Multifunctional polymeric nanocapsules via layer by layer on oil based liquid templates

Abstract

Polymeric nanocapsules based on liquid templates can represent a viable route for the production of effective delivery systems. The liquid core can dissolve large amounts of hydrophobic drugs, which are of main interest in the treatment of many diseases such as cancer. Moreover, if the high reactivity of these systems is properly governed, one can take advantage of their unique attitude to form ordered assemblies of molecules and particles. In this work of thesis we present a robust platform for the preparation of monodisperse oil-core nanocapsules combining a process to produce ultrastable secondary nanoemulsions with an optimized Layer-by-Layer technique. The method developed for the electrostatic deposition of charged molecules at the interface of liquid nanocapsules proved extremely versatile. It allowed for the build up multifunctional nanocapsules with complex architectures. Starting from an ultrastable secondary nanoemulsion different types of polymeric nanocapsules were engineered making use of a number of diverse materials including: nature-derived polyelectrolytes, functionalized polysaccharides and graphene oxide nanosheets. In particular a stimuli-responsive delivery system sensitive to the activity of Matrix Metalloproteases-2 was developed for a tumor selective release of anticancer drugs. In the final part of this work it is also presented the integration of graphene oxide onto polymeric nanocapsules. This composite system could open up new scenarios in both the biomedical and biotechnology field thanks to the unique properties of graphene oxide.