IMR Press / FBE / Volume 2 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.2741/E102

Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite (FBE) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 2 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article
Poloxamine-based nanomaterials for drug delivery
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1 Dept. Farmacia y Tecnologia Farmaceutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782-Santiago de Compostela, Spain
2 Dept. of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires and National Science Research Council (CONICET), 956 Junín St., 11113-Buenos Aires, Argentina
3 Dept. Fisica de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782-Santiago de Compostela, Spain

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

 

Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed) 2010, 2(2), 424–440; https://doi.org/10.2741/E102
Published: 1 January 2010
Abstract

Poloxamines (Tetronic®) are X-shaped amphiphilic block copolymers formed by four arms of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (PEO–PPO) blocks bonded to a central ethylenediamine moiety. Such a structure confers multi-responsive behaviour, namely temperature and pH-sensitiveness. At relatively low concentrations but above the critical micellar concentration (CMC), poloxamines generate polymeric micelles. Due to the presence of a hydrophobic core, these nanocarriers are useful in the solubilization and stabilization of poorly water-soluble drugs. Moreover, chemical modification of the micellar core is feasible. These remarkable and unique features, compared to the well-known linear poloxamers, have motivated an increasing interest in the study and application of the branched derivatives in different emerging disciplines. The present review concisely overview the most important developments comprising the application of poloxamines in drug delivery, mainly as micellar carriers capable of enhancing drug solubility and stability, and also as surface modifiers in the technology of stealth polymeric nanoparticles. Their potential for the administration of drugs by different routes and the improvement of the drug bioavailability and therapeutic effect are discussed.

Keywords
Amphiphilic copolymers
Drug solubilization
Drug stability
PEO-PPO block copolymers
Polymeric micelles
Poloxamines
Stealth nanoparticles
Tetronics
Review
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