V. K. Thakur – Handbook of Polymers for Pharmaceutical Technologies (3 Volume set, 2015)

Автор: V. K. Thakur
Название книги: Handbook of Polymers for Pharmaceutical Technologies (3 Volume set)
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Химия
Страницы: 552+490+610
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

Polymers are one of the most fascinating materials of the present era finding their applications in almost every aspects of life. Polymers are either directly available in nature or are chemically synthesized and used depending upon the targeted applications.Advances in polymer science and the introduction of new polymers have resulted in the significant development of polymers with unique properties. Different kinds of polymers have been and will be one of the key in several applications in many of the advanced pharmaceutical research being carried out over the globe.

This 3-partset of books contains precisely referenced chapters, emphasizing different kinds of polymers with basic fundamentals and practicality for application in diverse pharmaceutical technologies. The volumes aim at explaining basics of polymers based materials from different resources and their chemistry along with practical applications which present a future direction in the pharmaceutical industry. Each volume offer deep insight into the subject being treated.

Volume 1: Structure and Chemistry
Volume 2: Processing and Applications
Volume 3: Biodegradable Polymers

Polymers and their derivative materials have been used most frequently as attractive alternatives
to traditional medicinal materials for a number of pharmaceutical applications. For
instance, polymeric matrices are the most widely employed system for preparation of controlled
release pharmaceutical dosage forms due to their simple and low-cost manufacturing
process. Th ere are three main types of pharmaceutical matrices: inert, hydrophilic and lipidic
matrices, hydrophilic and inert matrices being the ones most employed. Diff erent types of
polymeric materials, namely ethylcellulose, polymethacrylates, polyvinyl acetate mixtures,
cellulose ethers, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose,
chitosan, gums, xanthan gum, guar gum, polyethyleneoxide, sodium alginate and
starch derivatives, to name but a few, have been used as materials for pharmaceutical matrices.
Along with polymers, biomaterials with specifi c abilities to interact with biological structures
have been widely used in the development of diff erent devices intended for biomedical
applications. Within this fi eld, the interest in endogenous polymers as components of delivery
systems has also gained increasing attention. Th e pharmaceutical role of polymers in the
context of modern biomedical applications is increasing rapidly, such as in the form of macromolecular
polymers to modify drug release. Th ere are a number of diff erent macromolecular
polymers that can be used to modify drug release from Extended release (ER) matrices.
Th e ER oral dosage forms provide a number of therapeutic benefi ts (i.e., improved effi cacy,
reduced frequency of administration and better patient compliance) and retain market share.
Due to the costs involved in discovering, developing and testing their safety, and getting
approval for new polymeric materials, a new focus has been directed towards the investigation
of the use of pharmaceutically approved polymer blends as matrix formers. Combining
polymers of diff erent chemistries or viscosities is being studied extensively as a means of
achieving and optimizing extended drug release from hydrophilic matrices. Chemical conjugation
with other pharmaceutical polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has also
evolved into a well-established technology used to improve the physicochemical, biomedical
and pharmacological properties of several therapeutic molecules, such as peptides, proteins,
antibodies, antibody fragments, oligonucleotides, and small drugs. Ubiquitously present
nucleophillic groups, such as the terminal -NH2 group, the ε-NH2 group of lysine and the
-SH group of cysteine, have all been used to couple peptides and proteins to mPEG derivatives.
Moreover, site-selective, reversible and enzymatic PEGylation have recently gained
increasing attention among the biopharmaceutical community.
Diff erent research eff orts all around the globe are continuing to explore and improve
the properties of these polymers. Researchers are collectively focusing their eff orts on the
inherent advantages of pharmaceutical polymers for use in their targeted applications. Th is
book is solely focused on the structure and chemistry of pharmaceutical polymers. Some
of the important topics include but are not limited to: polymeric materials for culturing human pluripotent stem cells; polymeric systems in quick dissolving oral fi lms; gellan – a
pharmaceutical excipient; critical points and phase transitions in polymeric matrices for
controlled drug release; use of various polymer combinations in extended release matrices;
biomaterial design for human ESCsand iPSCs on feeder-free culture toward pharmaceutical
usage of stem cells; new perspectives on herbal nanomedicine; endogenous polymers
as biomaterials for nanoparticulate gene therapy; molecularly imprinted polymers as biomimetic
molecules – synthesis and pharmaceutical applications; biobased pharmaceutical
polymer nanocomposite – synthesis and chemistry; improving matters of the heart – use of
select pharmaceutical polymers in cardiovascular intervention; polymeric prosthetic systems
for site-specifi c drug administration – physical and chemical properties; prospects of
guar gum and its derivatives as biomaterials; polymers for peptide/protein drugs delivery;
etc.
Several critical issues and suggestions for future work are comprehensively discussed
in this book with the hope that it will provide a deep insight into the state-of-art of pharmaceutical
polymers. We would like to thank the publisher and Martin Scrivener for the
invaluable help in the organization of the editing process. Finally, we would like to thank
our parents for their continuous encouragement and support.
Vijay Kumar Th akur, PhD