Preparation and properties of new micellar drug carriers based on hydrophobically modified amylopectin

Hydrophilic amylopectin was modified by grafting hydrophobic poly (lactic acid) chains. The 13C NMR and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed the modification reaction. For the resultant amphiphilic derivatives with various grafting yields, their self-association behavior and micellar aggregates were investigated by fluorometry, transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The critical aggregation concentration (cac) was found to be in the range from 0.038 to 0.190 mg/L and the mean diameter (MD) was observed to be in the range from 20.7 to 77.2 nm in aqueous solutions at 25 °C. With the increase of the grafting yield, the cac value decreased while the MD value increased. For the resultant micellar aggregates, their drug loading and in vitro drug release characteristics were studied using indomethacin as the model drug. It was found that such micellar aggregates could be used as potential nanocarriers for drug delivery.