Amphiphilic Star-shaped Copolymers Research Articles

Degradable 4D-printed hydration-driven actuators from a single family of amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers

Actuators are largely used in biomedical applications in the presence of sensitive live cells or biomolecules, which makes actuators triggered by water uptake highly appealing. Dual-material printing and hydration driven expansion is a method of choice to produce such actuators, but mostly rely of non-degradable polymers or on the combination of polymers of different nature that may lead to interface incompatibilities. To overcome this challenge, we report here on two photocrosslinkable resins based on a single family of degradable hydrophilic or hydrophobic star-shaped poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide) copolymers. The two materials are first printed individually and characterized to ensure that their properties enable the printing of dual material objects by stereolithographic digital-light processing. Dual-materials actuators are then printed by sequential switching of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic resin baths. Objects of simple and complex shapes are easily obtained and exhibit rapid actuation (<60 s) upon hydration. The swelling-induced shape changes are accurately reproduced by numerical modeling of the printed geometries using the obtained material swelling properties. This set of results offers new perspectives to develop 4D-printed temporary medical devices.

Three-armed RGD-decorated starPLA-PEG nanoshuttle for docetaxel delivery.

A novel star-shaped amphiphilic copolymer based on three poly(lactide)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) terminal arms extending from a glycerol multifunctional core was newly synthesized and decorated with the tumor-targeting ligand cyclic-RGDyK peptide (Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Tyr-Lys) to be eventually formulated in polymeric micelles incorporating a suitable anticancer drug (i.e., Docetaxel, DTX; drug loading 16%, encapsulation efficiency 69%). The biological profile of unloaded micelles (RGD-NanoStar) was studied on Human Adipose-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (Ad-MSCs) as health control, pointing out the absence of toxicity. Surprisingly, an unprecedented effect on cell viability was exerted by RGD-NanoStar, comparable to that of the free DTX, on tumoral MDA-MB 468 Human Breast Adenocarcinoma cells, specifically starting from 48h of culture (about 40% and 60% of dead cells at 48 and 72h, respectively, at all tested concentrations). RGD-NanoStar reduced the cell viability also of tumoral U87 Human Glioblastoma cells, compared to cells only, at 72h (about 25% of dead cells) demonstrating a time-dependent effect exerted by the highest concentrations. The effects of DTX-loaded micelles (RGD-NanoStar/DTX) on U87 and MDA-MB 468 cell lines were evaluated by MTT, cell morphology analysis, and scratch test. A compromised cell morphology was observed without significant difference between DTX-treated and RGD-NanoStar/DTX - treated cells, especially in U87 cell line. Although no apparent benefit emerged from the drug incorporation into the nanosystem by MTT assay, the scratch test revealed a statistically significant inhibition of tumoral cell migration on both cell lines, confirming the well-known role of DTX in inhibiting cell movements even when loaded on polymeric micelles. Specifically, only 43μm distance was covered by U87 cells after 30h culture with RGD-NanoStar/DTX (30μg/mL) compared to 73μm in the presence of free DTX at the same concentration; more interestingly, a total absence of MDA-MB 468 cell movements was detected at 30h compared to about 50μm distance covered by cells in the presence of free DTX (10μg/mL). The stronger inhibitory activity on cell migration of RGD-NanoStar/DTX compared to the free drug in both cell lines at 30h attested for a good ability of the drug-loaded nanocarrier to reduce tumor propagation and invasiveness, enhancing the typical effect of DTX on metastatization.

Detecting Hydrophobic Interactions in Star-Shaped Amphiphilic Copolymers by the Viscometric Method

The amphiphilic copolymers of N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide and alkylated N-methyl-N-vinylamine combining a hydrophilic backbone and hydrophobic side chains of various lengths and carrying a charge are studied. The results are compared, and the features of the application of known methods for determining the intrinsic viscosity in aqueous and organic solvents are considered. Conclusions are drawn about the intramolecular organization in the molecular chains of the studied copolymers and the manifestation of hydrophobic interactions in macromolecules with different lengths of alkyl radicals. The conditions under which the amphiphilic character of copolymers does not manifest itself are revealed. It is proposed to consider the sign and magnitude of the second derivative of the dependence ln ηr = f(c[η]) as a measure of the hydrophobicity of copolymer chains.

