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.
Highlights
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
Researchers have succeeded in designing and synthesizing a variety of homologous series of cationic surfactants differing in the structure of head groups, which allows for determining the role of the polar fragment in the physicochemical properties and functional activity of supramolecular systems based on cationic surfactants in terms of structure–properties–activity relationships
Mucoadhesive Properties of Supramolecular Systems Based on Macrocycles and Polymers In the above discussion, we focus on the beneficial applications of nanocarriers bearing cationic charges, focusing on the family of lipid formulations modified with surfactants
Summary
Self-assembling systems based on amphiphilic compounds find wide application in different fundamental and practical areas due to their unique ability to form nanoscale assemblies with gradients of polarity, viscosity, electric charge and other characteristics [1,2,3]. In an aqueous medium, such nanosized aggregates possess a nonpolar interior capable of entrapping guest molecules, thereby dramatically changing their properties [2,3,4]. This phenomenon is responsible for the wide range of applications of amphiphilic compounds in cosmetics, food industry, pharmacy, drug and gene delivery, etc. The design of environmentally friendly amphiphilic compound (surfactants, macrocycles, polymers) is a challenging task from the viewpoint of the development of supramolecular multifunctional systems with tunable characteristics
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