Tailor-made drug carrier: Comparison of formation-dependent physicochemical properties within self-assembled aggregates for an optimal drug carrier

Abstract

Self-assembled surfactant aggregates, such as micelles and vesicles, have been investigated for their application as drug carriers in the treatment of various diseases. However, the characteristics that decide which aggregate is the best drug carrier for each disease have not yet been clarified. In order to design an optimal drug carrier for each disease, various kinds of self-assembled aggregates, such as spherical micelles, lens-like vesicles, and tube-like vesicles, were evaluated by "multiple techniques" including dynamic light scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and fluorescence measurement using the Laurdan probe. These studies led to the compilation of a database on the formation-dependent properties of self-assembled aggregates. As the relationship between physicochemical properties of self-assembled aggregates and their functions as drug carriers have been extensively reported, this database can be utilized for designing an optimal drug carrier, i.e., a tailor-made drug carrier.

Keywords: Micelle; Self-assembly; Tailor-made drug carrier; Vesicle.