Amphiphilic miktoarm star copolymers can self-assemble into micelle-like aggregates in nonselective solvents: a case study of polyoxometalate based miktoarm stars

It is well-known that amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers can self-assemble in selective solvents to form complicated micellar constructs as a synergistic result of both the topological constraints and relative volume fractions of the arms. Although the association phenomena of amphiphilic stars have been observed in nonselective solvents, both the structural detail and formation mechanism of these associates are not clear yet. Moreover, these experimental observations are controversial with respect to molecularly dispersed starlike copolymers in nonselective solvents as is popularly believed. To clarify these issues, we have synthesized a series of polyoxometalate-based polystyrene-poly(ethylene glycol) (PS-PEG) miktoarm star supramolecular copolymers (SEW-1-5) by coupling a Keggin-type polyoxometalate of K4[α-SiW12O40] with 1,2,3-triazolium bridged block copolymers of PSn-b+-PEGmI− (n=17, 26, 39, 57, 81; m=45) through ionic exchange reactions, respectively. TEM imaging, contact angle and 1H NMR studies reveal that SEW-2-5 self-assemble in chloroform, THF, and toluene to create micellelike aggregates ranging from cylinder to sphere with a PS corona and a PEG core, while for SEW-1, reverse bilayers are captured with a PEG corona and a PS core. Among these aggregates, the Keggin clusters of [α-SiW12O40]4− localize at the core-corona interfaces between PS and PEG. In terms of solvent quality, chloroform, THF, and toluene are only slightly poorer for PEG than that for PS with a relative order of chloroform<THF<toluene. These unexpected aggregates originate from the topological constraints of the chemically different arms of PS and PEG in the miktoarm stars, where the weak incompatibility between the PS and PEG arms is intensified appropriately. The presence of the reverse bilayered structures of SEW-1 is due to the magnified steric hindrance of the PEG45 arm with decreasing the molecular weight of the PS17 arm. However, to the best of our knowledge, these are the first examples clearly indicating that miktoarm star copolymers can self-assemble in common good solvents or slightly selective solvents to generate micellelike aggregates. This scenario is not only in sharp contrast to the intuitively considered behavior of unimolecular miktoarm stars in nonselective solvents, but also rather different from the conventional self-assembly behavior of amphiphilic star copolymers in selective solvents.

Folate-Targeted Anticancer Drug Delivery via a Combination Strategy of a Micelle Complex and Reducible Conjugation.

Conjugation of various active targeting ligands to the surface of nanocarriers to realize specific recognition by the corresponding receptors localized on the membrane of the cancer cells has provided a powerful means toward enhanced cancer therapy. Folic acid (FA) is one of the most used targeting ligands due to the overexpressed FA receptors in many cancer cell lines. However, conjugation of hydrophobic FA to the surface of nanocarriers usually alters the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance of the stabilized nanoparticles, leading to their thermodynamic instability and subsequent formation of aggregates, which apparently compromises the in vivo long circulation and minimized side effects of nanocarriers. The currently leading strategy to overcome this issue is to incorporate a protecting hydrophilic stealth that can be deshielded to expose the targeting ligand at the desired tumor site, which generally involves multistep chemical modifications, conjugations, and purifications. To develop a simple alternative toward FA-mediated enhanced anticancer drug delivery, a combination strategy of micelle complex and reducible conjugation was reported in this study. FA was first conjugated to the terminus of the hydrophilic block of a reduction-sensitive miktoarm star-shaped amphiphilic copolymer, PCL3-SS-POEGMA1, with the previously optimized star structure by click coupling via a reducible disulfide link. The resulting PCL3-SS-POEGMA1-SS-FA was further mixed with the parent PCL3-SS-POEGMA1 to afford a micelle complex with both reducibly conjugated and relatively low amount of FA-targeting ligands toward excellent FA-mediated targeted drug delivery without compromised salt stability in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the combined strategy developed herein provides a simple and powerful means to promote FA-mediated anticancer drug delivery.

