writer：Liusheng Zha, Brittany Banik，Frank Alexis
keywords：stimulus responsiveness, nanogels, drug delivery
source：期刊
specific source：Soft Matter, 2011, 7:5908~5916
Issue time：2011年
Stimulus responsive nanogels are polymeric nanoparticles which are capable of responding to external
stimuli by changing their physico-chemical properties, such as volume, water content, refractive index,
permeability, and hydrophilicity–hydrophobicity. Compared with other polymer nanoparticles used
for drug delivery, stimulus responsive nanogels are noted for their ability to encapsulate bioactive
drugs, their high stability for prolonged circulation in the blood stream, and their controlled release and
site-specific targeting of loaded drugs modulated by environment stimuli. Particularly, the application
of stimulus responsive nanogels provides an interesting opportunity for drug delivery in which the
delivery system becomes an active participant, rather than a passive carrier, in the optimization of
disease therapy. In this article, the authors review the recent developments in the preparation and
application in drug delivery of stimulus responsive nanogels which can respond to small temperature
and pH changes, light, magnetic field, biomolecule recognition (specifically glucose responsive nanogels
for insulin delivery), and multi-responsive nanogels. The limitations and future improvements of
stimulus responsive nanogels are also discussed.