Polymeric Micro/Nanocarriers and Motors for Cargo Transport and Phototriggered Delivery

Smart polymer-based micro/nanoassemblies have emerged as a promising alternative for transporting and delivering a myriad of cargo. Cargo encapsulation into (or linked to) polymeric micro/nanocarrier (PC) strategies may help to conserve cargo activity and functionality when interacting with its surroundings in its journey to the target. PCs for cargo phototriggering allow for excellent spatiotemporal control via irradiation as an external stimulus, thus regulating the delivery kinetics of cargo and potentially increasing its therapeutic effect. Micromotors based on PCs offer an accelerated cargo–medium interaction for biomedical, environmental, and many other applications. This review collects the recent achievements in PC development based on nanomicelles, nanospheres, and nanopolymersomes, among others, with enhanced properties to increase cargo protection and cargo release efficiency triggered by ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, including light-stimulated polymeric micromotors for propulsion, cargo transport, biosensing, and photo-thermal therapy. We emphasize the challenges of positioning PCs as drug delivery systems, as well as the outstanding opportunities of light-stimulated polymeric micromotors for practical applications.

PLGA – THE SMART POLYMER FOR DRUG DELIVERY

Polymers have become an integral part of novel drug delivery system. One such successful biodegradable polymer is poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) which consists of polyesters of lactic acid and glycolic acid. It is one of the FDA-approved biodegradable polymers which is extensively used for therapeutic purposes in recent times.The aim. To illuminate researchers on the chemistry, novel properties and applications of PLGA in pharmaceutical fields.Materials and methods. Various internet sources like Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and google scholar were used as the data source. The key words search was carried out for the following words and combinations: PLGA, Novel drug delivery, PLGA Nano particles, biomedical applications of PLGA.Results. Pharmaceutical and biomedical industries are flooded with the use of synthetic and natural polymers. The mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the polymers make them suitable for the temporal and spatial delivery of therapeutic agents for an extended period. Employment of copolymerization techniques lead to the modification of water solubility of the polymers and make them suitable for various applications of drug delivery systems. Biodegradable polymers due to their biocompatibility and biodegradable property have attracted their use in novel drug delivery systems. PLGA is one of them. PLGA is versatile as it can be fabricated into any size, shape, and can be used to encapsulate small molecules, tissue engineering, and bone repair, etc.Conclusion. The sensitivity and biodegradability of PLGA makes it a smart polymer for targeted and sustained delivery of drugs and in various biomedical applications.