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Ординатура / Хирургия / Библиотека им академика М.И. Перельмана / Книга_5915_Библиотеки_им_академика_М_И_Перельмана

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S.A. Durazo and U.B. Kompella
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(Graveland-Bikker and de Kruif 2006), nanoparticle sunscreens (Wissing and Muller 2002), and drug delivery systems, the topic of this chapter. Drug delivery systems range from nanostructures to particles in the sub-visible range (micropar­ticles) to visible implantable devices. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the materials, methods, and challenges in designing nanoparticulate delivery systems. Toward the end of this chapter, alternative delivery systems including microparticles and implants are also discussed.
As early as 1974, Dr. V.F. Smolen discussed methods to design, develop, and evaluate drug delivery systems to enhance drug efficacy in terms of bioavailability and drug response (Smolen et al. 1974). More than three decades later, innovative drug delivery systems are being marketed by several pharmaceutical companies including Allergan, Inc. (OzurdexTM), Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (Retisert®), and Abraxis BioScience, Inc. (Abraxane®). However, engineering drug delivery systems is a continuous process, given the challenges of new diseases and therapeutic agents. For this reason, several industrial agencies and academic institutions are continu­ously engaged in designing novel drug delivery systems. Dr. Ellis Meng and group at the University of Southern California (USC) has conducted pioneer research in developing novel implantable and refillable microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based engineered ocular drug delivery systems (Li et al. 2008; Saati et al.
2009). This system accurately administers a finite amount of drug at certain time
intervals and is also capable of easily being refilled by injection into the device. In fact, Dr. Meng is working with several collaborators including Replenish, Inc., California Retina Consultants and Doheny Eye Institute to develop a novel implantable, refillable pump for intraocular drug delivery into the vitreous by attaching the device externally to the vitreous. Novel drug delivery systems will continue to push the insights and forefront of pharmaceutical biotechnology and is the key to enhanced ocular therapeutics in terms of safety and efficacy.
This chapter will primarily focus on nanomaterials and systems that are biode­gradable or bioresorbable, which will be collectively referred to as nanosystems. Various materials and methods are available to fabricate nanosystems of varying size, morphology, and composition (see Fig. 11.1). Size can range from just a few nanometers to thousands of nanometers and the morphology can range from spheres to highly ordered structures (e.g., rods, disks, cubes, and diamonds). In addition, the nanosystems can be solid (e.g., nanoparticles or nanospheres), fluid filled (e.g., nan­oliposomes), gel-like (e.g., hydrogels), or soluble (e.g., water soluble drug-polymer conjugates). Common materials used to fabricate nanoparticles include both metal­lic and organic compounds. Examples of metallic nanosystems include gold, silver, and iron oxide nanoparticles for drug delivery. In the design of pharmaceutically viable drug carriers at doses suitable for long-term therapies, organic materials including polymers, lipids, proteins and carbohydrates are likely to be safer com­pared to metallic nanosystems. However, along with a drug molecule, the clinical viability of all delivery systems is ultimately determined by the risk:benefit analysis in a target patient population.
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Fig. 11.1 Some examples of nanoparticles currently under investigation for use as ocular drug delivery vehicles: (a) albumin nanoparticles, (b) chitosan nanoparticles, (c) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, (d) poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles, and (e) polyeth­ylene glycol (PEG)-coated liposomes
11.2 Nanoparticles
Disparate nanoparticles from those that mimic cellular structures, lipid-based delivery carriers, to engineered branched structures such as dendrimers have been designed to enhance the efficacy of specific therapeutic agents. US FDA already approved some nanosystems such as Doxil® (a liposomal formulation of doxorubicin) and Abraxane® (albumin-bound paclitaxel) due to their enhanced drug retention at the target sites, compared to drug alone. Depending on the drug properties, target prop­erties, and the purpose of the carrier, different synthetic materials and techniques are available for designing specific nanoparticles. The following sections describe the synthetic techniques and uses for polymer nanoparticles, liposomes (lipid-based carriers), micelles (amphiphilic molecule-based, self-assembling systems), carbo­hydrate (chitosan) nanoparticles, protein (albumin) nanoparticles, branched nano­particles (dendrimers) and other nanosystems consisting of multiple nanoparticle structures.
