Medical University of Bialystok. Science at MUB.
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    About the potential of polyelectrolyte multilayer films as drug delivery systems

    02.06.2022 15:48
    Author: Administrator UMB
    Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) represent a group of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) – based materials widely investigated in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. Despite the unflagging popularity of the aforementioned systems in tissue engineering, only few updated scientific reports concerning PEMs' potential in drug administration can be found. In fact, PEMs coatings are currently recognized as an important tool for functionalizing implantable scaffolds, however, only negligible attention is given to PEMs as drug delivery materials per se. Revision of the scientific reports dedicated to PEMs might point out two dominant reasons for the limited usability of multilayers in pharmaceutical technology: sophisticated preparation techniques  and high sensitivity of interacting oppositely charged polyelectrolytes to a variety of internal and external factors. PEMs, as structurally diversified systems, provide wide perspectives for the development of multifunctional systems by selecting polymer layers responsible for the desired application properties, e.g. mucoadhesive or modifying drug release effect. Moreover, controllable interpolymer complexation might be a valuable source of polyelectrolyte structures with unique characteristics for therapeutic or physicochemical behaviour.
    The aim of the work was the critical analysis of the latest approaches focused on the potential of PEMs utilization in the pharmacy, chemical technology and primarily in bioengineering, with special attention given to the possible polymer combinations, technological parameters and physicochemical characteristics, such as hydrophilicity, adhesive and swelling properties or internal/external structure of the systems formed. Careful recognition of the above aspects is crucial in the development of PEMs – based drug delivery materials for both local and systemic treatment.
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