[Development of polymeric micelles for the delivery of antitumor agents]

Abstract

Recently, drug delivery systems(DDS)have received increasing attention as a medical application of nanotechnology. Among them, polymeric micelles, self-assemblies of block copolymers, are a promising nanocarrier, because they can incorporate a variety of therapeutic agents such as hydrophobic substances, metal complexes and charged macromolecular compounds. Also, polymeric micelles have been demonstrated to effectively accumulate in the tumor tissue and show remarkable antitumor efficacy. Indeed, polymeric micelles encapsulating adriamycin, paclitaxel, cisplatin and SN-38 have progressed to clinical trials. This review deals with the development strategy and recent progress of polymeric micelles for the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents.