title: Conducting polymers with defined micro- or nanostructures for drug delivery.
abstract: Conducting polymers (CPs) are redox active materials with tunable electronic and physical properties. The charge of the CP backbone can be manipulated through redox processes, with accompanied movement of ions into and out of the polymer to maintain electrostatic neutrality. CPs with defined micro- or nanostructures have greatly enhanced surface areas, compared to conventionally prepared CPs. The resulting high surface area interface between polymer and liquid media facilities ion exchange and can lead to larger and more rapid responses to redox cycling. CP systems are maturing as platforms for electrically tunable drug delivery. CPs with defined micro- or nanostructures offer the ability to increase the amount of drug that can be delivered whilst enabling systems to be finely tuned to control the extent and rate of drug release. In this review, fabrication approaches to achieve CPs with micro- or nanostructure are outlined followed by a detailed review and discussion of recent advances in the application of the materials for drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Dedeepya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Uppalapati
authors.affiliation: Drug Delivery, Disposition, and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University (Parkville Campus), Victoria 3052, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University (Parkville Campus), Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: Ben J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Polymer Electronics Research Centre, School of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jadranka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Travas-Sejdic
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1023, New Zealand. Electronic address: d.svirskis@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Svirskis
mesh_terms: D002214:Capsules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D004058:Diffusion / Q000528:radiation effects; D015195:Drug Design; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D053769:Nanocapsules; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Electrically tunable drug delivery; PEDOT; Polypyrrole; Smart materials; Stimuli-responsive drug delivery; Template