Open AccessCore/shell nanoassembly of amphiphilic naproxen‐polyethylene glycol: synthesis, characterisation and evaluation as drug delivery system
Author(s) -
Munjal Srishti,
Deka Smriti R.,
Yadav Santosh,
Goyal Preeti,
Sharma Ashwani K.,
Kumar Pradeep
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
iet nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1751-875X
DOI - 10.1049/iet-nbt.2017.0219
Subject(s) - polyethylene glycol , micelle , dynamic light scattering , amphiphile , drug delivery , naproxen , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , drug carrier , materials science , peg ratio , nanoparticle , chemistry , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , aqueous solution , copolymer , polymer , medicine , alternative medicine , finance , pathology , economics , engineering
Small molecule‐based amphiphiles self‐assemble into nanostructures (micelles) in aqueous medium which are currently being explored as novel drug delivery systems. Here, naproxen‐polyethylene glycol (N‐PEG), a small molecule‐derived amphiphile, has been synthesised, characterised and evaluated as hydrophobic drug carrier. 1 H, 13 C Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS) and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of N‐PEG and dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed the formation of nano‐sized structures of ∼228 nm. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis showed aggregation behaviour of the structures with average size of ∼230 nm. Biodegradability aspect of the micellar‐structured N‐PEG was demonstrated by lipase‐mediated degradation studies using DLS and TEM. High encapsulation efficiency followed by release in a sustained manner of a well‐known anticancer drug, doxorubicin, demonstrated the feasibility of the new drug delivery system. These results advocate the promising potential of N‐PEG micelles as efficient drug delivery system for specific delivery to cancerous cells in vitro and in vivo.