Polysaccharide Hydrogels

Pietro Matricardi is assistant professor at the Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy. His scientific activity is focused on the development of new polysaccharide hydrogels for drug delivery applications and on the physico-chemical characterization of hydrogels. Franco Alhaique is professor emeritus at the University of Rome "La Sapienza", where he teaches pharmaceutical technology. His major research interests include polysaccharide hydrogels and vesicles for drug delivery. He serves on the editorial board of scientific journals and is co-editor of the Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology. Tommasina Coviello obtained her PhD in chemistry from University of Rome "La Sapienza", where she is associate professor of pharmaceutical technology. Her research topics, which deal with the physical-chemical characterization of polysaccharides and of polymeric drug delivery systems, have been published in more than 80 papers in international journals.

Introduction. Hydrogels. Rheological Characterization of Hydrogels. Hydrogel Mesh Size Evaluation. Dynamic Light Scattering. NMR Methodologies in the Study of Polysaccharides. Small-Angle Neutron Scattering of Polysaccharide Hydrogels. The Method of Small-Angle X-ray Scattering and Its Application to the Structural Analysis of Oligo- and Polysaccharides in Solution. Stimuli Responsive Polysaccharide-Based Hydrogels. Properties and Biomedical Applications of Gellan Gum Hydrogels. Polysaccharide Hydrogels with Magnetic Nanoparticles. Physical and Chemical Hyaluronic Acid hydrogels and Their Biomedical Applications. Alginate Hydrogels: Properties and Applications. Polysaccharide Hydrogels: The Present and the Future.