Chapter 22 - Biological Lipid Polymorphs: Preferred Cubic Phase of “Dispersed LMN”

摘要: Abstract Lipid polymorphism is complex, but important and useful for intravenous drug delivery. Various structural/physicochemical considerations lead to the resultant judgment that dispersed (inverse) cubic phase probably represents preferred (lipid polymorph or liquid-crystalline nanoparticle) structure of “dispersed lipid-mesophase nanoparticle (LMN)” in “lipid-coated microbubble/nanoparticle-derived” nanoemulsions. This conclusion helps explain observed efficacy such nanoemulsion formulations solubilizing, encapsulating, delivering selected lipophilic drugs, by receptor-mediated endocytosis, certain disease sites animals. As concerns polymorphic mechanism, expected physicochemical tendency LMN adopt nonlamellar mesostructural topology a function head-group hydration, acyl chain length, cholesterol content.