Multi-Stimuli Responsive Polymer Nanocomposites

Dear Colleagues,

One of the basic processes of living organisms is response to stimuli. Based on this fundamental natural process, material scientists have long been involved in the development of novel materials that respond to changes in external stimuli. Progress in medicine today relies on new systems that can detect and manage pathological events during the early stages with minimal side effects. In this respect, nanocomposites based on stimuli-responsive polymers and hydrogels have received wide research attention. Nanocomposite materials are multi-component systems that exhibit tailored properties in terms of mechanical strength and biocompatibility for a wider variety of biomedical applications, such as targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering, cell therapy, antimicrobial coatings, and cancer vaccines.

For this Special Issue, ‘Multi-Stimuli Responsive Polymer Nanocomposites”, we will consider manuscripts that deal with the synthesis of new materials, biomedical applications, and the structure–property relationship of materials.

Dr. G Roshan Deen
Prof. Dr. Michael Keogh
Dr. Fryad Zeki Henari
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• stimuli-responsive nanocomposites
• hydrogels
• nanoparticles
• scaffolds
• biomedical applications
• polymer engineering

Title: Hydrogel and Nanocomposite-based Drug Delivery Strategies in the Treatment of Vaginal Infections
Authors: G. Roshan Deen; RENAD ALANSARI; BUSHRA HASAN; UWE TORSTEN
Affiliation: Materials for Medicine Research Group, School of Medicine
Abstract: The reproductive health of women is governed by an optimal balance between the host-microbiota interaction. Depletion in the beneficial vaginal microflora caused by depletion of Lactobacillus species and increased proliferation of pathogens results in gynecological infections. Among women of reproductive age, vaginal infections are increasingly prevalent. Attaining therapeutic efficacy using conventional formulations remains a challenge as vaginal fluids quickly remove or dilute the therapeutic formulations. Hydrogels have been widely exploited for targeted delivery of therapeutics directly into the vaginal mucus. With careful choice of polymers (natural, synthetic or semi-synthetic) hydrogels with specific properties such as stimuli-responsiveness, antimicrobial, and muco-adhesiveness can be tailored for higher therapeutic efficacy. In this review, the advnances in hydrogel strategies for the treatment of vaginal infections is presented with emphasis on the types and properties that play a significant role in vaginal drug delivery systems.