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Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone) (poly(NIPAAm-co-NVP)) with a co-monomer molar ratio in copolymer of 91.5/8.5 (NIPAAm/NVP) was synthesized as an interesting thermosensitive material possessing a sharp phase transition at 36 °C under simulated physiological conditions. The effect of the co-monomer molar ratio as well as of the ionic strength and nature of ions on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was investigated. Cross-linked poly(NIPAAm-co-NVP) thermoresponsive microspheres were synthesized by the suspension polymerization technique respecting the same NIPAAm/NVP molar ratio as for linear polymer. The microspheres were loaded with the model drug diclofenac (DF) by the solvent evaporation method; differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrates a dispersion of drug crystals within the polymeric matrix. The DF release rate is deeply influenced by the drug loading degree. Only microspheres with low DF loading are able to release the bioactive compound through a pulsatile mechanism.

An imbalance in the body's pH or temperature may modify the immune response and result in ailments such as autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, cancer, or diabetes. Dual pH- and thermo-responsive carriers are being evaluated as advanced drug delivery microdevices designed to release pharmaceuticals in response to external or internal stimuli. A novel drug delivery system formulated as hydrogel was developed by combining a pH-sensitive polymer (the "biosensor") with a thermosensitive polymer (the delivery component). Thus, the hydrogel was created by cross-linking, using a solvent-free thermal approach, of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-hydroyethyl acrylamide), P(NIPAAm-co-HEAAm), and poly(methylvinylether-alt-maleic acid), P(MVE/MA). The chemical structure of the polymers and hydrogels was analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) spectroscopies. The pH/thermosensitive hydrogel loses its thermosensitivity under physiological conditions but, remarkably, can recover the thermosensitive capabilities when certain physiologically active biomolecules, acting as triggering agents, electrostatically interact with pH-sensitive units. Our research aimed to develop a drug delivery system that could identify the disturbance of normal physiological parameters and instantaneously send a signal to thermosensitive units, which would collapse and modulate the release profiles of the drug.

A new amphiphilic pullulan derivative (DBAP-PO) was obtained by grafting tertiary butyl amine and octanoyl groups on the pullulan backbone as cationic and hydrophobic moieties, respectively. The structural characteristics of the modified polymer were investigated by FT-IR and 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. The self-association ability in aqueous solution of DBAP-PO was studied by viscosity and fluorescence methods. The intrinsic viscosity of the polymer was determined by Wolf model. The critical aggregation concentration (CAC) value of 0.028 g/dL, determined by fluorescence measurements in the presence of pyrene, was confirmed by capillary viscosimetry and dynamic laser scattering (DLS). Dialysis method was used to demonstrate the capacity of the pullulan derivative to form spherical nanoparticles (d ~ 200 nm) loaded with model drug, sodium diclofenac (DF) (74% entrapment efficiency). The DF release was sustained and pH-dependent. In vitro cytotoxicity as well as morphological studies conducted on the human skin fibroblasts showed that DBAP-PO/DF nanoparticles do not exhibit cytotoxic effects at the pharmacologically relevant concentration of DF, maintaining the typical morphology of the cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Essentially, the human body can release in different disease conditions specific biomolecules such as histamines when the body encounters a toxic substance, antibodies which are part of the body's natural immune response or nitric oxide as a cardiovascular signalling molecule. Design and development of "intelligent" delivery systems able to release the therapeutic agent only in the presence of bioactive compounds was presented here. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-(3-aminopropyl)methacrylamide)) (poly(NIPAAm-co-APM)) was synthesized as an exciting pH/temperature sensitive copolymer. Under physiological conditions (pH = 7.4), the APM in copolymer is in the ionized state (pK a  = 8.7), highly hydrophilic and therefore the copolymer loses thermosensitive properties. Remarkably, after electrostatic interactions of APM with specific biomolecules, the copolymer restores the thermosensitive property. Thus, the microgels synthesized from this copolymer are in the "inactivated" state at normal physiological pH and temperature (pH = 7.4 and T = 36 °C). In the presence of specific biomolecules, microgels undergo "activation", shrink and expel mechanically a certain amount of drug. It must be mentioned that the pH-sensitive component plays the role of a biosensor, the biomolecule acts as a triggering agent, and the poly(NIPAAm) represents the delivery component (actuator). MTT tests showed that poly(NIPAAm-co-APM) microspheres are completely devoid of toxicity; moreover, the rabbit dermal fibroblasts vastly adhere to the surface of microspheres., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The chitosan hydrochloride (Cs·HCl) was obtained as a polymer soluble in physiological solutions to be used as potential support for safely cell culture or cell