Chemical, physical, and biological stimuli-responsive nanogels for biomedical applications (mechanisms, concepts, and advancements): A review

The development of nanotechnology has influenced the advancements in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. The design and formulation of stimuli-responsive nano-drug delivery systems, also called smart drug delivery systems, have attracted significant research worldwide and have been seen as a breakthrough in nanomedicines. The ability of these nanocarriers to respond to external and internal stimuli, such as pH, temperature, redox, electric and magnetic fields, enzymes, etc., has allowed them to deliver the cargo at targeted sites in a controlled fashion. The targeted drug delivery systems limit the harmful side effects on healthy tissue by toxic drugs and furnish spatial and temporal control drug delivery, improved patient compliance, and treatment efficiency. The polymeric nanogels (hydrogel nanoparticles) with stimuli-responsive characteristics have shown great potential in various biomedical, tissue engineering, and pharmaceutical fields. It is primarily because of their small size, biocompatibility, biodegradability, stimuli-triggered drug deliverability, high payload capacity, and tailored functionality. This comprehensive review deals distinctively with polymeric nanogels, their chemical, physical, and biological stimuli, the concepts of nanogels response to different stimuli, and recent advancements. This document will further improve the current understanding of stimuli-responsive materials and drug delivery systems and assist in exploring advanced potential applications of these intelligent materials.

Automated summary

The development of nanotechnology has had a significant impact on biomedical and pharmaceutical fields, particularly in the design and formulation of stimuli-responsive nano-drug delivery systems. These systems, known as smart drug delivery systems, are able to respond to various external and internal stimuli and deliver drugs to targeted sites in a controlled manner. They offer improved patient compliance, treatment efficiency, and reduced side effects on healthy tissue. Polymeric nanogels with stimuli-responsive characteristics have shown great potential in biomedical, tissue engineering, and pharmaceutical applications due to their small size, biocompatibility, stimuli-triggered drug deliverability, high payload capacity, and tailored functionality.