Nanogels As Advanced Platforms For Targeted And Smart Drug Delivery: Design Principles, Fabrication Strategies, Biomedical Applications, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Nanogels are innovative, smart delivery systems based on crosslinked polymer networks that offer high encapsulation capacity, stability, ease of preparation, minimal toxicity, and responsiveness to stimuli. They are prepared using various methods such as solvent diffusion, nanoprecipitation, emulsion evaporation, and reverse micellar methods. Nanogels are highly effective in chemotherapy, diagnostics, and organ-targeting for the delivery of bioactive substances. They are composed of natural and synthetic polymers, and their unique properties, including small particle size, stability, sustained, targetable release, and protective form degradation, make them more effective than conventional drug-delivery systems. Nanogels are responsive to environmental factors, such as pH, temperature, and ionic strength, and their permeability allows them to cross biological barriers. They have high drug-loading capacity and can be administered via various routes. Nanogels are biocompatible and have a wide range of applications including drug delivery, tissue engineering, protein delivery, and nucleic acid delivery. They are formulated using polymers, crosslinking agents, active pharmaceutical ingredients, surfactants, and stabilizers. Current scope of nanogel diagnosis and imaging therapy, drug delivery to the central nervous system, controlled release and diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and targeted drug delivery using smart delivery.