Studying the "Rigid-Flexible" Properties of Polymeric Micelle Core-Forming Segments with a Hydrophobic Phthalocyanine Probe Using NMR and UV Spectroscopy.

Łukasz Lamch,Marta Tsirigotis-Maniecka,Roman Gancarz,Izabela M Moszyńska,Justyna Ciejka,Kazimiera A Wilk

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c00328

Abstract

The aim of the performed studies was to thoroughly examine the internal structure of self-assembled nanocarriers (i.e., polymeric micelles—PMs) by means of a hydrophobic phthalocyanine probe in order to identify the crucial features that are required to enhance the photoactive probe stability and reactivity. PMs of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) and hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) were fabricated and loaded with tetra tert-butyl zinc(II) phthalocyanine (ZnPc-t-but4), a multifunctional spectroscopic probe with a profound ability to generate singlet oxygen upon irradiation. The presence of subdomains, comprising “rigid” and “flexible” regions, in the studied block copolymers’ micelles as well as their interactions with the probe molecules, were assessed by various high-resolution NMR measurements [e.g., through-space magnetic interactions by the 1D NOE effect, pulsed field gradient spin-echo, and spin–lattice relaxation time (T1) techniques]. The studies of the impact of the core-type microenvironment on the ZnPc-t-but4 photochemical performance also included photobleaching and reactive oxygen species measurements. ZnPc-t-but4 molecules were found to exhibit spatial proximity effects with both (PCL and PDLLA) hydrophobic polymer chains and interact with both subdomains, which are characterized by different rigidities. It was deduced that the interfaces between particular subdomains constitute an optimal host space for probe molecules, especially in the context of photochemical stability, photoactivity (i.e., for significant enhancement of singlet oxygen generation rates), and aggregation prevention. The present contribution proves that the combination of an appropriate probe, high-resolution NMR techniques, and UV–vis spectroscopy enables one to gain complex information about the subtle structure of PMs essential for their application as nanocarriers for photoactive compounds, for example, in photodynamic therapy, nanotheranostics, combination therapy, or photocatalysis, where the micelles constitute the optimal microenvironment for the desired photoreactions.

Highlights

Polymeric micelles (PMs) are nanoscopic core/shell structures of a fairly narrow size distribution, which are formed through a molecular assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers in water
PMs have been successfully applied in the pharmaceutical industry for drug delivery and have shown abilities to attenuate toxicities, to enhance delivery to the desired biological sites, and to improve the therapeutic efficacy of active ingredients.[1−3] They were found to be suitable for systemic circulation as they are large enough to prevent their rapid leakage into blood capillaries but sufficiently small enough to escape capture by macrophages in the reticuloendothelial system.[1,4]
The results obtained by dynamic light scattering (DLS) demonstrate that the PMs had average hydrodynamic diameters (DH) of about 40 nm and 25 nm

Summary

Introduction

Polymeric micelles (PMs) are nanoscopic core/shell structures of a fairly narrow size distribution, which are formed through a molecular assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers in water. Besides the presence of two main microenvironments, outer hydrophilic and internal hydrophobic, polymeric blocks may form different subdomains of different rigidities and have the ability to incorporate various active payloads.[1] PMs have been successfully applied in the pharmaceutical industry for drug delivery and have shown abilities to attenuate toxicities, to enhance delivery to the desired biological sites, and to improve the therapeutic efficacy of active ingredients.[1−3] They were found to be suitable for systemic circulation as they are large enough to prevent their rapid leakage into blood capillaries but sufficiently small enough to escape capture by macrophages in the reticuloendothelial system.[1,4] the application of diblock copolymers in the fabrication of a variety of PM-based delivery systems, especially for highly insoluble bioactive agents, requires a comprehensive study of the influence of the micellar pseudophases or polymeric subdomains on the payload properties.[3,5,6].

Objectives

Results

Conclusion