Stimuli-Responsive Materials for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery

Municoy, Sofia and Álvarez Echazú, María and Antezana, Pablo and Galdopórpora, Juan and Olivetti, Christian and Mebert, Andrea and Foglia, María and Tuttolomondo, María and Alvarez, Gisela and Hardy, John and Desimone, Martin (2020) Stimuli-Responsive Materials for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21 (13): 4724. ISSN 1661-6596

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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.