Pharmacokinetics of polymeric micelles for cancer treatment.

Polymeric micelles (PMs) have shown promising applications for the drug delivery since they can improve the low water solubility of hydrophobic drugs, reduce toxicity of the drug, protect unstable drugs from degradation or metabolism, and prolong the time of blood circulation. The incorporation of drugs to PMs can fundamentally alter the drug's pharmacokinetics (PK) to enable their efficient therapeutic activity. This article reviews the key progress to date about the work of the PK of various PMs in oncology. First, the common techniques to incorporate the drugs to PMs have been introduced. The PK of PMs for typical anti-tumor drugs (Taxels, Doxorubicin, Cisplatin, camptothecins) according to different amphiphilic polymers is discussed in detail. The strengths and limitations of PM formulations for the PK also have been included.