NANOEMULSIONS

摘要

The invention relates to nanoemulsions useful for analytical techniques and delivery of cargoes such as pharmaceutically active agents. In particular, the invention relates to nanoemulsions comprising an oil phase dispersed in an aqueous phase and at least two peptide surfactants adsorbed at the liquid-liquid interface, one peptide surfactant comprising a short peptide sequence having α-helical propensity and at least one second polypeptide surfactant comprising at least two peptide sequences having α-helical propensity linked by a linking sequence of 3 to 11 amino acid residues. Optionally the at least one second polypeptide surfactant comprises at least one pharmacokinetic modifying agent and/or a targeting agent. Furthermore, the nanoemulsion may further comprise a cargo such as a pharmaceutically active agent.

主权项

1. A nanoemulsion comprising an oil phase dispersed in an aqueous phase, at least one peptide surfactant and at least one polypeptide surfactant; wherein:
i) the at least one peptide surfactant comprising the amino acid sequence:
X1-(a b c d d′ e f g)n-X2 wherein n is an integer from 2 to 12;amino acid residues a and d are hydrophobic amino acid residues;amino acid residue d′ is absent or is a hydrophobic amino acid residue;at least one of residues b and c and at least one of residues e and f are hydrophilic amino acid residues and the other of amino acid residues b and c and e and f are any amino acid residue;amino acid residue g is any amino acid residue;X1 is absent, an N-terminal capping group, or an amino acid residue or a peptide of 2 to 10 amino acid residues optionally capped with an N-terminal capping group; andX2 is absent, a C-terminal capping group, or an amino acid residue or a peptide of 2 to 10 amino acid residues optionally capped with a C-terminal capping group; and ii) the at least one polypeptide surfactant comprising at least two peptides having α-helical propensity linked by a linking sequence of 3 to 11 amino acid residues, wherein each peptide having α-helical propensity is comprises the amino acid sequence:
(t u v w w′ x y z)m  (II)wherein m is an integer from 2 to 12;amino acid residues t and w are hydrophobic amino acid residues;amino acid residue w′ is absent or is a hydrophobic amino acid residue;at least one of residues u and v and at least one of residues x and y are hydrophilic amino acid residues and the other of amino acid residues u and v and x and y are any amino acid residue; andamino acid residue z is any amino acid residue.