Delivery vehicles with amphiphile-associated active ingredient

A delivery vehicle for magnetite, the delivery vehicle having a size of from about 20 nm to about 100 nm in diameter and comprising a lipid particle enclosing a magnetite amphiphile-associated substrate in the essential absence of a solution-phase inner volume, which includes:

• a magnetite active ingredient phase,
• an amphiphilic material capable of associating with the active ingredient and having a polar hydrophilic portion and a lipophilic portion, the polar hydrophilic portion being associated with the magnetite active ingredient phase to form the magnetite amphiphile-associated substrate, and
• a single, biocompatible encapsulating monolayer surrounding the magnetite amphiphile-associated substrate, comprising molecules having lipophilic tails associated with the lipophilic portion of the magnetite amphiphile-associated substrate.

A process for preparing a delivery vehicle for an active ingredient, the delivery vehicle having a size of from about 20 nm to about 10,000 nm in diameter, the process comprising:

• forming an initial aqueous dispersion consisting essentially of an association between a particulate active ingredient which is a solid in the aqueous dispersion and an amphiphilic material consisting of molecules having a polar head group and a hydrophobic tail group, in an aqueous phase to form an amphiphile-associate substrate in the aqueous phase, the polar head groups being associated with the solid, particulate active ingredient, and
• encapsulating the amphiphile-associated substrate by then adding a material capable of forming a biocompatible encapsulating layer for the substrate, the layer comprising molecules having a lipophilic tail group associated with the hydrophobic tail group of the amphiphile-associated substrate, to form a delivery vehicle enclosing the amphiphile-associate substrate in the essential absence of a solution-phase inner volume.

A process for preparing a delivery vehicle for an active ingredient, the delivery vehicle having a size of from about 20 nm to about 10,000 nm in diameter, the process comprising:

• forming an initial aqueous dispersion consisting essentially of an association between a solid, particulate active ingredient and an amphiphilic material consisting of molecules having a polar head group and a hydrophobic tail group, in an aqueous phase to form an amphiphile-associate substrate in the aqueous phase, the polar head groups being associated with the solid, particulate active ingredient, and
• encapsulating the amphiphile-associated substrate within a single encapsulating layer, which layer further constitutes an outer biocompatible encapsulating layer, by then adding a material capable of forming a biocompatible encapsulating layer for the substrate, the layer comprising molecules having a lipophilic tail group associated with the hydrophobic tail group of the amphiphile-associated substrate, to form a delivery vehicle enclosing the amphiphile-associate substrate in the essential absence of a solution-phase inner volume.

A process for preparing a delivery vehicle for a magnetite active ingredient, the delivery vehicle having a size of from about 20 nm to about 10,000 nm in diameter, the process comprising:

• forming an initial aqueous dispersion consisting essentially of an association between a solid, particulate active ingredient, which active ingredient comprises magnetite, and an amphiphilic material consisting of molecules having a polar head group and a hydrophobic tail group, in an aqueous phase to form a magnetite amphiphile-associated substrate in the aqueous phase, the polar head groups being associated with the solid, particulate magnetite active ingredient, and
• encapsulating the magnetite amphiphile-associate substrate by then adding a material capable of forming a biocompatible encapsulating layer for the substrate, the layer comprising molecules having a lipophilic tail group associated with the hydrophobic tail group of the magnetite amphiphile-associated substrate, to a form a delivery vehicle enclosing the amphiphile-associated substrate in the essential absence of a solution-phase inner volume.