Poly(ethylene glycol)-Based Micelles for Drug Delivery

Abstract

An AB-type block copolymer micelle composed of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as the hydrophilic segment and poly(amino acid) (PAA) as the hydrophobic segment has been utilized as a drug carrier in the field of drug delivery systems. In this chapter, we discuss the promising feasibility of PEG-based micelles as nanoscopic carriers for targeting of selective drugs for cancer chemotherapy (e.g., doxorubicin and cisplatin). In addition, the novel possibility of PEG-poly(β-benzyl-L-aspartate) (PEG-PBLA) polymeric micelles for oral delivery of selective drugs (e.g., indomethacin) is also discussed based on recent in vitro results. Finally, new heterobifunctional PEGs with a formyl or a primary amino group at one end are used to prepare novel polymeric micelles with available groups on the surface, and polyion-complex micelles are introduced as candidate novel carriers for drug delivery.