Physico-Chemical Strategies to Enhance Stability and Drug Retention of Polymeric Micelles for Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery.

ABSTRACT: Polymeric micelles (PM) have been extensively used for tumor-targeted delivery of hydrophobic anti-cancer drugs. The lipophilic core of PM is naturally suitable for loading hydrophobic drugs and the hydrophilic shell endows them with colloidal stability and stealth properties. Decades of research on PM have resulted in tremendous numbers of PM-forming amphiphilic polymers, and approximately a dozen micellar nanomedicines have entered the clinic. The first generation of PM can be considered solubilizers of hydrophobic drugs, with short circulation times resulting from poor micelle stability and unstable drug entrapment. To more optimally exploit the potential of PM for targeted drug delivery, several physical (e.g., π-π stacking, stereocomplexation, hydrogen bonding, host-guest complexation

SUBMITTER: Shi Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5410994 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature