Synthesis of Passerini-3CR Polymers and Assembly into Cytocompatible Polymersomes

Synthesis of Functional Isosorbide-Based Polyesters and Polyamides by Passerini Three-Component Polymerization

Environmental issues are becoming more and more prominent, and bio-based polymers are essential to alleviate environmental degradation by replacing traditional polymers. With this context, a new family of functional isosorbide-based polyesters and polyamides with high glass transition temperature are prepared via Passerini-Three component polymerization (P-3CP). To optimize the P-3CP conditions, the influence of the polymerization solvent, temperature, feed ratio on the molar mass of final polymers are investigated. The higher molar mass (up to 10100 g/mol) and yield (>70 %) are achieved under very mild conditions (30 °C, standard atmosphere). Functional side groups, such as alkenyl, alkynyl and methyl ester, were introduced into polymer structure via P-3CP by using functional isocyanides. The obtained polyesters and polyamides are characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). All polymers are thermal stable and amorphous with variable glass transition temperatures (Tg ). The obtained polyester has Tg up to 87.5 °C, while the Tg of polyamides (ISPA-2) is detected to be 97.5 °C depending on the amide bonds in the polymer backbone and the benzene ring side groups. The cytotoxicity is investigated by the CCK-8 assay against mBMSC cells to confirm the biological safety. Overall, this novel strategy provides an efficient approach to produce functional isosorbide-based polyesters and polyamides, which are promising prospect for being applied to biodegradable materials.

Fabrication of Polymersomes: A Macromolecular Architecture in Nanotherapeutics

In consideration of the issues of drug delivery systems, the artificial vesicle structures composed of block copolymers called polymersomes recently gained considerable attention. The possibility of tuning the mechanical parameter and increasing the scale-up production of polymersomes led to its wide application in healthcare. Bearing in mind the disease condition, the structure and properties of the polymersomes could be tuned to serve the purpose. Furthermore, specific ligands can be incorporated on the vesicular surface to induce smart polymersomes, thus improving targeted delivery. The synthesis method and surface functionalization are the two key aspects that determine the versatility of biological applications as they account for stability, specific targeting, degradability, biocompatibility, and bioavailability. A perfectly aligned polymer vesicle can mimic the cells/organelles and function by avoiding cytotoxicity. This supramolecular structure can carry and deliver payloads of a wide range, including drugs, proteins, and genes, contributing to the construction of next-generation therapeutics. These aspects promote the potential use of such components as a framework to approach damaged tissue while maintaining healthy environments during circulation. Herein, this article concentrates specifically on the drug delivery applications of polymersomes.

Passerini chemistries for synthesis of polymer pro-drug and polymersome drug delivery nanoparticles

New materials chemistries are urgently needed to overcome the limitations of existing biomedical materials in terms of preparation, functionality and versatility, and also in regards to their compatibility with biological...

Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization of Norbornene-Based Monomers Obtained via the Passerini Three Component Reaction

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization is a robust method to synthesize a variety of polymers by using ring-strained molecules as monomers, e.g., norbornenes. However, the synthesis of monomers with multiple functional groups remains a challenge, albeit peptide functional norbornenes have previously been used. Here, the Passerini three component reaction is exploited to synthesize norbornenes with two variable functional groups varying in bulkiness and distance from the polymerizable alkene. The results indicate that the functional groups do not affect the kinetics of the polymerization, whereas the length of the linker has a minor effect. Furthermore, a diblock-type copolymer is synthesized in a one-pot fashion, also indicating good control of the polymerization process. The thermal properties of all polymers are evaluated, highlighting the effect of monomer composition. This synthetic approach can be transferred to a variety of compounds, thus promising highly diverse polymers with complex compositions and architectures.