THERMORESPONSIVE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Temperature responsive drug delivery systems exhibit a temperature induced volume-phase transition. Abrupt changes in the physical nature of the network are observed above a critical temperature. There are three types of thermoresponsive polymers depending on their phase-transition behavior. Thermoreversible polymers form gel at body temperature. These properties of thermoresponsive polymers can be employed to achieve pulsatile “on-off” drug release in the body. This review focuses on the many natural and synthetic polymers which have thermoresponsive property. This thermoresponsive property depends on various factors like molecular weight of the polymer, concentration of the polymer, pH of the medium, solvent system, presence of surfactant etc. This review has discussed about various thermoresponsive systems including thermoresponsive hydrogels, thermoresponsive liposomes, thermoresponsive micelles. This review also screens the current applications of these systems in the field of drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing etc.