Molecularly Engineered Controlled Release Systems for Local Anesthetics in Precise Pain Management

Abstract Precise pain management is a critical yet unresolved challenge in clinical medicine. Conventional local anesthetics are limited in their efficacy to provide long‐lasting analgesia in clinical settings due to their rapid metabolism and short duration of action. In this review, we systematically summarize various molecularly engineered carriers in recent years, such as liposomes, hydrogels, and inorganic nanosheets, that enable spatiotemporal control of anesthesia through targeting delivery, sustained release, and response release of anesthetics. Although each of these carriers has its own limitations, continued research in their respective fields can still drive the advancement of local anesthetic delivery systems. Additionally, hybrid controlled release systems, leveraging the synergistic properties, demonstrate particularly notable advantages, effectively overcoming the limitations of both organic and inorganic carriers. Advances in nanomedicine further propel the development of targeting anesthetic delivery and on‐demand analgesia, with hybrid controlled release systems emerging as a key innovation. Finally, it is highlighted that low temperature‐responsive materials represent an important research focus for future local anesthetic controlled release systems, and continued exploration in this direction will establish a new paradigm for clinical pain management.