Watersoluble polymers in medicine

Abstract Different polymeric transport systems for biologically active substances are presented. In the past, most of the reviews on polymeric drugs dealt with pharmaca, fixed to conventional water‐soluble polymers. Naturally occuring transport proteins with their complex features have recently been imitated by micellar solubilized polymers. Polymerized liposomes from polymerizable lipids can be regarded as vesicular solubilized polymers and are discussed as stable models for biomembranes. By insertion of glycolipids, these liposomes are rendered susceptible to specific recognition by proteins. When natural or cleavable synthetic lipids are incorporated into polymerizable membranes, phase‐separation of the different lipid fractions may occur. The unpolymerized components can then be degraded or solubilized and thereby can be removed from the polymerized matrix, allowing a selective opening of stable compartments.