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11.2.1 Polymer Nanoparticles
Polymers are large molecular weight compounds consisting of systematic or random repeat units; for example, polyethylene glycol (PEG), polylactic acid (PLA), polyg­lycolic acid (PGA), and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) that are currently in clinical use in the form of drug delivery systems or surgical sutures are all polymers of repeating units. Polymers can be classified based on their structure (e.g., polyes­ters, polyanhydrides), stability (e.g., biodegradable, nondegradable), charge (e.g., cationic, anionic), lipophilicity (e.g., hydrophobic, hydrophilic, amphiphilic), origin (e.g., synthetic, natural, semi-synthetic), architecture (e.g., linear, branched, cross­linked), and nature of repeating units (e.g., homopolymers, copolymers, block copolymers, random copolymers). Further, polymers can be formed in various supramolecular architectures (e.g., interpenetrating and noninterpenetrating net­works, micelles) (Qiu and Bae 2006). Also, polymers can be designed for sensi­tivity to various stimuli including pH and temperature. Given the versatility of polymer design, polymer-based nanosystems are expected to be the mainstay of nanotechnology- based drug delivery systems. Depending on their chemical makeup and architecture, polymeric delivery systems can be designed to have certain proper­ties such as biodegradation, sustained release, increased gene transfection efficiency, and controlled release by actuated or stimuli-sensitive physicochemical changes.
Polymers such as PLA and PLGA are widely used in the design of a delivery system since these compounds are biodegradable, biocompatible, and well tested in humans. PLA and PLGA particles are degraded by autocatalysis (Dunne et al.
2000). PLGA degradation can range from days to months depending on the molecu-
lar weight of the polymer, lactide:glycolide ratio, and the size and shape of the delivery system. In 1987, HV Maulding characterized the release profiles of PLGA microparticles (~45 kDa) ranging from 45 to 177 mm and determined that it takes 70 days for 100% loss of the molecular weight of PLGA (Maulding 1987).
Drug release from nanoparticles can be more rapid compared to microparticles, leading to less prolonged release. Kompella et ticles (3.6 mm) containing budesonide, a glucocorticoid used to treat inflammation, were able to sustain drug levels within the retina, vitreous, cornea and lens at similar levels between day 1 and 14 days, whereas tissue drug levels for PLA nanoparticles (345 nm) decreased by several fold in 7 days, with the levels being below detection limits by 14 days in retina, vitreous, cornea, and lens (Kompella et al. 2003). Thus, in addition to the polymer nature, the size of the delivery system influences drug release and hence, delivery in vivo.
Polymers also have great potential as nonviral vectors due to their relative safety compared to viral vectors. PLA and PLGA nanoparticles have been used for oligo­nucleotide or gene delivery to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and were proven to be more effective than traditional transfection methods due to their ability to transfect the cells without adverse effects such as cell toxicity (Aukunuru et al. 2003; Bejjani et al. 2005). These nanoparticles have also been shown to protect the encap­sulated plasmids from degradation by lysosomal nucleases (Hedley et al. 1998). Other polymers have demonstrated preferential binding to genetic components by
al. demonstrated that PLA micropar-
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electrostatic interactions. The positively charged polymer, polyethylenimine, is able to electrostatically interact with nucleic acid drugs to create a polymer–drug com­plex (Boussif et al. 1995). Due to the composition of the polymer, it acts as a proton sponge in the presence of highly acidic environments such as the lysosomes. This allows for the nucleic acid drugs to stay active while in the endosome after endocy­tosis and for the drug to be released from the polymer complex after the polymer accepts protons. The versatile nature of polymers is largely attributed to the wide range of materials that can be used to synthesize polymer structures. Using polymers as gene transfection agents demonstrates only one of the many possible applications for polymers.
