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Zeng Y, Xu T, Chen W, Fang J, Chen D. Quasi-Chromophores Segregated by Single-Chain Nanoparticles of Fluorinated Zwitterionic Random Copolymers Showing Remarkably Enhanced Fluorescence Emission Capable of Fluorescent Cell Imaging. Macromol Rapid Commun 2024:e2400029. [PMID: 38477018 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Organic and polymer fluorescent nanomaterials are a frontier research focus. Here in this work, a series of fluorinated zwitterionic random copolymers end-attached with a quasi-chromophoric group of pyrene or tetraphenylethylene (TPE) are well synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization with activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET ATRP). Those random copolymers with total degree of polymerization 100 or 200 are able to produce fluorescent single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) through intra-chain self-folding assembly with quite uniform diameters in the range of 10-20 nm as characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. By virtue of the segregation or confinement effect, both SCNPs functionalized with pyrene or TPE group are capable of emitting fluorescence, with pyrene tethered SCNPs exhibiting stronger fluorescence emission reaching the highest quantum yield ≈20%. Moreover, such kind of fluorescent SCNPs manifest low cytotoxicity and good cell imaging performance for Hela cells. The creation of fluorescent SCNPs through covalently attached one quasi-chromophore to the end of one fluorinated zwitterionic random copolymer provides an alternative strategy for preparing polymeric luminescence nanomaterials, promisingly serving as a new type of fluorescent nanoprobes for biological imaging applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongming Zeng
- Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Tianchi Xu
- Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Weizhi Chen
- Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jianglin Fang
- Center for Materials Analysis, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Dongzhong Chen
- Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
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2
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Delledonne A, Guazzelli E, Pescina S, Bianchera A, Galli G, Martinelli E, Sissa C. Amphiphilic Fluorinated Unimer Micelles as Nanocarriers of Fluorescent Probes for Bioimaging. ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS 2023; 6:15551-15562. [PMID: 37706068 PMCID: PMC10496108 DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.3c02300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
The unique self-assembly properties of unimer micelles are exploited for the preparation of fluorescent nanocarriers embedding hydrophobic fluorophores. Unimer micelles are constituted by a (meth)acrylate copolymer with oligoethyleneglycol and perflurohexylethyl side chains (PEGMA90-co-FA10) in which the hydrophilic and hydrophobic comonomers are statistically distributed along the polymeric backbone. Thanks to hydrophobic interactions in water, the amphiphilic copolymer forms small nanoparticles (<10 nm), with tunable properties and functionality. An easy procedure for the encapsulation of a small hydrophobic molecule (C153 fluorophore) within unimer micelles is presented. UV-vis, fluorescence, and fluorescence anisotropy spectroscopic experimental data demonstrate that the fluorophore is effectively embedded in the nanocarriers. Moreover, the nanocarrier positively contributes to preserve the good emissive properties of the fluorophore in water. The efficacy of the dye-loaded nanocarrier as a fluorescent probe is tested in two-photon imaging of thick ex vivo porcine scleral tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Delledonne
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Elisa Guazzelli
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università
di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Silvia Pescina
- ADDRes
Lab, Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Annalisa Bianchera
- ADDRes
Lab, Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Galli
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università
di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Elisa Martinelli
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università
di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Centro
per la Integrazione Della Strumentazione Dell’Università
di Pisa (CISUP), Lungarno
Pacinotti 43/44, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Cristina Sissa
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17A, 43124 Parma, Italy
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3
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Guazzelli E, Pisano G, Turriani M, Biver T, Kriechbaum M, Uhlig F, Galli G, Martinelli E. The Nanostructured Self-Assembly and Thermoresponsiveness in Water of Amphiphilic Copolymers Carrying Oligoethylene Glycol and Polysiloxane Side Chains. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1703. [PMID: 37376151 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15061703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphiphilic copolymer self-assembly is a straightforward approach to obtain responsive micelles, nanoparticles, and vesicles that are particularly attractive for biomedicine, i.e., for the delivery of functional molecules. Here, amphiphilic copolymers of hydrophobic polysiloxane methacrylate and hydrophilic oligo (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate with different lengths of oxyethylenic side chains were synthesized via controlled RAFT radical polymerization and characterized both thermally and in solution. In particular, the thermoresponsive and self-assembling behavior of the water-soluble copolymers in water was investigated via complementary techniques such as light transmittance, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. All the copolymers synthesized were thermoresponsive, displaying a cloud point temperature (Tcp) strongly dependent on macromolecular