Cyclodextrin based unimolecular micelles with targeting and biocleavable abilities as chemotherapeutic carrier to overcome drug resistance.

An amphiphilic star-shaped copolymer β-CD-g-PCL-SS-PEG-FA, consisting of a β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) core as well as grafted with bioreducible disulfide linkage in PCL-SS-PEG multiarms and targeting folic acid (FA) as end moiety, is designed with unimolecular micelles formation ability for targeted transport of chemotherapeutics to drug resistant tumor cells. Firstly, β-CD was utilized as core to growth PCL arms by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-CL, before disulfide terminal group transformation to render β-CD-g-PCL-SS-COOH. Secondly, α-hydroxy-ω-amine protected PEG (HO-PEG-NHBoc) was connected to β-CD-g-PCL-SS-COOH to obtain amphiphilic β-CD-g-PCL-SS-PEG, where PCL and PEG were connected via bioreducible disulfide bond. After deprotection of -Boc group, FA was introduced onto the distal end of block arms to obtain the desired β-CD-g-PCL-SS-PEG-FA copolymer. Because of highly branched core-shell amphiphilic structures, β-CD-g-PCL-SS-PEG-FA could act as unimolecular micelles. Interestingly, this unimolecular micelle could release the encapsulated drug in a glutathione (GSH) dependent manner due to disulfide linkage. More importantly, this unimolecular micelle could load doxorubicin (DOX) to promote its cellular uptake in multidrug resistance (MDR) protein overexpression tumor cells, by taking the advantage of FA targeting group and intracellular high GSH level in cancer cells. Together with satisfactory biocompatibility, this novel star-like β-CD-g-PCL-SS-PEG-FA unimolecular micelle could potentially be utilized as targeting nanocarriers in drug resistant cancer therapy.

Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers based on β-cyclodextrin for micelles drug delivery

Purpose: A series of β-CD amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers with exceptional characteristics were synthesized and their potential as carriers for micelles drug delivery was investigated.Methods: A series of amphiphilic copolymers based on β-CD were synthesized by introducing poly (acrylic acid)-co-poly(methyl methacrylate)-poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) or poly (acrylic acid)-co-poly(methyl methacrylate)-co-poly(monoacylated-β-CD)-poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) blocks to the primary hydroxyl group positions of β-CD. The micellization behavior of the copolymers, the synthesis conditions, characteristics, drug release in vitro and tissue distribution of vinpocetine (VP) micelles in vivo were investigated.Results: Around 60 types of β-CD amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers were successfully synthesized and the critical micelle concentration ranged from 9.80 × 10−4 to 5.24 × 10−2g/L. The particle size, drug loading and entrapment efficiency of VP-loaded β-CD-P4 micelles prepared with optimal formulation were about 65 nm, 21.44 ± 0.14%, and 49.05 ± 0.36%, respectively. The particles had good sphericity. The cumulative release rates at 72 h of VP-loaded β-CD-P4 micelles in pH 1.0, pH 4.5, pH 6.5, or pH 7.4 media were 93%, 69%, 49%, and 43%, respectively. And, the lung targeting efficiency of VP-loaded β-CD-P4 micelles was 8.98 times higher than that of VP injection.Conclusion: The VP-loaded β-CD-P4 micelles exhibited controlled-release property, pH-induced feature and lung targeting capacity compared with VP injection, suggesting that the β-CD-P4 copolymers are an excellent candidate for micelles drug delivery.

