Abstract
Poly(lactide) (PLA) is a class of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers that have been widely used for drug delivery applications. Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are typically prepared via nanoprecipitation of PLA and drugs. However, this conventional method always results in NPs with various formulation challenges remaining to be addressed. Moreover, the lack of side-chain functionalities of PLA makes it difficult to fine tune the physical and chemical properties of PLA-derived materials through sidechain modifications. The new chemistries and fabrication technologies have been employed to allow for the precise control of polymeric NP formulation and achieve wellcontrolled physicochemical properties, to improve the in vivo performance of polymeric nanomedicines. This chapter highlights the progress of the use of new chemistry and newly developed formulation strategies to form polyester-drug nanoconjugates as a novel polymeric nanoparticulate platform for cancer targeting and treatment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Biodegradable Polymers. Volume 1 |
| Subtitle of host publication | Advancement in Biodegradation Study and Applications |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers, Inc. |
| Pages | 239-261 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781634836517 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781634836326 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Cancer targeting
- Drug delivery
- Functional polyester
- Nanomedicine
- O-carboxyanhydrides
- Poly(lactide)
- Polyester-drug nanoconjugates
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Engineering
- General Materials Science