encapsulation. Viability tests showed that concentrations between 0.16 and 5 mg/mL of Cs·HCl were not toxic for the HEK293 cells. In parallel, aldehyde-functionalized pullulan (Pul-CHO) was synthesized as the macromolecular cross-linker. Cs·HCl was dissolved in 0.9% NaCl and injected (INJECTOMAT SEP 21S PLUS) through a needle to obtain small droplets in a sodium tripolyphosphate solution in the absence and presence of 0.1% (w/v) Pul-CHO. Simple and dual cross-linked millicapsules were obtained with pore size ranging from 50 μm to 5 μm, respectively. FITC-Dextran with molecular weights of 4000 and 70,000 g/mol was encapsulated during microcapsule synthesis as macromolecular models to check the permeability of Cs millicapsules. The results show that FITC-Dextran 4000 and 70,000 diffuses quickly from simple cross-linked millicapsules while dual cross-linked millicapsules release slowly both FITC-dextrans. Microscopy experiments show that HEK 293 cells adhere to the surface of millicapsules. Taken together the data reveal that Cs millicapsules allow the cell growth on their surface, and thus, they offer new perspectives for cell encapsulation strategy., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A dual drug delivery system based on a "biosensor" (pH-sensitive unit) and a delivery component (thermosensitive hydrogel) was developed. The pH/thermosensitive hydrogel is able to restore the thermosensitive characteristics after electrostatic interaction of the pH-sensitive units with selected biologically active compounds that act as triggering agents. The poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) (poly(NIPAAm-co-MA)) was synthesized as an interesting pH/thermo-responsive copolymer by free radical polymerization method. Due to the presence of carboxylic groups in MA units, the copolymer loses its thermosensitivity at physiological pH and temperature. However, when the negatively-charged carboxylic groups of the pH-sensitive units interact electrostatically with the positively-charged drugs with hydrophobic character propranolol, lidocaine or metoclopramide, taken as model biologically active compounds, the copolymer restores the thermosensitive properties around the physiological pH and temperature. The poly(NIPAAm-co-MA) linear copolymer was converted into pH/thermo-responsive porous microgels using oligomers of NIPAAm above their LCST, as porogens. Accordingly, the swelling/collapsing processes of the microgels occur only after the interaction with the positively-charged hydrophobic drugs. The hydrophobic drug acts as a triggering agent and the pH/temperature sensitive hydrogel turns as a biosensor (pH-sensitive units) and a delivery component (thermosensitive hydrogel)., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The use of cyclodextrins (CDs) for controlled delivery of drugs is largely presented in the literature. However, the question of whether CDs themselves linked to a polymeric network are able to sustain the release of drugs still persists. Here, CD immobilization within dextran microspheres is reported, and CD-dextran complexes were packed in a glass column and then, the retention time of different drugs and drug model compounds was determined by liquid chromatography. The release profiles of drugs and of drug model compounds (indole, 3-nitrophenol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, diclofenac), characterized by different values of the retention time (high, moderate or low), were investigated. The release rates were quite high even for drugs that exhibit very high retention time (high association equilibrium constant). Moreover, the volume of the release fluid strongly influences the rate of drug release. As a whole, "the sink conditions" must be continuously maintained, since at each drug concentration in the release medium, equilibrium occurs between the free and the CD-bound drug., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-hydroxyethylacrylamide) (poly(NIPAAm-co-HEAAm)) was prepared as a new thermosensitive copolymer possessing a sharp phase transition around the human body temperature. The effect of the copolymer concentration on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was determined under physiological conditions by cloud point (CP) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) methods. Then, thermosensitive microspheres were prepared from preformed copolymers by chemical cross-linking of hydroxyl groups with glutaraldehyde at a temperature situated slightly below LCST of the copolymer solution. The volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of corresponding cross-linked microspheres was determined from swelling degree-temperature curve. The microspheres were loaded with model drug indomethacin by the solvent evaporation method. The DSC analysis proved that the drug is molecularly dispersed in the polymer network. Finally, the influence of the microsphere size on drug release was investigated. It was established that microspheres with the diameter ranging between 5 and 60 μm release the drug with almost the same rate below (in the swollen state) and above the VPTT (in the collapsed state). On the contrary, microspheres with the diameter ranging between 125 and 220 μm release a significantly higher amount of indomethacin below than above the VPTT. This different behavior is enough to assure a pulsatile release mechanism when the temperature changes cyclically below and above the VPTT. However, both small and large microspheres release a large amount of the drug during the collapsing process., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)