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Mahesh M. Nosenoor,
Sunil Kumar Singh,
Anubi Badhani,
Raj K. Keservani,
Sujit Appasaheb Jadhav,
Sachin Nathu Kapse,
Saurabh Das Vaishnaw,
- Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, KLE College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India
- Professor, Department of Pharmacology, United Institute of Pharmacy (Affiliated to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow), A-31/1, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Naini, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
- Professor & Principal, Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of B. Pharmacy, CSM Group of Institutions, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, KCT’S R G Sapkal College of Pharmacy, Anjaneri, Nashik, Maharashtra, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, SES Matoshri College of Pharmacy, Mhasrul, Nashik, Maharashtra, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy, Tagore Institute of Pharmacy and Research Sakri, Bilaspur (C.G.), Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India
Abstract
Polymeric composite nanocarriers made from amphiphilic block copolymers are popular for their customisable architecture, self-assembly behaviour, and drug release control. A PEG-b-PCL/Pluronic F127 micellar composite was developed and tested as a multifunctional nanocarrier for docetaxel and curcumin administration.
The amphiphilic block copolymers Pluronic® F127 and PEG-b-PCL were employed to generate polymeric micelles using solvent evaporation-assisted self-assembly. The optimised polymer composite showed good colloidal stability and uniform size distribution with a zeta potential of -21.4 ± 2.1 mV, polydispersity index of 0.172 ± 0.014, and particle size of 118.6 ± 4.3 nm. Both DTX and CUR achieved encapsulation efficiencies of 91.8 ± 2.4% and 88.5 ± 1.9%, respectively.The polymeric core successfully contained both drugs, resulting in an amorphous distribution within the matrix, as confirmed by FTIR, DSC, and XRD examinations. The micellar composite showed sustained and pH-responsive drug release, with DTX release of 82.9 ± 2.8% and CUR of 82.7 ± 3.1% over 72 hours at pH 5.5. A 3.8-fold increase in intracellular drug accumulation was seen in PC-3 prostate cancer cells compared to free medicines. The co-loaded micelles showed greater cytotoxicity, as indicated by an IC50 value of 1.84 ± 0.12 µg/mL. Low systemic toxicity and 74.3% tumour inhibition were seen in in vivo tests on mice with tumours. Results indicate that the PEG-b-PCL/Pluronic F127 polymeric composite is promising as a prostate cancer nanocarrier.
Keywords: Polymeric micelles; PEG-b-PCL; Pluronic F127; Docetaxel–Curcumin co-delivery; Prostate cancer
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Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 05 | ||
| Received | 08/09/2026 | |
| Accepted | 28/09/2026 | |
| Published | 05/10/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 27 Days |