Synthesis and Characterization of New Biocompatible Amino Amphiphilic Compounds Derived from Oleic Acid as Nanovectors for Drug Delivery ^†

Amphiphilic molecules have been actively explored as promising materials in the field of bio and nanotechnology. These molecules are constituted by a polar head and a lipophilic tail and in an aqueous medium are self-assemble to form different types of macromolecular structures such as micelles, monolayer vesicles, bars, sheets and tubes. In this work, a convergent synthetic approach for the synthesis of two new amphiphilic compounds based on a versatile amino polar head, a tetraethylene glycol spacer and a lipophilic tail derived from oleic acid has been developed. Subsequently, after a self-assembly process in aqueous medium, nanostructures as micelles have been obtained and characterized. Finally, a procedure for the inclusion of the highly lipophilic drug Dexamethasone has been carried out in order to study the ability of these micelles to act as nanovectors for drug delivery.