Polymeric Micelles for Medicinal Plant Solubilization and Delivery of Bioactive Compounds

Notice

This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.

Year : 2026 | Volume : 14 | 03 | Page :
    By

    Amit Kumar Singh,

  • Anusuya A M,

  • Snehal T Hase,

  • Shubham Sharma,

  • V C Uvaraja,

  • Abhijeet A Jondhal,

  • Rishi Pal,

  • Diksha Diwakar,

  • Raj K. Keservani,

  1. Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, United Institute of Pharmacy, A-31/1, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Naini, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
  2. Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, B.N.M. Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, 27th cross, 12th main, Banashankari 2nd stage, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
  3. Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Vishwakarma University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  4. Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Mangalayatan University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India
  5. Professor, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
  6. Associate Professor, Rashtrasant Janardhan Swami College of Pharmacy, Kokamthan, Kopargaon, Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, India
  7. Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Medical & Allied Sciences, K. R. Mangalam University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
  8. Assistant Professor, Sahu Onkar Saran School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, IFTM University Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
  9. Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of B. Pharmacy, CSM Group of Institutions, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

This study involved the design, fabrication, and characterization of polymeric micellar nanocomposites utilizing amphiphilic block copolymers to effectively encapsulate and transport hydrophobic phytoconstituents. The selected bioactive molecule is curcumin, a polyphenol with limited water solubility. A polymeric system known as PEG-PCL was utilized to fabricate core-shell nanostructures by a solvent evaporation-induced self-assembly method. The resulting nanocomposites exhibited homogeneity and colloidal stability, characterized by a zeta potential of −18.7 ± 1.4 mV, an average particle size of 78.4 ± 3.6 nm, and a polydispersity index of 0.186 ± 0.02. The composite architecture facilitated efficient drug loading (9.8 ± 0.5%) and encapsulation (87.3 ± 2.1%). The solubility in water was augmented by a factor of 21.6. The Higuchi diffusion model was employed to ascertain the release kinetics. According to these findings, PEG-PCL polymeric micelles represent an excellent option for improving the bioavailability and transport of bioactive chemicals derived from plants.

Keywords: Polymeric micelles; Amphiphilic block copolymers; Medicinal plant bioactives; Solubility enhancement; Controlled drug delivery.

How to cite this article:
Amit Kumar Singh, Anusuya A M, Snehal T Hase, Shubham Sharma, V C Uvaraja, Abhijeet A Jondhal, Rishi Pal, Diksha Diwakar, Raj K. Keservani. Polymeric Micelles for Medicinal Plant Solubilization and Delivery of Bioactive Compounds. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(03):-.
How to cite this URL:
Amit Kumar Singh, Anusuya A M, Snehal T Hase, Shubham Sharma, V C Uvaraja, Abhijeet A Jondhal, Rishi Pal, Diksha Diwakar, Raj K. Keservani. Polymeric Micelles for Medicinal Plant Solubilization and Delivery of Bioactive Compounds. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(03):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=243233


