{
  "abstract": "pH-responsive polymers represent a transformative class of smart materials that adapt their physicochemical properties in response to environmental pH changes. This dynamic behavior enables precise control over drug release, tissue interaction, and diagnostic performance, making them highly relevant for advanced healthcare applications. These polymers exploit ionizable functional groups that undergo protonation or deprotonation, triggering conformational changes, solubility shifts, or swelling behavior. Such responsiveness is particularly advantageous in physiological contexts where pH gradients exist, such as the gastrointestinal tract, tumor microenvironments, and intracellular compartments. Recent advances have expanded their utility from simple drug carriers to multifunctional platforms integrating targeting, imaging, and therapeutic functions. Innovations in polymer design, such as block copolymers, hydrogels, and nanostructured assemblies, have improved biocompatibility, tunability, and responsiveness, enabling controlled delivery of small molecules, proteins, and nucleic acids. Furthermore, hybrid systems combining pH-sensitive polymers with inorganic or biological components have opened new avenues for personalized medicine and regenerative therapies. Despite significant progress, challenges remain in achieving predictable in vivo performance, scalable synthesis, and regulatory compliance. This review critically examines the molecular mechanisms, material architectures, and biomedical applications of pH-responsive polymers, highlighting emerging trends and future directions. By bridging chemistry and clinical needs, these adaptive materials are poised to revolutionize therapeutic strategies and diagnostic technologies in modern healthcare.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Pharmaceutics",
    "Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research",
    "Formulation Development Department",
    "Jodas Expoim Pvt.Ltd",
    "All India Shri Shivaji Memorial Society’s College of Pharmacy",
    "Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry",
    "Department of Pharmaceutics, Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Erandwane, Pune 411 038, Maharashtra, India",
    "Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) S.A.S. Nagar, Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali) 160 062, Punjab, India",
    "Department of Pharmacognosy, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences",
    "Manipal Academy of Higher Education",
    "Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences",
    "Long Island University",
    "Department of Pharmaceutics, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences",
    "Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences",
    "University at Buffalo, The State University of New York"
  ],
  "article_type": "review",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Shubham Musale",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1227-6915"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Suvarna S. Jarande",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7383-4143"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Aniket Nikam"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Ranjitsinh Pawar",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0676-7101"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Niyati N. Kodange"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Harshad S. Kapare",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2991-7413"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Maria Nison",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-7847-2846"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Vasudev Pai",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5147-6389"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10,
        11
      ],
      "name": "Ajinkya Atul Aher"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Deepanjan Datta",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8398-4276"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13,
        0,
        1,
        14
      ],
      "name": "Prabhanjan Shridhar Giram",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0439-1347"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6hr2qpsgx0zjs.bib",
  "cited_by": 6,
  "doi": "10.1021/acsomega.6c01425",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6hr2qpsgx0zjs",
  "issns": [
    "2470-1343"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.6c01425",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1313|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications"
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  "openalex": "W7161854942",
  "pdf_url": "https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article-pdf/11/21/30275/66127578/acsomega.6c01425.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13234812",
  "pmid": "42255634",
  "published": "2026-05-20",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6hr2qpsgx0zjs.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T13:20:13Z",
      "native_id": "W7161854942",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.6c01425"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2502|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:1313|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Adaptive Polymers: The pH-Responsive Revolution in Biomedical Materials",
  "title_text": "Adaptive Polymers: The pH-Responsive Revolution in Biomedical Materials",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:23Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6hr2qpsgx0zjs",
  "venue": "ACS Omega",
  "versions": []
}