Hydrophobically modified polysaccharides have attracted considerable attention in the biomedical field because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. This article reviews previous studies on micellar structures formed by hydrophobically modified polysaccharides (pullulan and amylose) in aqueous solutions by static and dynamic light scattering, small angle X-ray and neutron scattering, and fluorescence from pyrene solubilized in the polymer solution. Depending on the degree of substitution, the hydrophobically modified polysaccharides exist in aqueous solution as full or loose flower necklaces or as nanogels made up of randomly branched polymers.
- Takahiro Sato
- Jia Yang
- Ken Terao