1. Polymeric Micelles Dr. Aws Alshamsan Department of Pharmaceutics Office: AA87 Tel: 4677363 aalshamsan@ksu.edu.sa

2. Definition Nano-sized particles that are made up of polymer chains and are usually spontaneously formed by self-assembly in a liquid.

3. Polymeric Micelles Amphiphilic polymer chains that self- assemble into nano-sized spherical structures in aqueous medium

4. Polymers Polymers refer to large molecules whose structure depends on the monomer or monomers used in their preparation

5. Copolymers

6. Structure Micelles have a core-shell structure. The core of the micelles contains drugs, while the shell provides interactions with the solvent to stabilize the micelles.

7. 10-100 nm self-assembly hydrophobic block hydrophilic block diblock copolymers in selective solvent hydrophobic drug Polymeric micelles polymeric micelle in water 7

8. Methods commonly used for physical drug encapsulation in polymeric micelles: A) dialysis method; B) oil/water emulsion method; C) solvent evaporation method; D) Co-solvent evaporation method.

9. Thermodynamic stability Compared to surfactant micelles, polymeric micelles are generally more stable, with a remarkably lowered CMC, and have a slower rate of dissociation.

10. Characterization Size distribution by DLS and visualization by TEM

11. Modes of drug release from polymeric micelles

12. Polymeric Micelles Advantages: ◦Biocompatibility ◦Biodegradability ◦Easy to prepare ◦Chemical modification is easy ◦Stealth property Disadvantages: ◦Highly unstable ◦Must be made fresh ◦Cannot be stored