ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the different methods used to prepare polymeric nanoparticles and the physico-chemical methods used to characterize the nanoparticles. It discusses methods resulting in either nanospheres or nanocapsules. The rationale for controlled drug delivery is to alter the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drug substances in order to improve the therapeutic efficacy and safety through the use of novel drug delivery systems. Polymeric micelles are nanosized supramolecular constructs formed from the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers in aqueous environments. Nanoparticles have been prepared from a variety of both water-soluble and water-insoluble polymers of synthetic, semisynthetic, and natural origin. The solvent evaporation method is a technique widely used for preparing biodegradable and non-degradable microspheres. The high-pressure emulsification-solvent evaporation method is limited to water-insoluble drugs. The methodology is similar to the solvent evaporation method, with only the water-immiscible organic solvent being replaced with a water-miscible solvent such as acetone or ethanol.
