A pH‐responsive self‐fluorescent polymeric micelle as a potential optical imaging probe

Abstract

A series of methoxypolyethylene glycol‐terminated self‐fluorescent polyurethane multi‐block copolymers with excellent pH‐responsivity, self‐fluorescence, and biocompatibility are designed and synthesized. In our design, 1, 4‐bis (hydroxyethyl) piperazine is chosen as a pH‐responsive segment which can donate or accept protons in response to the change of environmental pH, and fluorescein isothiocyanate is used as a fluorescent dye conjugated into the micelles to offer self‐fluorescence. The chemical structure of the polyurethane multi‐block copolymers is characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results of the acid‐based titration, the fluorescence spectrometry, and the ultraviolet visible spectroscopy indicate that the polyurethane multi‐block copolymers own an excellent pH‐buffering capacity responded to the change of pH values and the favorable self‐fluorescence property in an aqueous solution. And the ultraviolet absorption peaks of samples are strengthened with increasing of pH values, indicating that methoxypolyethylene glycol‐terminated self‐fluorescent polyurethane multi‐block copolymer can be a pH‐dependent fluorescent probe in a broad pH range. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicity test showed that the polyurethane multi‐block copolymer has low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility, which make it a promising nanoplatform for molecular imaging, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.