• Winkler, Dave
• Mulet, Xavier
• Le, Tu
• Drummond, Calum

Abstract

Novel amphiphilic lyotropic liquid crystalline self-assembly materials are being investigated for a diverse variety of advanced multifunctional applications including encapsulation and controlled release of therapeutic agents as well as incorporation of medical imaging agents. When lyotropic liquids are added to a polar solvent, the crystals form and can adopt a range of morphologies including 1D lamellar structures, 2D inverse hexagonal phases and 3D inverse bicontinuous cubic phases among which the cubic phases are gaining considerable interest as their dispersions can be biodegradable, adaptable to multiple drug sizes, have enhanced physical and chemical stability and may enhance cellular uptake 3. However only little is known about the effect of the incorporated drug on the structure of the cubic phase.Therefore we have developed robust and predictive models attempting to explain the phase behaviour of two drug delivery carriers, phytantriol and Myverol, for a number of drugs at different concentrations and temperatures. Using the state-of-the-art quantitative structure-property relationship modelling techniques, our models could successfully predict these phase transitions with high accuracy.

Topics

• nanoparticle
• impedance spectroscopy
• dispersion
• phase
• chemical stability
• phase transition
• self-assembly
• lamellae