Preparation and Physicochemical Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complexes Incorporating Antitumor Peptide

Abstract

In this work, tigapotide (PCK3145) was incorporated into novel block copolymer polyelectrolyte nanocarriers in order to maximize the advantages of the delivery process and possibly its biological properties. PCK3145 was incorporated into complexes with the block polyelectrolyte poly(vinyl benzyl trimethylammonium chloride)-b-poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PVBTMAC-POEGMA). Light scattering techniques (dynamic, static and electrophoretic) are used in order to examine the size, the size distribution, the morphology and the z-potential of the nanocarriers incorporating PCK3145 in different aqueous media. The concentration of PVBTMAC-POEGMA is kept constant throughout the series of aqueous solutions of different ionic strength investigated. The values of the scattering intensity, I90, which is proportional to the mass of the species in solution, increase gradually as a function of CPCK3145 providing proof of the occurring complexation. It was shown that the structure and solution behavior of the formed complexes depend on the ratio of the two components, as well as on the pH and the ionic strength of the solution. The physicochemical characteristics of the complexes, as a function of PCK concentration, remained unaffected at higher ionic strength (0.154 M). This investigation provides interesting and useful new insights into the interaction mechanism between oppositely charged block polyelectrolytes and therapeutic peptides.