Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL), a promising polymer for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications: Focus on nanomedicine in cancer

Abstract

Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) has been the subject of extensive research in the past few years. It is widely explored in drug delivery, where the development of nanomedicines for cancer, one of the major public health concerns nowadays, has not been the exception. As a biocompatible, biodegradable and bioresorbable polymer, PCL has also found plenty of uses in the form of microparticles and scaffolds; so is the main objective of the present review to emphasize its potential and present its properties along with applications in the pharmaceutical and biomedical area with a special focus on nanomedicine in cancer.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Nanomedicine
• cancer
• poly-ε-caprolactone
• polymeric nanostructures
• drug delivery systems

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) for the financial support of the project through the “Cátedras CONACYT” program, grant number 1728, and for the scholarship granted to Sergio M. Espinoza during the present review development.