Fabrication of supramolecular star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers for ROS-triggered drug release

Star-shaped copolymers with branched structures can form unimolecular micelles with better stability than the micelles self-assembled from conventional linear copolymers. However, the synthesis of star-shaped copolymers with precisely controlled degree of branching (DB) suffers from complicated sequential polymerizations and multi-step purification procedures, as well as repeated optimizations of polymer compositions. The use of a supramolecular host-guest pair as the block junction would significantly simplify the preparation. Moreover, the star-shaped copolymer-based unimolecular micelle provides an elegant solution to the tradeoff between extracellular stability and intracellular high therapeutic efficacy if the association/dissociation of the supramolecular host-guest joint can be triggered by the biologically relevant stimuli. For this purpose, in this study, a panel of supramolecular star-shaped amphiphilic block copolymers with 9, 12, and 18 arms were designed and fabricated by host-guest complexations between the ring-opening polymerization (ROP)-synthesized star-shaped poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with 3, 4, and 6 arms end-capped with ferrocene (Fc) (PCL-Fc) and the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)-produced 3-arm poly(oligo ethylene glycol) methacrylates (POEGMA) with different degrees of polymerization (DPs) of 24, 30, 47 initiated by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) (3Br-β-CD-POEGMA). The effect of DB and polymer composition on the self-assembled properties of the five star-shaped copolymers was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fluorescence spectrometery. Interestingly, the micelles self-assembled from 12-arm star-shaped copolymers exhibited greater stability than the 9- and 18-arm formulations. The potential of the resulting supramolecular star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers as drug carriers was evaluated by an in vitro drug release study, which confirmed the ROS-triggered accelerated drug release from the doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded supramolecular star-shaped micelles due to the oxidation-induced dissociation of β-CD/Fc pair and the consequent loss of the colloidal stability of the star-shaped micelles. Studies of the delivery efficacy by an in vitro cytotoxicity study further indicated that higher DBs and longer hydrophilic arm compromised the therapeutic efficacy of the DOX-loaded supramolecular star-shaped micelles, resulting in significantly reduced cytotoxicity, as measured by increased IC50 value. Overall, our results revealed that the screening of hydrophilic block by DB and MW for an optimized star-shaped copolymer should balance the stability versus therapeutic efficacy tradeoff for a comprehensive consideration. Therefore, the 12-arm star-shaped copolymer with POEGMA30 is the best formulation tested.

Ibuprofen-loaded micelles based on star-shaped erythritol-core PLLA-PEG copolymer: effect of molecular weights of PEG

Amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers based on star-shaped poly(L-lactide) (s-PLLA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (s-PLLA-PEG) were synthesized with variable molecular weights (Mw) of PEG, and the relationship between the PEG block molecular weight of s-PLLA-PEG copolymers and their micelle properties were investigated. The structure and Mw of s-PLLA-PEG were characterized with 1H NMR, GPC, DSC, and XRD. The ibuprofen (IBU)-loaded s-PLLA-PEG micelles were prepared by dialysis method. The effects of PEG block molecular weight on the morphology, particle size, zeta potential, drug loading content (LC), drug encapsulation efficiency (EE), and in vitro drug release behavior of prepared micelles were investigated. Results indicated that the average diameters, LC, and EE of IBU-loaded s-PLLA-PEG micelles increased with increasing the Mw of PEG in s-PLLA-PEG copolymers. The in vitro study showed that the IBU accumulative release can be depressed by increasing the Mw of the s-PLLA-PEG, and the release profiles of IBU from s-PLLA-PEG followed the Baker-Lonsdale model equation. The results suggest that structural tailoring of PEG length from s-PLLA-PEG copolymers could provide a new strategy for designing drug carriers of high efficiency.

Star-Shaped Amphiphilic Hyperbranched Polyglycerol Conjugated with Dendritic Poly(l-lysine) for the Codelivery of Docetaxel and MMP-9 siRNA in Cancer Therapy.

The drug/gene codelivery is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Herein, to realize the codelivery of docetaxel and MMP-9 siRNA plasmid efficiently into tumor cells, a star-shaped amphiphilic copolymer consisting of hyperbranched polyglycerol derivative (HPG-C18) and dendritic poly(l-lysine) (PLLD) was synthesized by the click reaction between azido-modified HPG-C18 and propargyl focal point PLLD. The obtained HPG-C18-PLLD could form the nanocomplexes with docetaxel and MMP-9, and the complexes showed good gene delivery ability in vitro by inducing an obvious decrease in MMP-9 protein expression in MCF-7 cells. The apoptosis assay showed that the complex could induce a more significant apoptosis to breast cancer cells than that of docetaxel or MMP-9 used alone. In vivo assay indicated that the codelivery strategy displayed a better effect on tumor inhibition. Moreover, HPG-C18-PLLD displayed lower toxicity as well as better blood compatibility compared to polyethylenimine PEI-25k, which may be the result of that HPG-C18-PLLD showed the comparative MMP-9 delivery ability in vivo compared with PEI-25k even if it showed the slight lower transfection efficiency in vitro. Therefore, HPG-C18-PLLD is a safe and effective carrier for the codelivery of drug/gene, which should be encouraged in tumor therapy.

