Hydrogels have received growing attention in recent years as materials for drug delivery systems (DDS), because they are biocompatible and nontoxic. They consist of three-dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks capable of imbibing large quantities of water or biological fluids, due to the presence of hydrophilic groups, and releasing the drugs entrapped in them through slow diffusion. According to their features, they can be natural or synthetic and classified as neutral or ionic hydrogels, while the network can be made up of linear homopolymers, linear copolymers, and block or graft copolymers. Hydrogels can provide a spatial and temporal control over the release of various therapeutic agents, including both small molecules and macromolecular drugs. They possess modulable physical properties and the capability to protect labile drugs from degradation controlling their release. This special issue fits into this context and has the aim of describing, through seven research papers and two review articles, recent studies concerning the design, preparation and evaluation of the performance of hydrogels for the controlled delivery of drugs.
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