An Overview of Synthetic Biopolymers in Drug Delivery

This chapter discusses synthetic biopolymers and their application in drug delivery. Numerous delivery techniques, taking advantage of the functional properties of synthetic polymers, have been successfully developed for various routes of administration. A polymer is synthesized by chemically combining many small molecules to form one giant molecule. Synthetic polymers can be classified as addition polymers or condensation polymers, formed from monomer units. Currently, synthetic materials with biomimetic properties are attracting growing attention as possible new dosage forms or drug delivery platforms and the potential applications of these increasingly sophisticated polymers in drug delivery will be discussed. This chapter treats synthetic biopolymers according to the following format: Introduction to biopolymers; General uses of biopolymers; Classes of synthetic and biosynthetic biopolymers; Some synthetic schemes of biopolymers; Special uses and applications of synthetic biopolymers in drug delivery; Advantages of synthetic biopolymers in drug delivery; Limitations of synthetic biopolymers; The future of synthetic biopolymers.