Solubility enhancement and drug release mechanism of polymeric micelles

Polymeric micelles are one of the prominent nanocarriers used to deliver drugs. These micelles are made up of amphiphilic copolymers that shape into a nanosized micellar assembly containing a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell. The modifiable structural properties of polymeric micelles has led to particular interest in choosing it as a drug carrier. Polymeric micelle–based drug delivery can break biological barriers and gives characteristic features such as enhancement of permeability, protection of the drug from the external environment (e.g., gastrointestinal), control release with target specificity, and longer circulation. Most of marketed drugs face issues such poor solubility, and several approaches have been introduced to resolve this issue by enhancing solubility using suitable carriers. In this chapter, we discuss the enhancement of drug solubility by polymeric micelles and applications of polymeric micelles.