Premium
Applications of polymer micelles for imaging and drug delivery
Author(s) -
Movassaghian Sara,
Merkel Olivia M.,
Torchilin Vladimir P.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1939-0041
pISSN - 1939-5116
DOI - 10.1002/wnan.1332
Subject(s) - micelle , biodistribution , drug delivery , nanomedicine , nanotechnology , amphiphile , nanocarriers , biocompatibility , in vivo , biophysics , chemistry , drug carrier , materials science , nanoparticle , copolymer , polymer , in vitro , biochemistry , organic chemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , aqueous solution
Polymeric micelles, self‐assembling nano‐constructs of amphiphilic copolymers, are widely considered as convenient nano‐carriers for a variety of applications, such as diagnostic imaging, and drug and gene delivery. They have demonstrated a variety of favorable properties including biocompatibility, longevity, high stability in vitro and in vivo , capacity to effectively solubilize a variety of poorly soluble drugs, changing the release profile of the incorporated pharmaceutical agents, and the ability to accumulate in the target zone based on the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Moreover, additional functions can be imparted to the micelle‐based delivery systems by engineering their surface for specific applications. Various targeting ligands can be attached for cell or intracellular accumulation at a site of interest. Also, the chelation or incorporation of imaging moieties into the micelle structure enables in vivo biodistribution studies. Moreover, pH ‐, thermo‐, ultrasound‐, enzyme‐ and light‐sensitive block‐copolymers allow for controlled micelle dissociation and triggered drug release in response to the pathological environment‐specific stimuli and/or externally applied signals. The combination of these approaches can further improve specificity and efficacy of micelle‐based drug delivery to promote the development of smart multifunctional micelles. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2015, 7:691–707. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1332 This article is categorized under: Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Lipid-Based Structures Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology