Water-soluble polyphosphazenes for biomedical applications

Water-soluble polyphosphazenes are an emerging class of biologically important synthetic polymers. Rapid advancements in the field have been facilitated with the discovery of potent polyphosphazene immunoadjuvants, use of hydrophilic polyphosphazenes in mild microencapsulation processes, and synthesis of water-soluble biodegradable polyphosphazenes - analogs of the well known pharmaceutical carriers. Present review summarizes the most recent advances in the synthesis of water-soluble polyphosphazenes, studies on their degradation and biological performance.