Abstract

Several metallic microbotic actuators have been developed in the recent past, that have enabled the target oriented advanced drug delivery system (DDS) for specific applications like cancer and gastrointestinal medication. The method involves the use of microbots or actuators that contain drugs and enable the controlled drug delivery at the site based on temperature, pH, light, electric and magnetic field sensitivity. Other techniques were based on single or combination of above-mentioned criteria. The materials used for actuators or microbots either lack in delivering required amount of drug or it does not retain inside the body for long. To overcome these problems, we are interested in providing better solutions to it by using suitable gripping technique and polymeric system for long term exposure, with controlled release of sufficient drugs at site. The application of polymers showed that these responsive materials can overcome addressing limitations associated with metals used in a wide array of medical devices in the novel drug delivery system. Amphiphilic polymers have played a key role in the development of advanced drug delivery technologies by controlling solubility, permeability, and stability of active ingredients. Amphiphilic polymers possess the ability to encapsulate hydrophobic drug molecules inside their hydrophobic core, hence increasing the aqueous solubility of the drug. The problem of controlled drug delivery of polymeric systems could be achieved by embedding nanofillers to it. The polymeric nanocomposites could form a tortuous path for diffusion of drugs through it due to the impermeable particles in it, leading to enhancement of the controlled release rate. Various tortuous path models have already been developed that specifies the diffusion rate of solutes through such composites. The oral route is considered the most preferable route for drugs administration. While encapsulation could be done for the drug transport for oral route, the solution to its retention lies in the spiked surface structure similar to the orchid that would be responsible for its attach to the intestinal surface. So far literature reviews of such systems with techniques, process parameters, limitations and the future scenario were analyzed and a plan for a suitable drug delivery system is made to overcome such limitations and provide better solutions to it. The challenges involve DDS synthesis, encapsulation, transport to specific sites, gripping power, polymer-drug interaction, and long-term exposure to cells. The overall work is to develop encapsulated, pH active, thermally assisted polymeric DDS that could be used orally, having biocompatibility and better attachment to cancer cells.