Degradable polymer microspheres for controlled drug delivery

• Controlled drug delivery technology is concerned with the systematic release of a pharmaceutical agent to maintain a therapeutic level of the drug in the body for a sustained period of time. This may be achieved by incorporating the therapeutic agent into a degradable polymer vehicle, releasing the agent continuously as the matrix erodes. This review is concerned with degradable polymers for use in controlled drug delivery with emphasis on the preparation, applications, biocompatibility, and stability of microspheres from hydrolytically degradable polymers.

Keyword

controlled drug delivery

drug release

microspheres

degradation

erosion

polylactide

poly(glycolide-co-lactide)

poly(epsilon-caprolactone)

poly(hydroxyalkanoates)

polyanhydrides

polycarbonates

poly(orthoesters)

poly(1,5-dioxepan-2-one)

ring-opening polymerization

hydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate copolymers

in-vivo evaluation

biodegradable medical devices

poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres

phosphate-buffered solution

co-glycolide microspheres

bovine serum-albumin

human growth-hormone

controlled-release

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