Polymers can be designed to undergo structural changes upon activation to release their drug components. Polymers containing cinnamic acid groups sponta­neously form into linear, spiral, tube, or corkscrew structures depending on the UV wavelength applied and whether the polymer is irradiated on both sides or only one side (Lendlein et al. 2005). For instance, irradiation of an elongated polymer at >260 nm for 60 min on one side of the polymer spontaneously forms to a corkscrew structure. However, if the polymer is subjected to irradiation at >260 nm for 60 min on both sides, a spiral conformation is obtained. This technique may be applied to the development of drug delivery systems to allow for actuated release from poly­mer structures or formation of unique drug delivery systems upon irradiation. Thermosensitive materials that exhibit temperature-dependent physicochemical properties offer attractive opportunities in designing delivery systems. Such materi­als are useful in preparing delivery systems that can be injected as solutions to form gels in the body (Zhang et
al. 2002). Synthesis of a two-component thermosensitive polymer was reported by Lendlein et al. (Lendlein et al. 2005). The first component is a molecular switch that conforms to a temporary shape at a given temperature. This polymer is grafted on a permanent polymer network to form a particular archi­tecture. Polymer grafting will vary depending on the network composition desired. For example, one could copolymerize n-butylacrylate (BA), hydroxyethyl meth­acrylate (HEMA), and ethyleneglycol-1-acrylate-2-CA (HEA-CA) with the crosslinker poly(propylene glycol)-dimethylcrylate. The elasticity of the polymer is dependent on the amount of ethyleneglycol-1-acrylate-2-CA (HEA-CA) added. The second component is synthesized by making a permanent network of n-butylacrylate (BA) with the crosslinker, poly(propylene glycol)-dimethacrylate. Star-poly(ethylene glycol) containing cinnamylidene acetic acid (CAA) in 10% chloroform solution is then added to the network to functionalize the polymer with cinnamic acid (CA) groups. Such polymers can potentially be transformed into different architectures.
The complexity of polymer particle preparation is entirely dependent on the properties desired and materials to be used. Solid polymeric particles containing a specific drug can be synthesized using an oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion technique (Fig. 11.2) (Kompella et al. 2001, 2003). The polymer and drug contents (e.g., PLGA and budesonide) are dissolved in an appropriate organic solvent (e.g., dichlo­romethane) and then emulsified in an aqueous medium containing an emulsifier (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol, PVA). The mixture is further agitated with a probe sonicator
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Aqueous Phase Organic Phase
PVA (0.5 or 2% w/v) solution with
or without budesonide
Mix and sonicate at 50 W
for 3 min to obtain an
O/W emulsion
While stirring add drop-wise to an aqueous
PVA (0.5 or 2% w/v) solution with or without
budesonide. Continue to stir at 200 rpm for 4-
6 hours to obtain a nanosuspension
Ultracentrifuge to obtain
nanoparticles pellet
Wash the pellet twice with de-ionized
water and reconstitute the pellet in
deionized water
Lyophilize the reconstituted
contents for 48 hours to obtain a
dry product
Polymer+Budesonide+
Methylene chloride
Fig. 11.2 Scheme describing the emulsion-solvent evaporation method for preparing budesonide­loaded polylactide (PLA) nanoparticles (Kompella et al. 2001)
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to obtain an o/w emulsion with smaller droplet size. The emulsion is then added drop-wise to excess of aqueous medium containing PVA, while stirring overnight at room temperature to allow the evaporation of the organic solvent. Upon removal of organic solvent, the polymer precipitates along with the drug from emulsion drop­lets, resulting in fine nanoparticles. The final preparation may contain nanoparticles as well as microparticles, depending on the materials and energy used. Particles can be further segregated in different size ranges using ultracentrifugation at different speeds. An alternative approach to prepare PLGA nanoparticles is supercritical fluid extraction of emulsions (Mayo et al. 2010). This technique allows high encapsula­tion efficiencies for hydrophilic drugs in a polymer matrix. Further, it reduces organic solvent content in polymeric particles to detection limits or a few parts per million.
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Fig. 11.3 Scheme depicting the dialysis method for analyzing sustained in vitro drug release from budesonide-loaded polylactide nanoparticles (Kompella et al. 2001)
Drug release from any nanosystem or nanoparticles prepared as above can be performed using a membrane-free system or a membrane-containing approach. In both approaches, an aqueous medium with a preservative such as sodium azide is used for prolonged drug release studies. In membrane-free systems, nanoparticle sus­pension is centrifuged periodically and the supernatants are quantified for the amount of drug released. In membrane-containing systems (Fig. 11.3), a dialysis membrane is used to separate the particles from the bulk of the release medium (Kompella et al. 2001). The dialysis membrane has a cutoff size greater than drug molecule size, but less than the particle size. At periodic intervals, aliquots are removed from the bulk of the release medium to quantify drug release. In both approaches, the release medium should provide sink conditions for continuous drug release.
Polymer-based nanoparticles are very attractive due to the availability of a variety of polymers and architectures, possibility of structure manipulation and maintenance, which can potentially translate into drug delivery systems with controlled properties.
