title: Recent Advances in Drug Delivery of Polymeric Nano-Micelles.
abstract: In clinical studies, drugs with hydrophobic characteristic usually reflect low bioavailability, poor drug absorption, and inability to achieve the therapeutic concentration in blood. The production of poor solubility drugs, in abundance, by pharmaceutical industries calls for an urgent need to find the alternatives for resolving the above mentioned shortcomings. Poor water solubility drugs loaded with polymeric micelle seem to be the best alternative to enhance drugs solubility and bioavailability. Polymeric micelle, formed by self-assembled of amphiphilic block copolymers in aqueous environment, functioned as solubilizing agent for hydrophobic drug. This review discusses the fundamentals of polymeric micelle as drug carrier through representative literature, and demonstrates some applications in various clinical trials. The structure, characteristic, and formation of polymeric micelle have been discussed firstly. Next, this manuscript focuses on the potential of polymeric micelles as drug vehicle in oral, transdermal routes, and anti-cancer agent. Several results from previous studies have been reproduced in this review in order to prove the efficacy of the micelles in delivering hydrophobic drugs. Lastly, future strategies to broaden the application of polymeric micelles in pharmaceutical industries have been highlighted.
authors.forename: Zarith Asyikin Binti Abdul
authors.initials: ZABA
authors.lastname: Aziz
authors.forename: Akil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Center of Lipids Engineering and Applied Research, Ibnu Sina Institute for Industrial and Scientific Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Siti Hamidah
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Mohd-Setapar
authors.forename: Hashim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lokhat
authors.forename: Mohammad Amjad
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kamal
authors.affiliation: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ghulam Md
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ashraf
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D008823:Micelles; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008823:Micelles; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Block polymers; drug delivery; nano-micelles; surfactants; therapeutic effect