Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Flash NanoPrecipitation for the Encapsulation of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Compounds in Polymeric Nanoparticles
Published on: January 7, 2019
Multifunctional nanocapsules for simultaneous encapsulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds and on-demand
Shang-Hsiu Hu1, San-Yuan Chen, Xiaohu Gao
1Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Cocktail therapy by delivering multiple drugs to diseased cells can elicit synergistic therapeutic effects and better modulate the complex cell-signaling network. Besides selection of drug combinations, a difficulty in delivery is how to encapsulate drugs with various solubility into a common vehicle, particularly when both hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds are involved. Furthermore, it is highly desirable that the drug release profile can be controlled in an on-demand fashion for balanced therapeutic and side effects. On the basis of a simple and scalable double emulsion approach, we report a new class of nanocapsules that can solve these problems simultaneously. Further linking the nanocapsules with peptides targeting cell surface integrins leads to significantly enhanced cell uptake of the nanocapsules. Intracellular drug release triggered by external stimuli has also been achieved without affecting cell viability. Further development of this technology should open exciting opportunities in treating tough diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, and infectious diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Modified-Release Drug Delivery Systems: Rate-Programmed II
Modified-Release Drug Delivery Systems: Stimuli-Activated
Site-Targeted Drug Delivery Systems: Polymeric Carriers
Modified-Release Drug Delivery Systems: Drug Release Characteristics
Oral Drug Delivery Systems: Continuous-Release Systems
Modified-Release Drug Delivery Systems: Site-Targeted