References

  1. Torchilin VP. Structure and design of polymeric surfactant-based drug delivery systems. J Control Release. 2001;73(2–3):137–172.
  2. Kwon GS, Okano T. Polymeric micelles as new drug carriers. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 1996;21(2):107–116.
  3. Gaucher G, Dufresne MH, Sant VP, Kang N, Maysinger D, Leroux JC. Block copolymer micelles: preparation, characterization and application in drug delivery. J Control Release. 2005;109(1–3):169–188.
  4. Kataoka K, Harada A, Nagasaki Y. Block copolymer micelles for drug delivery: design, characterization and biological significance. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2001;47(1):113–131.
  5. Bae Y, Kataoka K. Intelligent polymeric micelles from functional poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(amino acid) block copolymers. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2009;61(10):768–784.
  6. Yokoyama M. Polymeric micelles as drug carriers: their lights and shadows. J Drug Target. 2014;22(7):576–583.
  7. Keservani RK, Sharma AK. Nanomicellar Approaches for Drug Delivery. InNanodispersions for Drug Delivery 2018 Sep 24 (pp. 217-268). Apple Academic Press.
  8. Allen C, Maysinger D, Eisenberg A. Nano-engineering block copolymer aggregates for drug delivery. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 1999;16(1–4):3–27.
  9. Letchford K, Burt H. A review of the formation and classification of amphiphilic block copolymer nanoparticulate structures: micelles, nanospheres, nanocapsules and polymersomes. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2007;65(3):259–269.
  10. Cabral H, Kataoka K. Progress of drug-loaded polymeric micelles into clinical studies. J Control Release. 2014;190:465–476.
  11. Rösler A, Vandermeulen GW, Klok HA. Advanced drug delivery devices via self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2012;64:270–279.
  12. Luo L, Tam J, Maysinger D, Eisenberg A. Cellular internalization of polymeric micelles with polystyrene core and poly(acrylic acid) shell. Bioconjug Chem. 2002;13(6):1259–1265.
  13. Zhang L, Eisenberg A. Formation of crew-cut aggregates of various morphologies from amphiphilic block copolymers in solution. Polym Adv Technol. 1998;9(10–11):677–699.
  14. Yokoyama M, Okano T, Sakurai Y, Fukushima S, Kataoka K. Selective delivery of adriamycin to a solid tumor using a polymeric micelle carrier system. J Drug Target. 1999;7(2):171–186.
  15. Batrakova EV, Kabanov AV. Pluronic block copolymers: evolution of drug delivery concept. J Control Release. 2008;130(2):98–106.
  16. Veronese FM, Pasut G. PEGylation, successful approach to drug delivery. Drug Discov Today. 2005;10(21):1451–1458.
  17. Hu Q, Katti PS, Gu Z. Enzyme-responsive nanomaterials for controlled drug delivery. Nanoscale. 2014;6(21):12273–12286.
  18. Liu J, Huang Y, Kumar A, Tan A, Jin S, Mozhi A, et al. PH-sensitive nano-systems for drug delivery in cancer therapy. Biotechnol Adv. 2014;32(4):693–710.
  19. Rhee YS, Choi JG, Park ES, Chi SC. Transdermal delivery of ketoprofen using microemulsions. Int J Pharm. 2001;228(1–2):161–170.
  20. Liu Y, Miyoshi H, Nakamura M. Nanomedicine for drug delivery and imaging: a promising avenue for cancer therapy and diagnosis using targeted functional nanoparticles. Int J Cancer. 2007;120(12):2527–2537.
  21. Kedar U, Phutane P, Shidhaye S, Kadam V. Advances in polymeric micelles for drug delivery and tumor targeting. Nanomedicine. 2010;6(6):714–729.
  22. Danaei M, Dehghankhold M, Ataei S, Hasanzadeh Davarani F, Javanmard R, Dokhani A, et al. Impact of particle size and polydispersity index on the clinical applications of lipidic nanocarrier systems. Pharmaceutics. 2018;10(2):57.
  23. Jain KK. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery for cancer. Technol Cancer Res Treat. 2005;4(4):407–416.
  24. Sanna V, Pala N, Sechi M. Targeted therapy using nanotechnology: focus on cancer. Int J Nanomedicine. 2014;9:467–483.
  25. Kumari A, Yadav SK, Yadav SC. Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles-based drug delivery systems. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2010;75(1):1–18.
  26. Peer D, Karp JM, Hong S, Farokhzad OC, Margalit R, Langer R. Nanocarriers as an emerging platform for cancer therapy. Nat Nanotechnol. 2007;2(12):751–760.
  27. Mura S, Nicolas J, Couvreur P. Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for drug delivery. Nat Mater. 2013;12(11):991–1003.
  28. Sahu A, Bora U, Kasoju N, Goswami P. Synthesis of novel biodegradable and self-assembling methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-palmitate nanocarrier for curcumin delivery. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2008;321(1):1–9.
  29. Anand P, Kunnumakkara AB, Newman RA, Aggarwal BB. Bioavailability of curcumin: problems and promises. Mol Pharm. 2007;4(6):807–818.
  30. Patra JK, Das G, Fraceto LF, Campos EVR, Rodriguez-Torres MDP, Acosta-Torres LS, et al. Nano based drug delivery systems: recent developments and future prospects. J Nanobiotechnology. 2018;16:71.
  31. Zhang Y, Chan HF, Leong KW. Advanced materials and processing for drug delivery: the past and the future. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2013;65(1):104–120.
  32. Bharti A D, Keservani R K, Sharma A K, Kesharwani Rajesh K and Mohammed G H. Formulation and in vitro characterization of metoprolol tartrate loaded chitosan microspheres. Ars Pharmaceutica 2012;53-3:13-18.
  33. Behera J, Keservani R K, Yadav A, Tripathi M and Chadoker A. Methoxsalen loaded chitosan coated microemulsion for effective treatment of psoriasis. Int. J. Drug Del. 2010; 2: 159-167.doi:10.5138/ijdd.2010.0975.0215.02025
  34. Kamaly N, Yameen B, Wu J, Farokhzad OC. Degradable controlled-release polymers and polymeric nanoparticles: mechanisms of controlling drug release. Chem Rev. 2016;116(4):2602–2663.
Ahead of Print Subscription Original Research
Volume 14
03
Received 03/04/2026
Accepted 04/05/2026
Published 08/05/2026
Publication Time 35 Days
3

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics