Table 2.

Possible biomaterials to be used for the controlled release of bioactive agents in Table 3.

Hydrogel	Synthetic/Naturally Derived	Advantages	Ref
Dextran	Naturally derived	Ubiquitous in medical applications: blood plasma substitute, drug delivery vehicle. Dextran-HEMA hydrogels degrade in a controlled manner at physiologic temperature and pH.	[126, 127]
Poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)	Synthetic	Non-cytotoxic, biodegradable. Does not interact with blood and cellular proteins. Numerous methods of polymerization. Responsive to a number of stimuli: temperature, pH, cellular milieu.	[126, 128]
Alginate	Naturally derived	Fast kinetics of gel formation. Tunable porosity allows for controlled drug release.	[126, 127]
Chitosan	Naturally derived	Has natural wound healing properties. Used in wound dressings. Easily complexes with other chemicals (ie: alginate, gellan).	[127]
Gelatin	Naturally derived	Extensively used in pharmaceutical and medical applications. Electrical properties of gelatin matrix may be altered by collagen extraction method.	[129]
Hyaluronic Acid	Naturally derived	Well established in drug delivery. Negative charge allows for complexing with cationic compounds. Biocompatible; major component of extracellular matrix.	[126, 130]
Poly(acrylic acid)	Synthetic	Used for controlled release of insulin, lysozyme, albumin and fibrinogen. Has tunable porous and mucoadhesive properties.	[126]