Abstract
We report here on the utilization of poly(lauryl methacrylate)-b-poly(oligo ethylene glycol methacrylate) (PLMA-b-POEGMA) amphiphilic block copolymers, which form compound micelles in aqueous solutions, as nanocarriers for the encapsulation of either magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles or iron oxide nanoparticles, and the model hydrophobic drug indomethacin in the their hydrophobic core. The mixed nanostructures were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in terms of their structure and solution properties. Magnetophoresis experiments showed that the mixed solutions maintain the magnetic properties of the initial iron oxide nanoparticles. Results indicate that the cumulative hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance of all components determines the colloidal stability of the nanosystems. The effect of salt and bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein concentration on the structure of the mixed nanostructures was also investigated. Disintegration of the mixed nanostructures was observed in both cases, showing the importance of these parameters in the structure formation and stability of such complex mixed nanosystems.
Highlights
Polymer-based nanomedicine has gained vast attention in the worldwide scientific community because of the promising potential it provides in the fields of bioimaging and the therapy of various diseases and disorders
The PLMA-b-POEGMA block copolymers were synthesized in various compositions by a two-step
In order to impart magnetic properties to the polymeric micelles, small size (D = 9.4 nm) iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized with oleic acid were encapsulated in the hydrophobic core of the Polymers 2017, 9, x FOR
Summary
Polymer-based nanomedicine has gained vast attention in the worldwide scientific community because of the promising potential it provides in the fields of bioimaging and the therapy of various diseases and disorders. Theranostics is a new scientific term describing nanosystems used for applications in diagnosis and therapy at the same time [1,2]. Amphiphilic block copolymers consist of two or more covalently connected macromolecular chains with different hydrophobicity. These polymers are able to self-assemble into various complex nanostructures, such as spherical or cylindrical micelles and vesicles, where the hydrophobic polymer chains form the core and the hydrophilic polymer chains form the corona when inserted in aqueous. The morphology of the self-assemblies depends on the hydrophobic/hydrophilic ratio
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