Highly Stable Docetaxel-Loaded Nanoparticles Based on Poly(D,L-lactide)--Poly(ethylene glycol) for Cancer Treatment: Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro Cytotoxicity Studies.

Stability and narrow size distribution are among the main requirements that apply to drug formulations based on polymeric nanoparticles. In this study, we obtained a series of particles based on biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide)--poly(ethylene glycol) (P(D,L)LA--PEG) copolymers with varied hydrophobic P(D,L)LA block length from 50 to 1230 monomer units stabilized by poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by a simple "oil-in-water" emulsion method. We found that nanoparticles of P(D,L)LA--PEG copolymers with relatively short P(D,L)LA block ( ≤ 180) are prone to aggregate in water.