Application of Stimuli-Sensitive Hydrogel for the Treatment of Human and Animal Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels are three-dimensional network structures made up of synthetic and/or natural polymers that can retain a large amount of water or biological fluid under physiological conditions. Among these, stimuli-responsive hydrogels have been attracting increasing interest because of their ability to spontaneously form a network in response to specific parameters, such as pH, light, temperature, ultrasound waves, electromagnetic radiation or biological stimuli. Moreover, these systems can be characterized by self-healing properties, an advantage over traditional hydrogels. They can be easily injected in liquid form—even into irregular sites—and undergo gelation in the body, promoting a prolonged and sustained drug release, thereby improving the therapeutic outcome of various active compounds. As a result, they have made significant contributions to the advancement of non- and minimally invasive medical treatments.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase recent progress concerning the synthesis, characterization and applications of smart hydrogels for the treatment of human and animal diseases.

We are pleased to invite you to share your latest results and contributions in this field. Original research papers, short communications and review articles are all welcome.

Dr. Donato Cosco
Dr. Elena Giuliano
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2900 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.