The DOI matches its Crossref record; 232 of the 232 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Hydrogels and Nanogels: Pioneering the Future of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
Open accessAbstract
Conventional drug delivery approaches, including tablets and capsules, often suffer from reduced therapeutic effectiveness, largely attributed to inadequate bioavailability and difficulties in ensuring patient adherence. These challenges have driven the development of advanced drug delivery systems (DDS), with hydrogels and especially nanogels emerging as promising materials to overcome these limitations. Hydrogels, with their biocompatibility, high water content, and stimuli-responsive properties, provide controlled and targeted drug release. This review explores the evolution, properties, and classifications of hydrogels versus nanogels and their applications in drug delivery, detailing synthesis methods, including chemical crosslinking, physical self-assembly, and advanced techniques such as microfluidics and 3D printing. It also examines drug-loading mechanisms (e.g., physical encapsulation and electrostatic interactions) and release strategies (e.g., diffusion, stimuli-responsive, and enzyme-triggered). These gels demonstrate significant advantages in addressing the limitations of traditional DDS, offering improved drug stability, sustained release, and high specificity. Their adaptability extends to various routes of administration, including topical, oral, and injectable forms, while emerging nanogels further enhance therapeutic targeting through nanoscale precision and stimuli responsiveness. Although hydrogels and nanogels have transformative potential in personalized medicine, challenges remain in scalable manufacturing, regulatory approval, and targeted delivery. Future strategies include integrating biosensors for real-time monitoring, developing dual-stimuli-responsive systems, and optimizing surface functionalization for specificity. These advancements aim to establish hydrogels and nanogels as cornerstones of next-generation therapeutic solutions, revolutionizing drug delivery, and paving the way for innovative, patient-centered treatments.
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Citations
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Sorted by citations
e Silva, D. M., de Souza Lacerda, L., de Souza Andrioli, A., Braz, W. R., Campos, L. M., de Paiva, M. R. B., Pittella, F., Fabri, R. L., & Tavares, G. D. (2025) · Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology · doi:10.1111/fcp.70046 · Cited by 7
“Complementary formulation strategies, such as mucoadhesive hydrogels, biofilm-disrupting adjuvants, and stimulus-responsive release systems, may further potentiate antifungal effects and improve clinical translation [130].”
Metadata
- Authors
- Delgado-Pujol, E. J., Martínez, G., Casado-Jurado, D., Vázquez, J., León-Barberena, J., Rodríguez-Lucena, D., Torres, Y., Alcudia, A., & Begines, B.
- Affiliations
- Universidad de Sevilla (ES)
- Departamento de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
- Corresponding author
- Vázquez, Juan
- Begines, Belén
- ORCID
- Venue
- Pharmaceutics
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2025-02-07
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 215
- ISSN
- 1999-4923 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11859140
- OpenAlex
- W4407240799
- Cited by
- 216
- References
- 232
- Citations by year
- 2026: 136 · 2025: 80
- FWCI
- 13.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Pharmaceutics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Deposito de Investigacion Universidad de Sevilla (University of Seville) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- MICIU/AEI
- ERDF/EU
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
- Keywords
- hydrogels, nanogels, drug delivery systems, controlled drug release, stimuli-responsive materials, chemical crosslinking, microfluidic synthesis, 3D printing, drug loading mechanism, enzyme-triggered release, sustained drug release, topical drug delivery, biosensors, surface functionalization, personalized medicine
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