parameters such as the length of the oligo(ethylene glycol) side chains and the content of the SiMA counits, as well as the concentration of the copolymer in water, which is consistent with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type behavior. SAXS analysis revealed that the copolymers formed nanostructures in water below Tcp, whose dimension and shape depended on the content of the hydrophobic components in the copolymer. The hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) determined by DLS increased with the amount of SiMA and the associated morphology at higher SiMA contents was found to be pearl-necklace-micelle-like, composed of connected hydrophobic cores. These novel amphiphilic copolymers were able to modulate thermoresponsiveness in water in a wide range of temperatures, including the physiological temperature, as well as the dimension and shape of their nanostructured assemblies, simply by varying their chemical composition and the length of the hydrophilic side chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Guazzelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pisano
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Turriani
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Tarita Biver
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Manfred Kriechbaum
- Institute for Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Frank Uhlig
- Institute for Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Giancarlo Galli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Elisa Martinelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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Calosi M, Guazzelli E, Braccini S, Lessi M, Bellina F, Galli G, Martinelli E. Self-Assembled Amphiphilic Fluorinated Random Copolymers for the Encapsulation and Release of the Hydrophobic Combretastatin A-4 Drug. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14040774. [PMID: 35215686 PMCID: PMC8880340 DOI: 10.3390/polym14040774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Water-soluble amphiphilic random copolymers composed of tri(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (TEGMA) or poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) and perfluorohexylethyl acrylate (FA) were synthesized by ARGET-ATRP, and their self-assembling and thermoresponsive behavior in water was studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The copolymer ability to self-fold in single-chain nano-sized structures (unimer micelles) in aqueous solutions was exploited to encapsulate Combretastatin A-4 (CA-4), which is a very hydrophobic anticancer drug. The cloud point temperature (Tcp) was found to linearly decrease with increasing drug concentration in the drug/copolymer system. Moreover, while CA-4 was preferentially incorporated into the unimer micelles of TEGMA-ran-FA, the drug was found to induce multi-chain, submicro-sized aggregation of PEGMA-ran-FA. Anyway, the encapsulation efficiency was very high (≥81%) for both copolymers. The drug release was evaluated in PBS aqueous solutions both below and above Tcp for TEGMA-ran-FA copolymer and below Tcp, but at two different drug loadings, for PEGMA-ran-FA copolymer. In any case, the release kinetics presented similar profiles, characterized by linear trends up to ≈10–13 h and ≈7 h for TEGMA-ran-FA and PEGMA-ran-FA, respectively. Then, the release rate decreased, reaching a plateau. The release from TEGMA-ran-FA was moderately faster above Tcp than below Tcp, suggesting that copolymer thermoresponsiveness increased the release rate, which occurred anyway by diffusion below Tcp. Cytotoxicity tests were carried out on copolymer solutions in a wide concentration range (5–60 mg/mL) at 37 °C by using Balb/3T3 clone A31 cells. Interestingly, it was found that the concentration-dependent micro-sized aggregation of the amphiphilic random copolymers above Tcp caused a sort of “cellular asphyxiation” with a loss of cell viability clearly visible for TEGMA-ran-FA solutions (Tcp below 37 °C) with higher copolymer concentrations. On the other hand, cells in contact with the analogous PEGMA-ran-FA (Tcp above 37 °C) presented a very good viability (≥75%) with respect to the control at any given concentration.
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5
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Investigation of the LCST-Thermoresponsive Behavior of Novel Oligo(Ethylene Glycol)-Modified Pentafluorostyrene Homopolymers. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app11062711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Amphiphilic tetrafluorostyrene monomers (EFS8) carrying in the para position an oligoethylene glycol chain containing 8 oxyethylenic units on average were synthesized and used for preparation via activator regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET-ATRP) of the corresponding amphiphilic homopolymers (pEFS8-x) with different degrees of polymerization (x = 26 and 46). Combining light transmittance and nano-differential scanning calorimetry (n-DSC) measurements revealed that pEFS8-x homopolymers displayed a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) thermoresponsive behavior in water solutions. Moreover, n-DSC measurements revealed the presence in heating scans of a broad endothermic peak ascribable to the dehydration process of the polymer single chains (unimers) and their collapse into aggregates. Consistently, dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements showed below the LCST the presence of small nanostructures with a hydrodynamic diameter size Dh of 6–7 nm, which collapsed into concentration-dependent larger multichain aggregates (Dh = 300–3000 nm) above LCST. Interestingly, n-DSC data showed that the unimer-aggregate transition was reversible up to a specific temperature (Trev) of each homopolymer, which in any case was higher than Tmax. When heating above Trev the transition was no longer reversible, causing the shift of Tonset and Tmax at lower values, thus suggesting an increase in hydrophobicity of the polymer systems associated with a temperature-dependent dehydration process.