11.2.2 Liposomes and Lipid Nanoparticles
When hydrated, lipids such as dipalmitoylphoshatidylcholine (DPPC) spontane­ously form closed spherical lipid bilayers, called liposomes or vesicles (see Fig. 11.1)
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(Walker et al. 1997). The content within the spherical compartment of the liposome is largely dictated by the contents of the medium in which the liposomes are formed. The liposomal structure can be small, large or giant, and can be unilamellar (com­prised of one lipid bilayer) or multilamellar (comprised of layers of lipid bilayers) depending on the method of preparation. Acronyms such as SUV (small unilamellar vesicles), LUV (large unilamellar vesicles), and MLV (multilamellar vesicles) are used to describe the nature of the vesicle. Liposomes can be synthesized using a variety of methods. Typically, the lipids obtained from a commercial source are dried under N
followed by rehydration in a buffer (Wu et al. 2008). The buffer can
2
consist of the drug desired to be encapsulated in the liposome or it can consist of other small molecule agents. Rehydration is performed under heating and vigorous vortexing in a buffer over approximately 4–16 h to allow for the lipids to enter solu­tion. The temperature is set above the phase transition temperature of the lipid from the solid crystalline phase to the fluid crystalline phase. The size of the lipid can be greatly reduced by sonication after rehydration or by extrusion through a porous membrane with the pore diameter close to the desired liposome diameter. Thus, liposomal preparation can be a simple process whereby liposomes are ready within a day assuming the complexity of the liposome is minimal. For liposomes with targeting ligands or multiple compartments, synthesis will likely be much more complex and time-consuming.
Evading the reticuloendothelial system (RES) is a major hurdle in the develop­ment of nano-drug delivery systems. RES is responsible for the detection and elimi­nation of foreign objects including nano-drug delivery systems by the phagocytic cells, macrophages, and primary monocytes. Several investigators have focused on determining the optimal particle size and composition of delivery devices that bypass the RES. Litzinger et al. in 1994 demonstrated that PEG-coated liposomes with a diameter of 150–200 nm have optimal blood retention levels, whereas lipo­somes within the range of 200–300 nm experienced highest uptake by the RES and were found in the spleen (Litzinger et al. 1994).
STEALTH liposomes, such as liposomes coated with PEG that are capable of evading RES at least in part, are FDA approved and have been implicated to improve target tissue availability of cytotoxic drugs (e.g., doxorubicin, Doxil®), while mini­mizing their nontarget tissue delivery. The PEG moiety provides for increased reten­tion in the circulation as well as tissue compartments by preventing premature lipid degradation by lipsases (e.g., phospholipase) and providing a steric barrier that pre­vents liposomes from interacting with opsonins and macrophages that are involved in liposomal clearance (Papahadjopoulos et al. 1991). However, the precise mecha­nism by which PEG increases circulation time and tissue drug retention is highly debated among scientists in this field. Interestingly, PEG-coated 100 nm liposomes (DoxilTM) can sustain the release of doxorubicin across sclera when compared to the plain drug (Kim et al. 2009a).
Several investigators have realized the potential for liposomes as nonviral vec­tors. As early as 1998, it was discovered that positively charged lipids are capable of binding to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and releasing them into the cell for gene expression (Koltover et al. 1998). It was later discovered that PEG-coated
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lipid–DNA complexes had extended circulation times and tumor-selective gene expression due to increased blood circulation time to reach the tumor site (Ambegia et al. 2005). Most recently, several of the primary investigators in this field includ­ing Drs. Ian MacLachlan and Pieter Cullis have developed a rational design approach to develop lipids for siRNA delivery (Semple et al. 2010). The use of liposomes for gene delivery and transfection is a prominent field and although there have been several breakthroughs, the field is still in its infancy and little is known regarding the mechanism of transfection and cellular uptake. The potential for liposomes to be marketed is largely hindered by this “black box” in which controlling the retention and cell uptake properties are poorly understood.
