Stimuli-responsive polymers (SRPs) are a recent innovative approach that has numerous biomedical applications. These smart polymers can be used in various industrial and medical areas. Smart polymeric hydrogels are a new class of biomedical materials that have attracted much attention in recent years. These hydrogels change their properties in response to alterations in the chemical, physical, or biochemical properties of their environment, and can be used for many biomedical applications. In this review, we discuss these novel materials with a focus on temperature-responsive polymers as the most applicable type of SRPs. Different types of these polymeric systems and their thermodynamics, as well as challenges for their clinical translation, their combination with other biosystems such as liposomes, and their applications are presented.
Keywords: Smart polymers; Stimuli-responsive polymers; Temperature-responsive polymers.