From the Surfactant–Drug Interactions to the Rational Design of Micelle-Based Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery Applications
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Technology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 3016
Special Issue Editor
Interests: thermodynamics of surfactant association in aqueous solution; micelle; mixed micelles-thermodynamic stabilization; bile salts-primary and secondary micelles; interaction of surfactants (and bile salts) in monomeric and micellar form with drug particles; micellar catalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Surfactants are amphiphilic particles (molecules or ions) in an aqueous solution which form micelles (molecular aggregates with a hydrophobic nucleus) above a specific concentration of monomers—i.e., critical micellar concentration (CMC). Water-insoluble or sparingly soluble drug molecules are incorporated into micelles, which increases their solubility. The lower the CMC, the more thermodynamically stable the micelle that surfactants form is. Surfactants with specific properties (e.g., functional group (double bond in the hydrophobic segment, etc.), increased synergistic interactions with the drug molecule, thermodynamically more stable micelles, lower membrane toxicity) can be obtained via chemical modification of the existing structure or, alternatively, by applying a multicomponent mixture of surfactants (usually binary and ternary) with mutual synergistic interactions, also known as multicomponent mixed micelles, as a mixture of surfactants may have a lower CMC value than the hydrophobic component. Of particular interest are block copolymer surfactants that form highly stable micelles with hydrophobic drugs, as well as micelles of block copolymers, which are not only soluble in water-insoluble drugs but can also have a selective transport of drugs to specific target tissues.
This Special Issue will cover mixed micelles of block copolymeric surfactants, mixed micelles of block copolymers and low molecular weight surfactants, the rational design of surfactant concerning the drug molecule, and the surfactant structure and how it influences the bioavailability of micellar solubilized drugs (block copolymer surfactant for low molecular weight surfactants).
Dr. Mihalj Poša
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- multicomponent mixed micelles
- thermodynamic stability of micelles–micelles with incorporated drugs
- influence of surfactant structures on the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs
- bile acid salts
- block copolymer surfactants
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
