Abstract
Polymeric micelles (PMs) are nanocarriers that are formed by spontaneous arrangement of amphiphilic block copolymers in aqueous solutions. These nanoparticles have a hydrophobic core–hydrophilic shell architecture that facilitates the loading of hydrophobic drugs into the core. This improves the solubility of these drugs. PM-based carriers for drug delivery provide the advantages of ease of preparation and characteristics that can be optimized for a particular target. Furthermore, PMs can be coupled with targeting ligands that enhance their uptake by specific cells, thus reducing off-target side effects. This chapter briefly discusses some of the current PM ligands and targeting strategies, with an emphasis on anticancer drug delivery. In addition, the available core- and shell-forming polymers, and their effects on the stability and characteristics of PMs, are discussed.
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