Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2026
Preparation and Characterization of Individual and Multi-drug Loaded Physically Entrapped Polymeric Micelles
Published on: August 28, 2015
Stable Loading and Delivery of Icaritin Using PEG-PCL Micelles for Effective Treatment of Oral Squamous Cell
Jian-Guang Yang1, Jing Zhang1, Xiao-Jie Chen1
1The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) and Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Background:
Icaritin can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). However, low solubility limits its clinical usage.
Objectives:
To improve the efficacy of icaritin treatment, a micelle system was designed for targeted delivery of drugs to OSCC cells.
Methods:
In the present study, the micelles loaded with icaritin were self-assembled from the amphipathic polymer via film dispersion. Nanoparticles were characterized with the transmission electron microscope and dynamic light scattering. The cytotoxicity of icaritin nanoparticles was analyzed by CCK-8, and in vitro target-selective intracellular uptake behaviors were observed using a laser confocal microscope.
Results:
The micelles were spherical with the mean diameter of 121.2 nm. in vitro studies revealed that icaritin was stablely and slowly released from micelles. Cytotoxicity analysis demonstrated that icartin-loaded micelles exhibited better therapeutic efficacy compared with free icaritin. Cellular uptake and intracellular release results revealed that micelles efficiently delivered icaritin into OSCC cells.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that encapsulated icaritin in polycaprolactone - polyethylene glycol (PCL-PEG) micelles may provide safe and effective drug delivery in OSCC treatments.
