate in the accomplishment of the aimed delivery. In this context polymers occupy an outstanding position due to the versatility of the synthesis routes and the possibility of tuning their features and performances to fulfill the needs of every particular application. Polymers can finely regulate the site and the rate at which the drug is released from the formulation, improve drug solubility, contribute to the stability in the physiological environment, and help the drug to overcome cellular barriers, facilitating the contact with the therapeutic diana. This Chapter reviews the role of polymers on the evolution of drug delivery systems and the current performances they are expected to play in improving the efficiency and safety of the treatments with both old and novel active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). An analysis of how polymers themselves are contributing to optimize classical methods of preparing drugs dosage forms and to envision advanced drug nanocarriers is also included. Whenever possible, the information was organized trying to offer structure-property-functionality relationships, with examples of commercially available materials.

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Abbreviations

ABC:

ATP binding cassette

API:

Active pharmaceutical ingredient

ATP:

Adenosine triphosphate

BCRP:

Breast cancer resistant protein

CAP:

Cellulose acetate phthalate

EMA:

European Medicines Agency

FDA:

US Food and Drug Administration

HLB:

Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance

HPC:

Hydroxypropylcellulose

HPMC:

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose

MCC:

Microcrystalline cellulose

MRP:

Multidrug resistant proteins

P-gp:

P-glycoprotein

PAA:

Poly(acrylic acid)

PAMAM:

Polyamidoamine

PCL:

Poly-ε-caprolactone

PEI:

Polyethyleneimine

PEO:

Poly(ethylene oxide)

PGA:

Poly(glycolic acid)

PLA:

Poly(lactic acid)

PLGA:

Polylactic-co-glycolic acid

PPO:

Poly(propylene oxide)

PVP:

Polyvinylpyrrolidone

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SMCC:

Silicified microcrystalline cellulose

Tg :

Glass transition temperature

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by MICINN (SAF2011-22771), Xunta de Galicia (CN 2012/045), and FEDER. L. Diaz-Gomez acknowledges MICINN for a FPI fellowship (BES-2012-051889).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept Farmacia Y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Luis Díaz-Gómez, Angel Concheiro & Carmen Alvarez-Lorenzo

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  1. Luis Díaz-Gómez
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  2. Angel Concheiro
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  3. Carmen Alvarez-Lorenzo
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Correspondence to Carmen Alvarez-Lorenzo .

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  1. Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sci., University of Calabria, Rende, Italy

    Francesco Puoci

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Díaz-Gómez, L., Concheiro, A., Alvarez-Lorenzo, C. (2015). Polymers in Drug Delivery: Fundamentals. In: Puoci, F. (eds) Advanced Polymers in Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12478-0_11

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