Thermo-sensitive polymeric micelles based on poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) as drug carriers

• Published in: Progress in polymer science Vol. 34; no. 9; pp. 893 - 910
• Main Authors: Wei, Hua, Cheng, Si-Xue, Zhang, Xian-Zheng, Zhuo, Ren-Xi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Drug delivery; Exact sciences and technology; General pharmacology; Medical sciences; Micelle; Organic polymers; Pharmaceutical technology. Pharmaceutical industry; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Physicochemistry of polymers; Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide); Polymers with particular properties; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Self-assembly; Thermo-sensitive; Thermo-sensitive; Micelle; Self-assembly; Drug delivery; Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide); State of the art; Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide); Control release polymer; Drug carrier; Acrylamide derivative copolymer; Kinetics; Release; Amphiphilic polymer
• ISSN: 0079-6700; 1873-1619
• DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2009.05.002

Amphiphilic copolymers are well developed as precursors for the preparation of micellar drug carriers. Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) is one of the most extensively studied thermo-sensitive polymers that exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at around 33 °C in aqueous solution. Over the past decade, considerable efforts have been devoted to design and preparation of PNIPAAm-based thermo-sensitive polymeric micelles as delivery vehicles for controlled drug release. Present review highlights the recent developments in this field, and focuses on two categories of PNIPAAm-based copolymer micelles as smart drug delivery systems, i.e. micelles with PNIPAAm as hydrophilic shell-forming segments below the LCST and micelles with PNIPAAm as hydrophobic core-forming segments above the LCST.