Liposomal delivery devices for ocular drug delivery have been under investiga­tion at least since 1981 and various routes of administrations have been used in the comparison of liposomal formulations vs. traditional therapeutic formulations (Meisner and Mezei
1995). Smolin et al. in 1981 found that topical administration
of idoxuridine in the liposomal formulation was much more effective than in its marketed formulation in the treatment of acute and chronic herpetic keratitis in rabbit (Smolin et al. 1981). Peyman et al. further validated this study in 1986 and con­firmed that liposomal formulations of idoxuridine were able to penetrate the cornea much better than the marketed formulation (Dharma et al. 1986). The administra­tion of liposomal formulations by subconjunctival (SC) injection in rabbit was also evaluated by other investigators in 1991 (Hirnle et al. 1991). Liposomal formula­tions made with phosphatidylcholine (PC) cholesterol (Chol) dicethyl phosphate (DP) lipids encapsulating carboxyfluorescein (CF) were injected subconjunctivally and 30 min after injection, ~87.4, 5.8 and 2.3% of CF was distributed to the sclera, retina and choroid tissues totaling in 95.5% of total CF distribution in the intraocu­lar tissues of the posterior segment. The following data describe the concentrations of CF in each tissue after administration of the liposomal formulation. After 1 h, the amount of CF at the site of injection dropped from ~600 to 275 mg/g. In the sclera, the amount of CF at 1 h was ~40 mg/g and at 6 h reduced to ~15 mg/g and in the retina-choroid after 1 h ~8 mg/g of CF was present and after 6 h, ~6 mg/g was pres­ent. However, CF levels as high as 5 mg/g persisted in the retina-choroid for at least 7 days. At 1 h only ~7.5 mg/g of CF was found in the cornea and decreased to ~2 mg/g at 6 h. In the iris-ciliary body, at 1 h ~8 mg/g of CF was present and decreased to ~1.5 mg/g at 6 h. Less than ~2 mg/g of CF was in the vitreous and less than ~2.5 mg/g of CF was in the anterior chamber over the entire time period 0–6 h. Concentrations of CF after administration of aqueous CF (nonliposomal) were much less in all ocular tissues. After subconjunctival injection of CF, the concentra­tion dropped to ~5 mg/g after 1 h; at 1 h, the concentration in the sclera, retina­choroid, cornea, iris-ciliary body, anterior chamber and vitreous was ~8, 2, 0.2, 2,
0.2, and 0.2 mg/g, respectively. The liposomal formulation of CF was found to have higher drug retention in all ocular tissues compared to aqueous CF, but the concen­trations within the posterior segment of the eye was highest.
Liposomal formulations were shown to be much more effective than unencapsu­lated drugs as early as 1986 and continue to show superiority over small molecule ocular therapeutics. Topical administration of positively charged and neutral
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acetazolamide MLVs consisting of phosphatidylcholine:cholesterol:stearylamine in a molar ratio of 7:4:1 were much more effective in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) than negatively charged MLVs of the same composition and aqueous acetazo­lamide (Hathout et al. 2007). In 2009, another study investigated the potential use of a chitosan-coated liposomes encapsulated with diclofenac sodium for sustaining drug release (Li et al. 2009). The authors used 0.25 and 0.5 mol% 540 kDa chitosan and the diameter was 82.4 ± 2.2 and 84.0 ± 4.7 nm, respectively. Both liposomal formulations released only 50% of the drug over 24 h, whereas the nonchitosan­coated diclofenac liposomes and aqueous diclofenac released 60% and 90%, respec­tively, over 24 360 min for chitosan-coated diclofenac liposomes (both 0.25 and 0.5 mol% chito­san), noncoated diclofenac liposomes, and aqueous diclofenac dropped from 16 to 6 mg/ml, 15 to 2 mg/ml, and 13 to 1.5 mg/ml, respectively. The cumulative penetra­tion for the 0.25 mol% chitosan-coated diclofenac liposomes, 0.5 mol% chitosan­coated diclofenac liposomes, noncoated diclofenac liposomes, and aqueous diclofenac was 35, 32, 22 and 25 mg/cm2, respectively. From these studies, the importance of liposomal surface charge and composition in determining tissue penetration, drug retention, and drug concentration in ocular tissues is apparent.
Similar to polymeric systems, laser irradiation-triggered release is also feasible with liposomal systems. Zasadzinski et al. have showed that liposomal release can be controlled by triggering the release by activating gold nanoparticles encapsulated within the liposome (Wu et al. 2008). Further, by modifying lipids with targeting elements, targeted liposome delivery systems can be prepared. Thus, liposomes offer a commercially viable approach for encapsulation and sustained drug delivery.
