In the past few decades, significant progress in block copolymer self-assembly has been achieved in many fields, and with the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, more and more complex situations need block copolymer self-assembly based nanoplatforms having more complex structures for specific multimodal or multiplexed applications. Through the combination of emulsification and self-assembly of the block copolymer, different materials with exotic architectures and functions could be combined within an entity, such as controlled vesicles, Janus particles, and composite particles which are more like ideal nanoplatforms. Various designs can show their different desired properties depending upon the application situation, including molecular delivery, surfactants, and multicolor encoding. This review will provide a complete summary of the optimization and the synthesis method for the recently designed emulsion confined block copolymer assemblies, and also the challenges and limitations this method faces, and the potential solutions in this field.

Levodopa (L-DOPA), a precursor of dopamine, is commonly prescribed for the treatment of the Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, oral administration of levodopa results in a high level of homocysteine in the peripheral circulation, thereby elevating the risk of cardiovascular disease, and limiting its clinical application. Here, we report a non-invasive method to deliver levodopa to the brain by delivering L-DOPA-loaded sub-50 nm nanoparticles via brain-lymphatic vasculature. The hydrophilic L-DOPA was successfully encapsulated into nanoparticles of tannic acid (TA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) via hydrogen bonding using the flash nanocomplexation (FNC) process, resulting in a high L-DOPA-loading capacity and uniform size in a scalable manner. Pharmacodynamics analysis in a PD rat model demonstrated that the levels of dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase, which indicate the dopaminergic neuron functions, were increased by 2- and 4-fold, respectively. Movement disorders and cerebral oxidative stress of the rats were significantly improved. This formulation exhibited a high degree of biocompatibility as evidenced by lack of induced inflammation or other pathological changes in major organs. This antioxidative and drug-delivery platform administered through the brain-lymphatic vasculature shows promise for clinical treatment of the PD.