Bio-nanocomposite Polymer Hydrogels Containing Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery: a Review

This review aims to study the properties of bio-nanocomposite polymer hydrogels containing nanoparticles and their application in drug delivery systems. Several biopolymer hydrogel nanoparticulate systems have been prepared and characterized in recent years, based on both natural and synthetic biopolymers, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Among the natural biopolymers, cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, chitosan, carboxymethyl chitosan, alginate, starch, and gelatin have been studied extensively for preparation of bio-nanocomposite hydrogels, and from synthetic group, bio-nanocomposite hydrogels based on poly (vinyl alcohol) and poly (ethylene glycol) have been reported with various properties with respect to drug delivery. Bio-nanocomposite hydrogel has obtained significant attention in recent years as one of the most promising nanoparticulate drug delivery systems owing to their unique potentials by combining the characteristics of a hydrogel system with a nanoparticle. The field of drug delivery has achieved a considerable progress in recent years, especially with the rapid advance of nano-medicine in combination with the growing understandings of infectious and cancer diseases. Hydrogels and inorganic/organic nanoparticles are two distinguished classes of materials that have received significant attention in recent years because of their ideal characteristics in different fields including materials, chemistry, and biological sciences. Lay Summary The application of nanoparticles in biopolymer hydrogel matrix and their use in drug delivery field has become increasingly popular with many research groups and industries. The field of drug delivery has achieved a considerable progress in recent years, especially with the rapid advance of nano-medicine in combination with the growing understandings of infectious and cancer diseases.