Nanoformulations of Drugs Based on Biodegradable Lactide Copolymers with Various Molecular Structures and Architectures

Modern pharmaceutics are actively developing towards the design of targeted drugs. The development of selectively acting formulations requires the creation of smart delivery systems based on carriers that would first find the target cells and enter them and then release the active substance locally. Nanoparticles of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers can be effectively used as such carriers. Flexible regulation of the molecular structure and architecture of polymers, as well as the modification of nanoparticles with vector molecules, allows one to construct carrier particles for the development of nanoformulations for active agents of various nature. This review presents the main approaches to the design of nanoformulations for targeted delivery, describes the methods for the preparation and study of nanoparticles based on hydrophobic and amphiphilic biodegradable lactide polymers, and discusses the effect of the molecular structure and preparation conditions on the characteristics of nanoparticles in detail. Some results of research in this area of the Kurchatov complex of NBIСS nature-like technologies are also presented.