Alternative lipid-based nanosystems include solid lipid nanoparticles and nano­structured lipid carriers (Pardeike et al. 2009). In this case, similar to PLGA- and PLA-based nanoparticles, lipids are formulated into solid nanoparticles or nanopar­ticles with defined nanostructure, without the core (liquid) and coat (lipid) structure of liposomes. Similar to polymeric systems as well as liposomes, solid lipid nano­particles and nanostructured lipid carriers can also be surface modified to improve circulation time or to enhance cell uptake.
h. The concentrations of diclofenac in precorneal regions after
11.2.3 Micelles
Similar to liposomes, micelles are formed by self-assembly of amphiphilic mole­cules; however, micelles exhibit a slightly different higher-ordered structure (Israelachvili et al. 1975). Micelles may assemble in three different distinct struc­tures (Trivedi and Kompella 2010): (1) standard micelles, where the hydrophilic portion is oriented toward the solvent to form the shell of the micelle and the hydro­phobic portion is oriented away from the solvent to form the core of the micelle, (2) inverse micelles, where the hydrophobic parts form the shell of the micelle and the hydrophilic parts form the core of the micelle, and (3) unimolecular micelles,
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where one molecule with hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks forms the entire micelle. On exposure to aqueous solvent, the hydrophobic parts are clustered in the center of the structure to form the core of the micelle and the hydrophilic parts are primarily on the outside of the structure to form the shell of the micelle. Depending on the solvent and type of amphiphilic molecules used, different structures will predominate. For example, in hydrophobic solvents, the inverted micelle will pre­dominate so that the hydrophobic interactions between the hydrophobic parts of the micelle and the solvent are maximized while the hydrophilic portions of the mole­cule are oriented away from the solvent.
The propensity of an amphiphilic molecule to form a micelle will largely depend on the characteristics of the molecule (Lukyanov and Torchilin
2004).
Polyethyleneglycol (PEG) is a polymer commonly used in the synthesis of lipid drug carriers due to its ability to reduce particle aggregation and prolong systemic exposure time. PEG between the molecular weights of 750 and 5,000 when ligated to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids can spontaneously form micelles at a con­centration above the critical micellar concentration (CMC). For example, PEG(750)­distearoyl-phosphatidyl-ethanolamine (DSPE) has a CMC of 0.1 mM and forms 7–15-nm-sized micelles. These micelles assemble spontaneously when PEG–DSPE dry lipid is hydrated for several hours (Lukyanov and Torchilin 2004). Methods such as sonication or extrusion can be performed to further control the size of the micelles.
Several authors (Kataoka et al. 2000; Liu et al. 2000; Yoo and Park 2001) have demonstrated the ability of different micelle structures to sustain the release of drug molecules over a few days. A prodrug of paclitaxel loaded in PEG-b-poly (e-caprolactone) micelles (PEG-b-PCL) of 27–44 nm diameter resulted in ~40% cumulative release of the prodrug in 14 days (Forrest et al. 2008). These paclitaxel prodrug-loaded micelles were also shown to have a slightly higher anticancer activ­ity than free paclitaxel as well as prodrug cremophor formulation in breast cancer cell lines. In serum, the total concentration of paclitaxel was reduced threefold in ~25 h for the cremophor formulation of paclitaxel prodrug and in ~50 h for the PEG-b-PCL micellar formulation of paclitaxel prodrug. These paclitaxel prodrug­loaded PEG-b-PCL micelles were fabricated by dissolving PEG-b-PCL and pacli­taxel with a minimal volume of acetone and adding it dropwise with the help of a syringe pump to vigorously stirred distilled water. The organic solvent was removed by stirring under air purge and the micelles were purified by extruding through a membrane filter with a 0.22-mm pore size.
Indomethacin-loaded micelles using methoxy-PEG/e-caprolactone (e-CL) block copolymers (MePEG/e-CL) have been shown to be superior over plain drug in sus­taining drug release (Kim et al. 1998). The indomethacin-loaded MePEG(5000)/e-CL micelles were synthesized by dissolving the MePEG/e-CL block copolymer in an organic solvent and then indomethacin was added to the mixture and stirred at room temperature. The micelles were dialyzed and then centrifuged to remove the unen­capsulated drug. The size of the resulting micelles ranged from 54 to 180 nm and the size depended on the molecular weight of the copolymer and the solvent in which it was dissolved to form micelles. As the molecular weight of the copolymer