Application of poly(ethylene glycol)–distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (PEG-DSPE) block copolymers and their derivatives as nanomaterials in drug delivery

Abstract

Poly(ethylene glycol)–distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (PEG-DSPE) block copolymers are biocompatible and amphiphilic polymers that can be widely utilized in the preparation of liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, polymer hybrid nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, lipid–polymer hybrid nanoparticles, and microemulsions. Particularly, the terminal groups of PEG can be activated and linked to various targeting ligands, which can prolong the circulation time, improve the drug bioavailability, reduce undesirable side effects, and especially target specific cells, tissues, and even the intracellular localization in organelles. This review herein aims to describe recent developments in drug carriers exploiting PEG-DSPE block copolymers and their derivatives, and the incorporation of different ligands to the end groups of PEG-DSPE to target delivery, focusing on their modification approaches, advantages, applications, and the probable associated drawbacks.

Keywords:

• PEG-DSPE
• PEG-lipid
• Mal-PEG-DSPE
• targeting delivery

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (81001647), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (20100471757), and Zhejiang Provincial Innovative Incubation Projects for University Students (Emerging Artists Talents Scheme) (2011R421049).

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.