Polymeric innovations in drug delivery: Enhancing therapeutic efficacy

Drug delivery is the method or process of administering pharmaceutical compounds to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies are designed to modify the release, absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs to enhance therapeutic effectiveness, safety, and patient adherence. Innovative drug delivery systems provide a variety of approaches, such as oral, injectable, implantable, pulmonary, nasal, transmucosal, transdermal, and topical routes, along with options for delivering proteins and peptides. Polymers, due to their large molecular structure and diverse functional groups, play a pivotal role in these systems. Progress in polymer science has paved the way for the development of advanced drug delivery platforms. To optimize polymer-based drug delivery, it is essential to carefully evaluate both surface and bulk properties during the design process. This review explores the use of natural and synthetic polymers in oral drug delivery systems. Natural polymers include protein-based polymers like collagen, albumin, and gelatin, and polysaccharides such as alginate, chitosan, dextran, gums, hyaluronic acid, starch, and cellulose. Synthetic polymers are classified into biodegradable types, which include polyesters such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV), polycaprolactone (PCL), and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). Additionally, they encompass poly anhydrides like poly sebacic acid and poly adipic acid. Non-biodegradable synthetic polymers include silicones, cellulose derivatives, synthetic carbonates, acrylics, and others like vinyl chloride polymer and copolymers, styrene acrylonitrile polymer (SAN), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer (ABS), and polystyrenes. This review focuses on summarizing recent progress in polymer-based drug delivery systems, emphasizing their capability to improve therapeutic effectiveness and promote patient adherence.