Studies of Cubosomes as a Sustained Drug Delivery System

Abstract

The morphologies of cubosome particles, formed by dispersing monoolein/F127/ethanol mixtures into water, was investigated by negative‐staining transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the structures of the particles were characterized by small angle x‐ray diffraction (XRD). It was revealed that aqueous dispersions of the monoolein/F127/ethanol mixture are particles with irregular cubic shape. It was also found that the particles still retain the cubic phase feature. With addition of different amounts and kinds of block copolymer to the monoolein/ethanol mixture, the release efficiencies of chloramphenicol from these cubosomes were also studied.

Keywords:

• Cubic particles
• Monoolein
• Chloramphenicol
• Negative‐staining TEM
• Small angle x‐ray diffraction
• Cubosomes

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for financial support from the Natural Sciences Fund Foundation of China (Grant No. 20243005) and from the Ministry of Science and Technology (G 2000078104, 2003CCA02900).