Hydrogel

BTY275

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 Hydrogel
Introduction

• Hydrogels are
water-swollen
polymeric materials
that maintain a
distinct three-
dimensional
structure.
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 Hydrogel
To minimize drug
degradation and
loss, to prevent
harmful side-
effects and to
increase drug
bioavailability
hydrogel is
applicable as drug
carrier.
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 Hydrogel Classification
HYDROGEL

Nature in cross linking Physical Structure

Fate in Organism
Source

Degradable Microporous
Covalent Natural

Synthetic

Non Covalent Non Macroprorous

Hybrid
Degradable

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 DISCOVERY
•In the early 1950s Otto and Lím from the
Prague(Czechoslovakia) Institute of Chemical
Technology initiated a research program to design
polymers for medical use.
•The target was the design of new biomaterials for
applications in ophthalmology. The main features of
their design were (included in their grant proposal in
1952 which stated as
•(a)shape stability and softness similar to that of the
soft surrounding tissue;
•(b) chemical and biochemical stability
•c) high permeability for water-soluble nutrients 5
• Based on this validation, Lím started
efforts to synthesize new hydrogels.

• First, he considered polymerization of

N-vinylpyrrolidone.

• The polyvinyl alcohol route produced

optically clear hydrogels containing 80–90%
water but these hydrogels did not show
mechanical properties necessary for use in
contact lenses.
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• Because of these qualities it gained
different names like ‘intelligent gels’ or
‘smart hydrogels. The smartness of any
material is the key to its ability to
receive, transmit or process a stimulus,
and respond by producing a useful
effect.

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Hydrogels are ‘smart’ or ‘intelligent’ in the
sense that they can recognize the
predominant stimuli and respond by
displaying changes in their physical or
chemical behavior, resulting in the release
of entrapped drug in a controlled manner.

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• Some hydrogels undergo continuous or
discontinuous changes in swelling that are
mediated by external stimuli such as
changes in pH, temperature, ionic strength,
solvent type, electric and magnetic fields,
light, and the presence of chelating species.

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 Application of hydrogel
• New researchers have demonstrated that a gel
composed of small, woven protein fragments
can successfully carry and release proteins of
different sizes to different targets in the body.

• It is enabling the delivery of drugs such as

insulin and trastuzumab (A monoclonal
antibody (protein) often used to treat breast
and ovarian cancer), hormones, growth factors
as well as eye medications.

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• A newly introduced gel, known as a "nanofiber
hydrogel scaffold," enables, over hours, days or even
months, a gradual release of the proteins from the
gel, and the gel itself is eventually broken down
into harmless amino acids (the building blocks of
proteins).

Release of proteins from gel

Nanofiber hydrogel
scaffold
Gel broken down into harmless amino acids

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THANK YOU

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