Properties and Characterization of Hydrogels Based on Biopolymers with Biomedical Applications
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 3985
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biomaterials; hydrogels; drug delivery; drug release; bioactive compounds
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Interests: cutaneous drug delivery; oral modified drug delivery systems; matrix solid dosage forms, nanoparticles as drug delivery systems; cosmetics and dermatocosmetics
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue on “Properties and Characterization of Hydrogels Based on Biopolymers with Biomedical Applications” is dedicated to recent developments from theoretical and fundamental aspects of the synthesis, characterization, and applications of hydrogels based on biopolymers (polysaccharides, polypeptides, and nucleic acids), such as drug delivery, cell carriers and entrapment, wound management, and tissue engineering.
Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymeric networks that can absorb substantial quantities of water or biological fluids and are obtained by chemical or physical cross-linking of the polymer chains. Due to their high water content, porosity, and soft texture, they simulate natural living tissue, making them a top choice among synthetic materials. Biopolymer-based hydrogels are biodegradable and biocompatible, making them highly versatile materials and useful in various fields, particularly in biomedicine. Polysaccharide, polypeptide, and nucleic acid-based hydrogels can be synthesized with unique and distinct properties tailored for specific applications.
Various types of hydrogels are available for biomedical applications, including pH-sensitive hydrogels, thermogels, electro-sensitive hydrogels, and light-sensitive hydrogels, which could be used in the field of drug delivery or regenerative medicine. Different theories, such as the Flory–Rehner theory, rubber elasticity theory, porosity, and pore size calculation, help to predict the value of gel elasticity, porosity, and the size of the polymer network meshes.
A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to understand better the properties of these biomaterials based on hydrogels used in biomedical applications and their interactions with cells and biological tissues. This approach can cover various topics such as synthesizing biopolymer-based hydrogels, hydrogel structure, interactions of macromolecules with biological tissue, properties of biomaterials used for specific biomedical applications such as drug delivery, cell carriers and entrapment, wound management, and tissue engineering. We encourage the submission of both original articles and review articles.
Dr. Camelia Elena Iurciuc-Tincu
Prof. Dr. Lacramioara Ochiuz
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- biomaterials
- hydrogels
- cross-linked biopolymers
- polysaccharides
- polypeptide
- proteins
- drug delivery systems
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