Synthesis of a dual pH and temperature responsive star triblock copolymer based on β-cyclodextrins for controlled intracellular doxorubicin delivery release

Well-defined dual pH and temperature responsive triblock star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers of β-CD-g-(PHEMA-b-PNIPAM-b-PDMAEMA)3 were synthesized by the combination of RAFT polymerizations.

Pharmacokinetics and antitumor efficacy of micelles assembled from multiarmed amphiphilic copolymers with drug conjugates in comparison with drug-encapsulated micelles

The premature drug release and structural dissociation before reaching pathological sites have posed major challenges for self-assembled micelles. To address these challenges, star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers derived from 4-armed poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were proposed for chemical conjugation of chemotherapeutic drugs and assembly into drug-conjugated micelles (DCM) with reductive sensitivity. The current study aimed to elucidate the in vitro and in vivo performance of DCM and a comparison with conventional drug-encapsulated micelles (DEM) was initially launched. DEM carriers were constructed with a similar structure to DCM from 4-armed PEG, and disulfide linkages were located between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments. Both DCM and DEM had an average size of around 130nm, camptothecin (CPT) loadings of around 7.7% and critical micelle concentrations of around 0.95μg/ml. Compared with DEM, DCM showed a lower initial drug release, a lower sensitivity of drug release to glutathione, and a higher structural stability after incubation with human serum albumin (HSA). The CPT derivatives (CPT-SH) released from DCM indicated cytotoxicities similar to CPT and remained a higher lactone stability than CPT in the presence of HSA. DCM showed slightly higher cytotoxicities to 4T1 cells and significantly lower cytotoxicities to normal cells than DEM. Pharmacokinetic analyses after intravenous administration of DCM indicated around 2.65 folds higher AUC0–∞, 2.66 folds lower clearance, and 1.87 folds higher tumor accumulation than those of DEM. In addition to a less disturbance to hematological and biochemical parameters and a lower acute toxicity to small intestines, DCM showed more significant tumor suppression efficacy and less tumor metastasis to lungs than DEM. It is suggested that DCM could overcome the limitation of conventional micelles by alleviating the premature drug release during blood circulation, relieving the systemic toxicity and promoting the therapeutic efficacy.

Hydrogen Bonding Interaction Induced Complexation of mPEG-b-PAA and Star PDMAEMA-b-poly (HEMA-g-PCL) Hybrid Micelles in Water

A series of amphiphilic star-shaped copolymer, poly(dimethylaminomethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate -graft- poly(ϵ-caplactone)), s(PDMAEMA-b-P(HEMA-g-PCL))4, were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and ring opening polymerization (ROP) with PDMAEMA as hydrophilic star core and PCL as hydrophobic outer arms. The star copolymer micelles were formed in different pH values and the hybrid micelles were obtained from s(PDMAEMA-b-P(HEMA-g-PCL))4 and methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polyacrylic acid (mPEG-b-PAA)by hydrogen bonding interaction between PDMAEMA and PAA. These copolymers were characterized by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and size exclusive chromatography(SEC). pH sensitive self-assembly behavior of these copolymers could be observed by increasing pH values, which was examined by fluorescence spectra, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As a result, these copolymers could form micelles with diameters under 500 nm from pH 2.0 to 8.0 but nanoparticles above pH 9.0. MTT assay exhibited that the addition of mPEG-b-PAA could increase the cell viability from 40% to 90%. The drug release assays of indometacin (IND) drug loaded star copolymer micelles and hybrid micelles were investigated in Phosphate Buffered Saline (pH 7.4) at 37°C. mPEG-b-PAA had less influence on the drug release and the cumulative releases of all the micelles were from 57.5% to 69.7% after 40 h.

