Evaluation of solubilizing potential of functional poly(jasmine lactone) micelles for hydrophobic drugs: A comparison with commercially available polymers

Achieving high solubilization capacity with the aid of polymeric micelles (PM) is still a major challenge. To address this shortcoming, novel poly(jasmine lactone) (PJL)-based PM were developed and compared with Soluplus ^® and poly(lactide) copolymer. The presence of “ene” groups on PJL’s backbone offers a unique opportunity to insert functional groups. We introduced -COOH and phenyl groups onto the PJL copolymer and observed a ∼334-fold increment in aqueous solubility of clotrimazole with -COOH-terminated PJL copolymer compared to Soluplus. We thus successfully demonstrated that the presence of appropriate free functional groups on the polymer chain can facilitate the solubilization potential of PM.