Exploring the aggregation behaviour and antibiotic binding ability of thiazolium-based surface-active ionic liquids; Understanding transportation of poorly water-soluble drug

In recent years, ionic liquids have attracted the attention of many chemists as a result of their unique properties as solvents for chemical transformations. The focus of this Minireview is on applications of so-called "task-specific" ionic liquids, whereby the role of the ionic liquid goes beyond that of a solvent. Such ionic liquids find application in a wide range of areas, including catalysis, synthesis, gas absorption, and analysis.

The size of anticancer agent-incorporating micelles can be controlled within the diameter range of 20-100 nm to ensure that they do not penetrate normal vessel walls. With this development, it is expected that the incidence of drug-induced side-effects may be decreased owing to the reduced drug distribution in normal tissue. Micelle systems can also evade non-specific capture by the reticuloendothelial system because the outer shell of a micelle is covered with polyethylene glycol. Consequently, a polymer micelle carrier can be delivered selectively to a tumor by utilizing the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Moreover, a water-insoluble drug can be incorporated into polymer micelles. Presently, several anticancer agent-incorporating micelle carrier systems are under preclinical and clinical evaluation. Furthermore, nucleic acid-incorporating micelle carrier systems are also being developed.