Preparation and characterization of magnetic star-shaped amphiphilic copolymer nanoparticles of S-Fe3 O4 -PLA-b -MPEG

Magnetic star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers (S-Fe3O4-PLA-b-MPEG) consisting of Fe3O4 as the core, poly(L,D-lactide) (PLA) as the inner layer, and monomethyl polyethylene glycol (MPEG) as the out shell were synthesized. The syntheses included ring-opening polymerization of L,D-lactide initiated by hydroxyl modified Fe3O4 (Fe3O4-(OH) n), followed by the esterification of the PLA with MPEG. The structure of the star block copolymers were characterized by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle size analyzer, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The nanoparticles in aqueous solution were made from the amphiphilic star copolymer. The average size of the nanoparticles was adjustable and increased with the increase of the PLA segments in the copolymer. The cytotoxicity grade of the nanoparticles was zero determined by the analysis of cytotoxicity. The nanoparticles could potentially be used as the drug vehicles for magnetic-response controlled release. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers

In-situ formation of silver nanoparticles stabilized by amphiphilic star-shaped copolymer and their catalytic application

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were prepared via in situ reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) using polymeric micelles as nanoreactors without any additional reductant. The micelles were constructed from the amphiphilic star-shaped copolymer composed of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) segment, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA or DMA) units and oligo(ethylene glycol)monomethyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA or OEG) units. The Ag NPs stabilized by those star-shaped copolymers were characterized using UV–vis spectrum, DLS, TEM and FTIR. It confirmed that PDMAEMA exhibited the reducing property unless pH was above 7. The Ag NPs were sphere-like with a diameter of 10–20nm, which was independent of the architecture of the copolymer and AgNO3 concentration. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of these Ag NPs was investigated by monitoring the reduction of p-nitrophenol (4-NP) by NaBH4. The result showed that the Ag NPs formed by coordination reduction can be effectively applied in catalytic reaction.

Enhancement of Cellular Uptake and Antitumor Efficiencies of Micelles with Phosphorylcholine

Internalization of drug delivery micelles into cancer cells is a crucial step for antitumor therapeutics. Novel amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers with zwitterionic phosphorylcholine (PC) block, 6-arm star poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (6sPCL-b-PMPC), have been developed for encapsulation of poorly water-soluble drugs and enhancement of their cellular uptake. The star-shaped copolymers were synthesized by a combination of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The copolymers self-assembled to form spherical micelles with low critical micelle concentration (CMC). The sizes of the micelles range from 80 to 170 nm and increase 30 ≈ 80% after paclitaxel (PTX) loading. Labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), the micelles were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy to have been internalized efficiently by tumor cells. Direct visualization of the micelles within tumor cells by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the 6sPCL-b-PMPC micelles were more efficiently uptaken by tumor cells compared to PCL-b-PEG micelles. When incorporated with PTX, the 6sPCL-b-PMPC micelles show much higher cytotoxicity against Hela cells than PCL-b-PEG micelles, in response to the higher efficiency of cellular uptake.

Improving Physicochemical Properties and Doxorubicin Cytotoxicity of Novel Polymeric Micelles by Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Segments

This study constructed a series of novel micelles based on star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers (sPEC/CDs), and aimed to confirm the important role poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) segments played to improve the various properties of micelles. sPEC/CDs, consisting of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as a core and monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) and PCL diblock copolymers as arms, were synthesized by arm-first method. The critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of sPEC/CDs were determined by fluorescence spectrophotometry using pyrene as a probe. 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and flow cytometry were used to detect drug cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of the doxorubicin-loaded micelles. Rhodamine-123 cellular accumulation was examined to evaluate the polymer action to P-glycoprotein. It was revealed that, once PCL segment was inserted between β-CD and mPEG, the CMC can be significantly decreased, the drug loading capability greatly improved, and the drug resistance of MCF-7/ADR cells effectively reversed. These findings suggest that sPEC/CDs own potential superiority for cancer therapy as drug carriers.

