Strategies to improve micelle stability for drug delivery
Open accessAbstract
Micelles have been studied as drug delivery carriers for decades. Their use can potentially result in high drug accumulation at the target site through the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Nevertheless, the lack of stability of micelles in the physiological environment limits their efficacy as a drug carrier. In particular, micelles tend to disassociate and prematurely release the encapsulated drugs, lowering delivery efficacy and creating toxicity concerns. Many efforts to enhance the stability of micelles have focused mainly on decreasing the critical micelle forming concentration and improving blood circulation. Herein, we review different strategies including crosslinking and non-crosslinking approaches designed to stabilize micelles and offer perspectives on future research directions.
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Polymeric micelles have a prolonged blood circulation time provided by the naturally present hydrophilic corona.
“The consequence is the formation of systems with unique characteristics with respect to other nanocarriers: smaller size enabling the passive targeting to solid tumors (even poorly-permeable ones) [18] and a more efficient cellular internalization [19], good solubilization properties of hydrophobic compounds assimilated in the lipophilic core and a prolonged blood circulation time provided by the”
From Polymeric micelles in drug delivery: An insight of the techniques for their characterization and assessment in biorelevant conditions (2021) · cites this paper as [18]
The Covalent crosslinking strategies section says blood-circulation performance depends strongly on the stealth properties of materials in the hydrophilic shell. But the Introduction describes prolonged circulation as a potential benefit of an optimized carrier and warns that micelles can disintegrate after injection. It does not establish that a naturally present corona, by itself, gives polymeric micelles prolonged circulation. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPolymeric micelles have smaller size than other nanocarriers, enabling passive targeting to solid tumors, including poorly permeable ones.
“The consequence is the formation of systems with unique characteristics with respect to other nanocarriers: smaller size enabling the passive targeting to solid tumors (even poorly-permeable ones) [18] and a more efficient cellular internalization [19], good solubilization properties of hydrophobic compounds assimilated in the lipophilic core and a prolonged blood circulation time provided by the”
From Polymeric micelles in drug delivery: An insight of the techniques for their characterization and assessment in biorelevant conditions (2021) · cites this paper as [18]
The Introduction says micelles are relatively small and that small micelles can accumulate in tumor tissue through the enhanced permeability and retention effect, supporting the size and passive-targeting claim. Poorly permeable tumors appear only in the title of a study listed in the References; the paper’s discussion does not establish that qualifier. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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References 127 · Cited by 530
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [33]Duncan R; Sat YN Tumor targeting by enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Ann. Oncol 1998, 9, 39.
- Authors
- Lu, Y., Zhang, E., Yang, J., & Cao, Z.
- Affiliations
- Wayne State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cao, Zhiqiang
- Venue
- Nano Research
- Publisher
- Tsinghua University Press
- Published
- 2018-08-01
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 4985-4998
- ISSN
- 1998-0000 (ISSN-L)
- 1998-0124
- PMC
- PMC6201237
- OpenAlex
- W2887799451
- Cited by
- 530
- References
- 127
- Citations by year
- 2026: 56 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 89 · 2023: 79 · 2022: 104 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 46 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 9.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nano Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DP2DK111910)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Surfactants and Colloidal Systems
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
- Keywords
- micelles, micelle stability, drug delivery, enhanced permeability and retention effect, crosslinking, blood circulation, drug carriers
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