Abstract
To precisely manipulate the intracellular delivery of pleiotropic curcumin, this work reports two types of acid-responsive polymer–curcumin conjugates with different structures. One or two amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-PLA) copolymer(s) were linked to curcumin via pH-liable hydrazone, producing a linear or phospholipid-like conjugate, respectively. Both conjugates efficiently self-assembled into micellar nanocarriers with enhanced stability in contrast to the paralleling PEG-PLA micelles. In comparison to the micelles assembled by phospholipid-like conjugates, the linear conjugate micelles exhibited similar size, doubled loading dose, higher release rate, and hence enhanced cellular uptake and cytotoxicity at the cost of increased critical micelle concentration. This work highlighted the importance of precise tuning of polymer–drug conjugate architecture in determining the pharmaceutical properties and thus delivery efficiency of the corresponding conjugate micelles.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
