Micellar Drug Delivery System

Micelles are organized molecular assemblies of surfactants. In aqueous solution, the hydrophilic head of the surfactant is in contact with solvent, and the hydrophobic tail is sequestered within the center of the micelle. This review article focusing on the structure, shape, types of the micelles. Critical micelle concentration (CMC) which is defined as the concentration of surfactants above which micelles are spontaneously formed. The various factors affecting the CMC to form the micelle and thermodynamics of micelles also discussed in this review. The reverse micelle and polymeric micelle which have wide application as the nanostructure vehicle for the targeted drug delivery. The application of micelles in drug delivery, in order to minimize drug degradation and loss, to prevent harmful side effects and to increase drug bioavailability, is also presented. Special emphasis is given to the more recent use of polymeric micelles. Importantly the various advantages, applications and recent advances in micellar drug delivery system are also discussed.