Towards the development of polycaprolactone based amphiphilic block copolymers: molecular design, self-assembly and biomedical applications

• Synthesis of polycaprolactone (PCL) containing amphiphilic block copolymers.
• Self-assemblies of PCL amphiphilic block copolymers; micelles, vesicles and hydrogels.
• Biomedical applications includes drug and gene delivery and tissue engineering.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) and its copolymers are a type of hydrophobic aliphatic polyester based on hydroxyalkanoic acids. They possess exceptional qualities: biocompatibility; FDA approval for clinical use; biodegradability by enzyme and hydrolysis under physiological conditions and low immunogenicity. These critical properties have facilitated their value as sutures, drug delivery vehicles and tissue engineering scaffolds in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. However, the hydrophobicity of PCL and its copolymers remains a concern for further biological and biomedical applications. One promising approach is to design and synthesize well-controlled PCL-based amphiphilic block copolymers. This review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis and self-assembly of PCL-containing amphiphilic block copolymers and their bio-related applications including drug delivery and tissue engineering.