Refining nanocarrier emulsions for pharmaceutical use

Abstract

Nanomaterials with different surface designs and biophysical properties are being developed to improve the efficacy of hydrophobic drugs. To date, these improvements have not overcome the complexity of biological and physical barriers via different delivery routes, however, nanoemulsions (NEs), in particular tailorable nanocarrier emulsions (TNEs), are emerging as promising drug carriers. The novel oil-in-water NEs are stabilised with chemically-engineered biosurfactants (AM1) that allow top-down sequential addition and modification with a chemically-related 4-helix bundle protein, DAMP4, which can be fused to various biomolecules. In this project, the feasibility of using TNEs for diagnostic/therapeutic applications via different delivery routes was investigated. The initially stages of the work were to evaluate the encapsulation and retention capacity of hydrophobic compounds within the oil core of TNEs with varying surface properties. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), an important pharmaceutical tool, was chemically conjugated to DAMP4 and influenced cargo retention within the oil core. In collaboration with Professor Tarl Prow, tuning the TNE surface charge, which was found to be indirectly related to PEG density, allowed TNEs to coat elongated microparticles via electrostatic interactions, creating a promising tool for topical drug delivery. Cofunctionalising TNEs with antibody fragments showed receptor-specific targeting in vitro, however, in vivo active targeting was not achieved following intravenous administration. Biodistribution