Stimuli-Responsive Materials for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery
Sofía Municoy, María I. Álvarez Echazú, Pablo Edmundo Antezana, Juan Manuel Galdopórpora, Christian Ezequiel Olivetti, Andrea Mathilde Mebert, María Lucia Foglia, María Victoria Tuttolomondo, Gisela Solange Álvarez, John G. Hardy, Martín F. Desimone
Abstract
Smart or stimuli-responsive materials are an emerging class of materials used for tissue engineering and drug delivery. A variety of stimuli (including temperature, pH, redox-state, light, and magnet fields) are being investigated for their potential to change a material's properties, interactions, structure, and/or dimensions. The specificity of stimuli response, and ability to respond to endogenous cues inherently present in living systems provide possibilities to develop novel tissue engineering and drug delivery strategies (for example materials composed of stimuli responsive polymers that self-assemble or undergo phase transitions or morphology transformations). Herein, smart materials as controlled drug release vehicles for tissue engineering are described, highlighting their potential for the delivery of precise quantities of drugs at specific locations and times promoting the controlled repair or remodeling of tissues.