Synthesis of poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate)-based colloidal nanomedicines

Nanoparticles developed from poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) (PACA) biodegradable polymers have opened new and exciting perspectives in the field of drug delivery due to their nearly ideal characteristics as drug carriers in connection with biomedical applications. Thanks to the direct implication of organic chemistry, polymer science and physicochemistry, multiple PACA nanoparticles with different features can be obtained: nanospheres and nanocapsules (either oil- or water-containing) as well as long-circulating and ligand-decorated nanoparticles. This review aims at emphasizing the synthetic standpoint of all these nanoparticles by describing the important aspects of alkyl cyanoacrylate chemistry as well as the experimental procedures and the different techniques involved for the preparation of the corresponding colloidal devices. (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Wiley Interdiscipl. Rev. Nanomed. Nanobiotechnol. 2009 1 111-127