Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems: Fabrication and Performance

Dr. Rahul Sonavale¹, Dr. Kailas Datkhile², Gurcharan Singh³, Ritu Singh ⁴, Ashutosh Kulkarni ⁵

¹Assistant Professor Krishna Institute of Science and Technology Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Taluka-Karad, Dist-Satara – 415539 Maharashtra, India Email: rahulsonavale777@gmail.com
²Associate Professor Krishna Institute of Science and Technology Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Taluka-Karad, Dist-Satara – 415539 Maharashtra, India Email: kddatkhile@gmail.com
³Associate Professor Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Arya College of Pharmacy Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Email: gurcharan.singh@aryajaipur.com
⁴Assistant Professor School of Allied Health Sciences Noida International University Uttar Pradesh – 203201, India Email: ritu.singh@niu.edu.in
⁵Associate Professor Department of DESH Vishwakarma Institute of Technology Pune, Maharashtra – 411037, India Email: ashutosh.kulkarni@vit.edu

ABSTRACT

Hydrogel-based drug delivery systems (HDDS) have attracted a lot of attention in biomedical engineering as they can continuously, locally, and under control release medications. These systems can store a lot of water without changing their form as their largely composed of hydrophilic polymers. This allows them to respond from the outside to elements including pH, temperature, and ionic strength. For particular medication delivery, notably in cancer therapy, wound healing, and tissue regeneration, this makes them ideal. Hydrogel-based systems are produced by liquid casting, electrospinning, and 3D printing among other techniques. Each one is meant to raise the dynamic properties and release rate of the hydrogel. The kind of polymer utilised, the density of the crosslinks, and the degree of drug encapsulation all affect how effectively these systems function. Making hydrogels more biocompatible, stable, and capable of holding pharmaceuticals has more recently advanced. Functional groups added to the polymer network will help the medication interact with the hydrogel matrix better. This makes the patterns of release more efficient. To enable medications to be delivered on demand, smart hydrogels—that which react to outside variables—for example, temperature- and pH-sensitive—have also been developed. These approaches could help patients follow their treatment programs and reduce side effects by controlling the dosage of drug entering the body. This paper aims to discuss the most recent approaches to create hydrogel-based drug delivery systems, weigh their advantages and drawbacks, and demonstrate their application in clinical environments. The article will also discuss the issues associated with producing a lot of hydrogels for clinical application, such as ensuring that the drug release rates are always the same and the possibility of damage is always there. Future directions for hydrogel-based drug delivery systems include those of adding fresh materials and techniques. This will enable the design of tailored and successful therapies for many different diseases

Keywords: Hydrogel, drug delivery, controlled release, polymer composition, bio-compatibility, smart hydrogels

How to cite this article: Sonavale R, Datkhile K, Singh G, Singh R, Kulkarni A, Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems: Fabrication and Performance.Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(1s): 75-82; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16. 75-82