Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Compounds as a Versatile Tool for Construction of Nanoscale Drug Carriers

Abstract

This review focuses on synthetic and natural amphiphilic systems prepared from straight-chain and macrocyclic compounds capable of self-assembly with the formation of nanoscale aggregates of different morphology and their application as drug carriers. Since numerous biological species (lipid membrane, bacterial cell wall, mucous membrane, corneal epithelium, biopolymers, e.g., proteins, nucleic acids) bear negatively charged fragments, much attention is paid to cationic carriers providing high affinity for encapsulated drugs to targeted cells. First part of the review is devoted to self-assembling and functional properties of surfactant systems, with special attention focusing on cationic amphiphiles, including those bearing natural or cleavable fragments. Further, lipid formulations, especially liposomes, are discussed in terms of their fabrication and application for intracellular drug delivery. This section highlights several features of these carriers, including noncovalent modification of lipid formulations by cationic surfactants, pH-responsive properties, endosomal escape, etc. Third part of the review deals with nanocarriers based on macrocyclic compounds, with such important characteristics as mucoadhesive properties emphasized. In this section, different combinations of cyclodextrin platform conjugated with polymers is considered as drug delivery systems with synergetic effect that improves solubility, targeting and biocompatibility of formulations.

Nanocarriers for Biomedicine: From Lipid Formulations to Inorganic and Hybrid Nanoparticles

“…Liposomes are currently the most efficient and traditional drug delivery systems [1,2,9]. They are composed of phospholipids, which are the structural basis of all cell membranes, providing a good penetration of liposomes to cells.…”

“…Therefore, serious efforts have been undertaken to develop further generations of liposomal carriers, including stealth (PEGylated), antibody-conjugated liposomes, etc. [1,2]. Meanwhile, the problem of instability in bioenvironment may be reduced by inducing the charge on the surface of liposomes.…”

“…One of the ways to improve the effectiveness of medical therapies is the use of drug delivery systems. This makes it possible to increase bioavailability and biocompatibility of drugs, to optimize their release profile, overcome biological barriers, and control targeting properties, cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking [1][2][3]. Of particular interest is the delivery of anticancer drugs that can, in the future, reduce the severity of disease and mortality rate.…”

Self-Assembling Systems Based on Pillar[5]arenes and Surfactants for Encapsulation of Diagnostic Dye DAPI

“…As a result, 1:1 host–guest complexes are formed [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. In addition, the ability of water-soluble macrocycles, by analogy with non-macrocyclic surfactants, to form various types of associates such as liposomes [ 36 , 37 , 38 ], micelles [ 39 , 40 , 41 ], and liquid crystals [ 42 , 43 ], etc., is well known. It attracts great attention due to their potential application in various fields and especially in biomedicine as nanocontainers for medicinal and imaging agents [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

The Self-Assembly and Design of Polyfunctional Nanosystems

“…The role of open-chain and macrocyclic amphiphilic compounds in the design of effective drug delivery systems has been well summarized in another review paper [ 6 ]. Since many biobarriers (lipid membrane, bacterial cell wall, mucous membrane, corneal epithelium) and biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids carry negatively charged fragments, much attention is paid to cationic carriers that provide a high affinity of encapsulated drugs to target cells.…”