Lipid-core Micelles

With highly specialized equipment and experienced pharmaceutical expert staff, Creative Biolabs is capable to provide a full range of custom lipid-core micelles drug delivery products and services with the highest quality and the most competitive price for global clients.

Background of Lipid-core Micelles

A micelle is an aggregate or supramolecular of a surfactant molecule dispersed in a liquid colloid. Micelles are generally spherical, while other shapes are also possible such as ellipsoids, cylinders, and bilayer sheets. Lipid-core micelles are normal-phase micelles formed by the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules. The hydrophilic region faces the outside surface of the micelle and the hydrophobic molecules form the core, which is also named as oil-in-water micelle. What differs from liposomes system is that lipid-core micelles are formed by a monolayer phospholipid other than a bilayer phospholipid structure. Lipid-core micelles have attracted much attention as a novel lipid-based drug delivery system for the delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs, and have been widely applied for tumor targeting and imaging.

Fig.1 Difference in the structure of liposome, micelle and bilayer sheet.

How Do Lipid-core Micelles Work?

Lipid-core micelles are formed by amphiphiles in aqueous solutions, which are generally suggested to be delivery systems for water-insoluble molecules and pharmaceutical drugs. Small drug molecules, particularly insoluble drugs, can be encapsulated within micelles during their formation. The delivered drugs can be retained in the blood circulation for long periods due to the fact that the inner molecules cannot cross the amphiphilic molecules easily. The drug delivery mechanisms of lipid-core micelles are roughly similar to liposomes.

Features of Lipid-core Micelles System

As a novel drug carrier for research, lipid-core micelles have been successfully used for the solubilization of various poorly soluble pharmaceuticals and present a set of attractive properties and advantages as drug carriers, such as:

• The core-shell structure of lipid-core micelles promotes water solubility and the stability of sparingly soluble drug both in vitro and in vivo.
• Changes in drug biodistribution, improved bioavailability, and biocompatibility.
• The spherical lipid shell can protect the inner drug from elimination by the mononuclear phagocyte system and prolong the blood circulation of loaded drugs.
• Lipid-core micelles can be removed by renal filtration with less toxicity.
• The small size of micelles enables them to spontaneously penetrate into the interstitium and vasculature of tumors effectively via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect.
• Drug-loaded micelles targeting specific cells can be achieved by attaching various specific targeting ligand molecules (such as antibodies) to the surface of the lipid-core micelles

Lipid-core Micelles in Creative Biolabs

Creative Biolabs has dedicated to lipid-based drug delivery system research for over a decade of years. The lipid-core micelles system including PC/bile salt mixed micelles and phospholipid micelles is just one class of our well-developed delivery systems. Based on profound expertise and universal technical platforms, we provide a wide range of lipid-core micelles drug delivery services comprising pre-made and specific customized formulations, developments, applications, and related services to global clients. Please feel free to contact us for more detailed information.

For Research Use Only. Not For Clinical Use