中药多以复方用药，其疗效是建立在单味中药基础上按中医药基础理论依法遣药组方治病的结果。鉴于中药品种繁多、化学成分复杂，其疗效体现多成分、多靶点、综合效应的特点。然而，中药的物质基础研究尚显不足、有效成分种类多且含量较低，加之部分中药有效成分溶解性差、生物利用度低，很大程度上限制了中药在临床上的应用。水凝胶是由亲水聚合物构成的三维网络结构组成，在生物医学领域展现出良好的应用前景。其优异的生物相容性和出色的药物包封及控制释放能力，使水凝胶成为药物递送的理想载体。通过将药物载入水凝胶中，可以实现对药物的控制释放，进而提高药物的稳定性和生物利用度，减少用药量，并显著放大治疗效。因此，通过系统地总结和分析水凝胶负载中药的制备方法、优势及其临床应用，为水凝胶作为中药递送载体提供更丰富的理论基础，并为新型中药给药系统的研究提供新的思路。

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is mostly used in compound formulations, and its curative effect is achieved through the combination of single TCM according to TCM principles to treat diseases. Given the diversity and complexity of chemical composition of TCM, its curative effect reflects the characteristics of multi-component, multi-target and holistic effects. However, fundamental research on TCM’s material basis is still insufficient. There are many types of active ingredients, but their concentrations are low. Additionally, some active ingredients in TCM exhibit low solubility and poor bioavailability, which greatly limit its clinical application. Hydrogels are three-dimensional network structures composed of hydrophilic polymers, which show great potential for application in the biomedical field. Their excellent biocompatibility and excellent drug encapsulation and controlled release capabilities make hydrogels ideal carriers for drug delivery. By loading the drug into the hydrogel, controlled release of the drug can be achieved, thereby improving the stability and bioavailability of the drug, reducing drug dosage, and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, by systematically summarizing and analyzing the preparation methods, advantages and clinical applications of hydrogel-based TCM delivery systems, we can provide a richer theoretical basis for hydrogels as delivery carriers of TCM, and provide new ideas for the research of new TCM delivery systems.

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国家自然科学基金区域联合创新重点项目（U2202214）;湖南省自然科学基金资助项目（2021JJ30512）;长沙市自然科学基金资助项目（kq2014091）;湖南中医药大学化学工程与技术一流学科建设项目;湖南中医药大学研究生创新课题（2022CX86）