Abstract
The new polymeric systems for delivery in cosmetology applications were prepared using self-assembling amphiphilic graft copolymers. The synthesis based on “click” chemistry reaction included grafting of azide-functionalized polyethylene glycol (PEG-N3) onto multifunctional polymethacrylates containing alkyne units. The latter ones were obtained via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of alkyne-functionalized monomers, e.g., ester of hexynoic acid and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (AlHEMA) with methyl methacrylate (MMA), using bromoester-modified retinol (RETBr) as the initiator. Varying the content of alkyne moieties adjusted by initial monomer ratios of AlHEMA/MMA was advantageous for the achievement of a well-defined grafting degree. The designed amphiphilic graft copolymers P((HEMA-graft-PEG)-co-MMA), showing tendency to micellization in aqueous solution at room temperature, were encapsulated with arbutin (ARB) or vitamin C (VitC) with high efficiencies (>50%). In vitro experiments carried out in the phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS) at pH 7.4 indicated the maximum release of ARB after at least 20 min and VitC within 10 min. The fast release of the selected antioxidants and skin-lightening agents by these micellar systems is satisfactory for applications in cosmetology, where they can be used as the components of masks, creams, and wraps.
Highlights
Innovative drug delivery systems (DDS) with polymeric carriers are designed to prolong and improve the action of biologically active substances, including pharmaceuticals, in the body, providing controlled and targeted therapies [1,2,3,4]
A few-step procedure, which is presented in Figure 1, included (i) azidation of polyethylene glycol (PEG), (ii) modification of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) to alkyne-functionalized monomer (AlHEMA), (iii) its copolymerization with methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of different initiators, (iv) the “click” reaction between P(AlHEMA-co-MMA) and PEG-N3
Varying the content of alkyne groups regulated by MMA units was advantageous to adjust the grafting degree of hydrophilic PEG, whereas a differential hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance influenced the behavior in aqueous solution
Summary
Innovative drug delivery systems (DDS) with polymeric carriers are designed to prolong and improve the action of biologically active substances, including pharmaceuticals, in the body, providing controlled and targeted therapies [1,2,3,4] These polymers should be non-toxic, non-immunogenic, biocompatible with optional biodegradability, and chemically inert [5]. Among the synthesized amphiphilic polymers, the most common are those based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) [12], N-isopropylacrylamide [13], 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate [14], methacrylic acid [15,16,17], and polyethylene glycol (PEG) [14,18,19,20] These are mostly block copolymers [21], including star [22] and graft [23,24,25] topologies, obtained by the controlled polymerization methods for DDS applications. Specific graft copolymers [26] were achieved by combination of the backbone with side chains, which can be introduced by grafting from [27,28] and grafting through [29,30], or via a combination of both to attain block side chains [15], heterografted structures [31], or brush–block–brush [20]
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