Folate‐conjugated amphiphilic star‐shaped block copolymers as targeted nanocarriers

Folate (FA)-conjugated star-shaped copolymer was prepared as a targeted carrier for anticancer drug delivery by ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide using pentaerythritol (PTL) as an initiator, followed by conjugation with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) and FA-poly(ethylene glycol) (FA-PEG). The resulting amphiphilic star-shaped copolymer was shaped into drug-loaded micelles, and the achieved micelles had an average size of around 146 nm in diameter. It was found that the sustained release time of model drug (indomethacin, IMC) from some selected micelles could reach around 40 h. In comparison with linear poly(L-lactic acid)-block-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer (PLA-MPEG), the stability of the star-shaped pentaerythritol-co-poly(L-lactic acid)-block-[methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) and FA-poly(ethylene glycol)] (PTL-PLA-MPEG/PEG-FA) micelle was significantly improved because of the lower critical micelle concentration (CMC). The specificity of PTL-PLA-MPEG/PEG-FA targeting cancer cells was demonstrated by intracellular uptake of PTL-PLA-MPEG/PEG-FA and PTL-PLA-MPEG using HeLa human cervical cancer cells. After 2 h in vitro incubation, a significant intracellular uptake for PTL-PLA-MPEG/PEG-FA over PTL-PLA-MPEG was observed by using inverted fluorescence microscope and flow cytometry. These results suggested that PTL-PLA-MPEG/PEG-FA polymeric micelle could be a potentially useful carrier for delivering selected drugs to FA-receptor positive cancer cells.

Synthesis of biodegradable pentaarmed star-block copolymers via an asymmetric BIS-TRIS core by combination of ROP and RAFT: From star architectures to double responsive micelles

Biodegradable star-shaped poly( ɛ-caprolactone) and poly( ɛ-caprolactone- b- l-lactide) (5sPCL- b-PLLA) with five arms were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) from an asymmetric BIS-TRIS core via “core-first” strategy. Subsequently, a series of amphiphilic and double responsive star-block copolymers were synthesized by Z-RAFT star polymerization of N, N-dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) from the star-shaped macro-RAFT agent, which was prepared by attaching 3-benzylsulfanylthiocarbonylthiocarbonylsufanylpropionic acid (BSPA) to 5sPCL- b-PLLA using a simple two-step reaction sequence. GPC and 1H NMR data demonstrated the polymerization courses are under control. The molecular weight of 5sPCL- b-PLLA- b-DMAEMA increased with the monomer conversion, and the molecular weight distribution was in the range of 1.19–1.37. The spherical micelles with degradable core and pH/thermo-double sensitive shell had been prepared from the aqueous medium of the amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers by dialysis method. Both pH and thermal-responsive behaviours of copolymer micelles obtained in this study were investigated. The micelle size and morphology were measured by DLS, AFM and TEM.

Fabrication of star-shaped, thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)–cholic acid–poly(ɛ-caprolactone) copolymers and their self-assembled micelles as drug carriers

Novel star-shaped copolymers, comprised of a thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) segment and three hydrophobic poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) arms were fabricated. The copolymers were prepared by stannous octoate (Sn(Oct)2) catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of ɛ-caprolactone (CL) using cholic acid functionalized PNIPAAm as the macroinitiator. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) of the copolymer solutions are attractively close to the nominal physiologic temperature at around 37°C. The in vitro cytotoxicity test indicated no apparent cytotoxicity. The amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers were capable of self-assembling into spherical micelles in water at room temperature, and they possessed low critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of 3∼8mg/L in aqueous solution determined by fluorescence spectroscopy using pyrene as a probe. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement showed that the micelles exhibited a spherical shape with a size range of 30∼75nm in diameter. In addition, the anticancer drug, methotrexate (MTX) can be loaded effectively in the polymeric micelles and its release was temperature-stimulated, which suggests that these materials have good potential as “intelligent” drug carriers.