Smart Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles

Abstract

Biodegradable polymers are defined as polymers that can be degraded by the micro-organism within a suitable period. Biodegradable polymers are degraded by enzymatic hydrolysis and oxidation to non-toxic small molecules, which can be metabolized by or excreted from the body. Biodegradable polymers and their degraded products do not cause any serious effects on the environment. Biodegradable polymers are also called smart biodegradable polymers because of their ability to respond to very slight changes in the surrounding environment. Smart biodegradable polymers have immense potential in drug delivery systems since they are able to release, at the appropriate time and site of action, entrapped drugs in response to specific physiological triggers. Smart polymeric materials respond with a considerable change in their properties to small changes in their environment: environmental stimuli like temperature, pH, chemicals, and light. In this chapter, synthesis, characterization, and various applications of smart nanoparticles are summarized.