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Guazzelli E, Perondi F, Criscitiello F, Pretti C, Oliva M, Casu V, Maniero F, Gazzera L, Galli G, Martinelli E. New amphiphilic copolymers for PDMS-based nanocomposite films with long-term marine antifouling performance. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:9764-9776. [PMID: 33021610 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01905d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Amphiphilic methacrylate copolymers (Si-co-EF) containing polysiloxane (Si) and mixed poly(oxyethylene)-perfluorohexyl (EF) side chains were synthesized with different compositions and used together with polysiloxane-functionalized nanoparticles as additives of condensation cured nanocomposite poly(siloxane) films. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films were consistent with the elastomeric behavior of the poly(siloxane) matrix without significant detriment from either the copolymer or the nanoparticles. Films were found to be markedly hydrophobic and liphophobic, with both properties being maximized at an intermediate content of EF units. The high enrichment in fluorine at the film surface was proven by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS). Long-term marine antifouling performance was evaluated in field immersion trials of test panels for up to 10 months of immersion. Both nanoparticles and amphiphilic copolymer were found to be highly effective in reducing the colonization of foulants, especially hard macrofoulants, when compared with control panels. Lowest percentage of surface coverage was 20% after 10 months of immersion (films with 4 wt% copolymer and 0.5 wt% nanoparticles), which was further decreased to less than 10% after exposure to a water jet for 10 s. The enhanced antifouling properties of coatings containing both nanoparticles and copolymer were confirmed by laboratory assays against the polychaete Ficopomatus enigmaticus and the diatom Navicula salinicola.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Guazzelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
| | - Federico Perondi
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
| | | | - Carlo Pretti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy and Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina e Ecologia Applicata "G. Bacci", 57128 Livorno, Italy
| | - Matteo Oliva
- Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina e Ecologia Applicata "G. Bacci", 57128 Livorno, Italy
| | - Valentina Casu
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Giancarlo Galli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
| | - Elisa Martinelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
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7
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Guazzelli E, Galli G, Martinelli E. The Effect of Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) Length on the Wettability and Surface Chemistry of PEG-Fluoroalkyl-Modified Polystyrene Diblock Copolymers and Their Two-Layer Films with Elastomer Matrix. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1236. [PMID: 32485870 PMCID: PMC7361959 DOI: 10.3390/polym12061236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Diblock copolymers composed of a polystyrene first block and a PEG-fluoroalkyl chain-modified polystyrene second block were synthesized by controlled atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), starting from the same polystyrene macroinitiator. The wettability of the polymer film surfaces was investigated by measurements of static and dynamic contact angles. An increase in advancing water contact angle was evident for all the films after immersion in water for short times (10 and 1000 s), consistent with an unusual contraphilic switch of the PEG-fluoroalkyl side chains. Such a contraphilic response also accounted for the retained wettability of the polymer films upon prolonged contact with water, without an anticipated increase in the hydrophilic character. The copolymers were then used as surface-active modifiers of elastomer poly(styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) (SEBS)-based two-layer films. The elastomeric behavior of the films was varied by using SEBS matrices with different amounts of polystyrene. Whereas the mechanical properties strictly resembled those of the nature of the SEBS matrix, the surface properties were imposed by the additive. The contraphilic switch of the PEG-fluoroalkyl side chains resulted in an exceptionally high enrichment in fluorine of the film surface after immersion in water for seven days.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elisa Martinelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale and UdR Pisa INSTM, Università di Pisa, via Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (E.G.); (G.G.)
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8
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Martini F, Guazzelli E, Martinelli E, Borsacchi S, Geppi M, Galli G. Molecular Dynamics of Amphiphilic Random Copolymers in the Bulk: A
1
H and
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F NMR Relaxometry Study. MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.201900177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Martini
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 13 56124 Pisa Italy
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche–CNR Istituto di Chimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici Sede Secondaria di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 1 56124 Pisa Italy
| | - Elisa Guazzelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 13 56124 Pisa Italy
| | - Elisa Martinelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 13 56124 Pisa Italy
| | - Silvia Borsacchi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche–CNR Istituto di Chimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici Sede Secondaria di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 1 56124 Pisa Italy
| | - Marco Geppi
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 13 56124 Pisa Italy
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche–CNR Istituto di Chimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici Sede Secondaria di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 1 56124 Pisa Italy
| | - Giancarlo Galli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa via G. Moruzzi 13 56124 Pisa Italy
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9
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Varejão JOS, Varejão EVV, Fernandes SA. Synthesis and Derivatization of Julolidine: A Powerful Heterocyclic Structure. European J Org Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201900398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jodieh Oliveira Santana Varejão
- Grupo de Química Supramolecular e Biomimética (GQSB); Departamento de Química; Universidade Federal de Viçosa; 36570-900 Brazil
| | - Eduardo Vinícius Vieira Varejão
- Grupo de Química Supramolecular e Biomimética (GQSB); Departamento de Química; Universidade Federal de Viçosa; 36570-900 Brazil
| | - Sergio Antonio Fernandes
- Grupo de Química Supramolecular e Biomimética (GQSB); Departamento de Química; Universidade Federal de Viçosa; 36570-900 Brazil
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