Development of a diagnostic polymersome system for potential imaging delivery

Design and Applications of Polymersomes for Oral Drug Administration

Polymersomes are nanostructures consisting of a hollow aqueous compartment enclosed by a coating of amphiphilic block copolymers. Owing to the entangled nature of their membrane, polymersomes exhibit higher mechanical stability than some other extensively studied nanostructures such as liposomes. This also enables the properties of the polymersome membrane to be more easily tuned to meet practical needs, making polymersomes promising carriers for drug delivery. Since the turn of the last century, the use of polymersomes has been exploited in diverse areas, ranging from protein therapy to medical imaging. Yet, discussions exploring the opportunities and challenges of the development of polymersomes for oral drug administration have been scant. This review addresses this gap by offering a snapshot of the current advances in the design, fabrication, and use of polymersomes as oral drug carriers. It is hoped that this review will not only highlight the practical potential of polymersomes for oral drug administration but will also shed light on the challenges determining the wider clinical potential of polymersomes in the forthcoming decades.

Polymersomes: Soft Nanoparticles from Miktoarm Stars for Applications in Drug Delivery

Self-assembly of amphiphilic macromolecules has provided an advantageous platform to address significant issues in a variety of areas, including biology. Such soft nanoparticles with a hydrophobic core and hydrophilic corona, referred to as micelles, have been extensively investigated for delivering lipophilic therapeutics by physical encapsulation. Polymeric vesicles or polymersomes with similarities in morphology to liposomes continue to play an essential role in understanding the behavior of cell membranes and, in addition, have offered opportunities in designing smart nanoformulations. With the evolution in synthetic methodologies to macromolecular precursors, the construction of such assemblies can now be modulated to tailor their properties to match desired needs. This review brings into focus the current state-of-the-art in the design of polymersomes using amphiphilic miktoarm star polymers through a detailed analysis of the synthesis of miktoarm star polymers with tuned lengths of varied polymeric arms, their self-assembly, and applications in drug delivery.

Intriguing Biomedical Applications of Synthetic and Natural Cell-Derived Vesicles: A Comparative Overview

The significant role of a vesicle is well recognized; however, only lately has the advancement in biomedical applications started to uncover their usefulness. Although the concept of vesicles originates from cell biology, it later transferred to chemistry and material science to develop nanoscale artificial vesicles for biomedical applications. Herein, we examine different synthetic and biological vesicles and their applications in the biomedical field in general. As our understanding of biological vesicles increases, more suitable biomimicking synthetic vesicles will be developed. The comparative discussion between synthetic and natural vesicles for biomedical applications is a relevant topic, and we envision this could enable the development of a proper approach to realize the next-generation treatment goals.

Bioinspired polymer vesicles and membranes for biological and medical applications

Biological membranes play an essential role in living organisms by providing stable and functional compartments, supporting signalling and selective transport. Combining synthetic polymer membranes with biological molecules promises to be an effective strategy to mimic the functions of cell membranes and apply them in artificial systems.

Nanopolymersomes as potential carriers for rifampicin pulmonary delivery

Tuberculosis (TB) has been stated as "the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent" behind the human immunodeficiency virus. Standard short-term treatment includes the oral administration of a combination of "first-line" drugs. However, poor-patient compliance and adherence to the long-term treatments represent one of the mayor drawbacks of the TB therapy. An alternative to the oral route is the pulmonary delivery of anti-TB drugs for local or systemic administration. Nanotechnology offers an attractive platform to develop novel inhalable/respirable nanocarriers. The present investigation was focused on the encapsulation of rifampicin (RIF) (a "first-line" anti-TB drug) within nanopolymersomes (nanoPS) employing di- and tri-block poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) based copolymers as biomaterials. The derivatives presented a number-average molecular weight between 12.2 KDa and 30.1 KDa and a hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance between 0.56 and 0.99. The nanoPS were able to enhance the apparent RIF aqueous solubility (up to 4.62 mg/mL) where the hydrodynamic diameters of the drug-loaded systems (1% w/v) were ranged between 65.8 nm and 94 nm at day 0 as determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Then, RIF-loaded systems demonstrated as excellent colloidal stability in aqueous media over 14 days with a spherical morphology as determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, RIF-loaded nano-sized PS promoted drug accumulation in macrophages (RAW 264.7) versus a drug solution representing promising results for a potential TB inhaled therapy.