Biopolymers based aerogels: A review on revolutionary solutions for smart therapeutics delivery

Biopolymers-based aerogels have gained the attention of many scientists in medical and pharmaceutical applications. Biopolymers-based aerogels are utilized extensively in the delivery of various types of therapeutic agents such as antibiotics, antibacterial, and anticancer substances for different types of drugs. Many negative issues associated with conventional delivery systems are successfully overcome with the use of biopolymer based aerogels. The unique chemical and physical properties coupled with the structure of biopolymers based aerogels are used in oral delivery of insulin, therapeutics, and prolonged anticancer chemo-drug release. Furthermore, biopolymers based aerogels have also been evaluated for vaccine and genes delivery because of their ability to condense, interact with nucleic acids, and undergo chemical modifications of target cells. This critical review presents a comprehensive discussion on the properties and utilization of biopolymers-based aerogels in the delivery of various drugs, vaccines, and genes. In this study, a critical functionality analysis of the problem associated with conventional drug delivery systems is discussed in association with the solutions provided using a biopolymer-based aerogel drug delivery system. Furthermore, the challenges related to the use of biopolymers based aerogels and future research in term of the biological barriers of the body is proposed.