An Overview on IPN and its Medicinal applications

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) is regarded as one of the most useful novel biomaterial. The invention of IPN can be rendered biocompatible and biodegradable has far reaching and profound long‐term implications for the pharmaceutical industry and indeed medicine as a whole. The excellent biocompatibility and safety due to its physical characteristics such as impart stability of the drug in the formulations, improves solubility of hydrophobic drugs, excellent swelling capacity and its biological characteristics, like biodegradability, impart bioavailability, drug targeting in a specific tissue and very weak antigenicity, made IPN the primary resource in both pharmaceutical and medical applications IPNs, two or more networks are at least partially interlaced on a polymer scale. Base on applications, polymers and polymer networks needs to have certain properties. IPNs can be used with interpenetration of suitable polymers to have desired properties for specific applications. The potential applications of IPN as drug delivery systems specially for the controlled release drug delivery systems. It was also used for tissue engineering including bone substitutes, stationary phase and cartilage scaffolds These systems which are also termed as ‘hungry networks’ or ‘intelligent polymers’ are currently the focus of considerable scientific research due to their potential technological application in a large number of areas: medicine, industry, biology and environmental clean-up. Some of the significant applications of IPNs include artificial implants, dialysis membranes, drug-delivery systems, burn-dressings, etc Interpenetrating polymer network has scope for its use as carrier system in drug delivery system. Characteristics of rubber can be modified by using different reinforcements.