ABSTRACT
Alginates (ALGs) are natural polysaccharides found in brown algae Phaeophyceae and having linear unbranched polymers consisting of β-(1,4)-linked D-mannuronic acid and α-(1,4)-linked L-guluronic acid residues which are ordered in the polymer chain in the form of blocks. ALG-based composites have been very remarkably used in the formulation of targeted drug delivery systems. ALG-based composite systems are the exclusive carriers for applications in controlled drug delivery owing to their potency to entrap numerous therapeutic agents, for example, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitubercular, and so forth. ALG-based composite microsphere systems show controlled drug delivery owing to their capability to entrap many drugs, enzymes, deoxyribonucleic acid, vaccines, proteins, growth factors, and so forth. ALG hydrogels are broadly acceptable biomaterials which have been applied as supports in tissue engineering, carriers for drugs, and as model extracellular matrices for biological studies. The polymer cross-linked by chemical or physical ways may lead to the formation of an ALG hydrogel.
