Chapter 5 – Stimuli responsive hydrogels in drug delivery and biomedicine

This book chapter highlights the latest literature in the application of stimuli-responsive hydrogels for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and imaging. Furthermore, the chemical modifications behind the responsiveness as well as the most common synthesis strategies and biomaterials used to obtain these hydrogels are discussed. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are classified based on their sensitivity to temperature, pH, ionic strength, ultrasounds, magnetic, electric, mechanic, molecule, light, and redox changes. Representative applications of these hydrogels not only in drug delivery but also on growing fields as the development of actuators for different approaches, including 4D bioprinting and biosensors, are cited.

Hydrogels can be considered as the most biomimetic devices to be used as drug delivery systems or scaffolds for tissue engineering. They can be designed to modify their properties in response to a specific stimulus that can transform chemical or physical forces (light, heat, pH, and magnetic fields) into conformational changes which trigger mechanical motion, such as swelling/deswelling cycles. Several examples including those with cyclodextrin components are shown.

Reference:

Barbara Blanco-Fernandez, Patricia Diaz-Rodriguez, Angel Concheiro, Carmen Alvarez-Lorenzo (2025) Chapter 5 – Stimuli responsive hydrogels in drug delivery and biomedicine. In: Alejandro J. Paredes, Eneko Larrañeta, Garry Laverty, Ryan F. Donnelly (Editors), Hydrogels in Drug Delivery, Elsevier, pp. 135-219,
ISBN 9780443220173, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-22017-3.00003-2.

Further chapters with cyclodextrin-based examples:

1. Chapter 1 – Synthesis and chemistry of hydrogels
   G.S. Irmukhametova, D.S. Kazybayeva, … V.V. Khutoryanskiy, Pages 1-37
2. Chapter 2 – Characterization techniques of hydrogels in healthcare
   Itziar Insua, Marcelo Calderón, … Robert Aguirresarobe, Pages 39-84
3. Chapter 3 – Molecularly imprinted hydrogels in drug delivery
   Chester Blackburn, Mark V. Sullivan and Nicholas W. Turner, Pages 85-112
4. Chapter 4 – Peptide and protein-like hydrogels, synthesis, and applications in biomedicine
   Garry Laverty, Pages 113-134
5. Chapter 5 – Stimuli responsive hydrogels in drug delivery and biomedicine
   Barbara Blanco-Fernandez, Patricia Diaz-Rodriguez, … Carmen Alvarez-Lorenzo, Pages 135-219
6. Chapter 6 – Hydrogel-forming microarray patches for drug delivery and diagnostic applications
   Aaron R.J. Hutton, Qonita K. Anjani, … Ryan F. Donnelly, Pages 221-239
7. Chapter 7 – Injectable depot-forming hydrogels for long-acting drug delivery
   Lalitkumar K. Vora, B.H. Jaswanth Gowda, … Raghu Raj Singh Thakur, Pages 241-272
8. Chapter 8 – Hydrogels for vaginal drug delivery and other applications
   José das Neves and Bruno Sarmento, Pages 273-305
9. Chapter 9 – In situ gel forming formulations for topical drug delivery
   Frederika Tangdilintin, Stephanie, … Andi Dian Permana, Pages 307-349
10. Chapter 10 – The use of hydrogels in oral drug delivery
    Juan Pablo Real, Emiliano Frenquelli, … Daniel Andrés Real, Pages 351-378
11. Chapter 11 – 3D printed hydrogels: A promising material for biomedical applications
    Ellen Bickerstaff, Hanaa Mehdi-Sefiani, … Juan Domínguez-Robles, Pages 379-412
12. Chapter 12 – Hydrogels and their application in tissue regeneration
    Marco Ruggeri, Barbara Vigani, … Giuseppina Sandri, Pages 413-441
13. Chapter 13 – The role of hydrogels in wound healing
    Barbara Vigani, Caterina Valentino, … Silvia Rossi, Pages 443-476