From Biocompatible to Biodegradable: Poly(Ethylene Glycol)s with Predetermined Breaking Points

Synthesis of macrocyclic poly(ethylene oxide)s containing a protected thiol group: a strategy for decorating gold surfaces with ring polymers

Macrocyclic poly(ethylene oxide)s containing a protected thiol group are able to attach to gold substrates without thiol deprotection enabling surface modification.

Degradable poly(ethylene oxide) through metal-free copolymerization of ethylene oxide with l-lactide

A simple and convenient method for the preparation of degradable poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is presented in this work.

Cleavable Polyethylene Glycol: 3,4-Epoxy-1-butene as a Comonomer to Establish Degradability at Physiologically Relevant pH

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been used for decades to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of protein drugs, and several PEG-protein conjugates are approved by the FDA. However, the nondegradability of PEG restricts its use to a limiting molecular weight to permit renal excretion. In this work, we introduce a simple strategy to overcome the nondegradability of PEG by incorporating multiple pH-sensitive vinyl ether moieties into the polyether backbone. Copolymerization of 3,4-epoxy-1-butene (EPB) with ethylene oxide via anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) provides access to allyl moieties that can be isomerized to pH-cleavable propenyl units (isoEPB). Well-defined P(EPB-co-EG) copolymers (Đ = 1.05-1.11) with EPB contents of ∼4 mol% were synthesized in a molecular weight range of 3000 to 10000 g mol^-1. ¹H NMR kinetic studies served to investigate acidic hydrolysis in a pH range of 4.4 to 5.4 and even allowed to distinguish between the hydrolysis rates of (E)- and (Z)-isoEPB units, demonstrating faster hydrolysis of the (Z)-isomer. SEC analysis of degradation products revealed moderate dispersities Đ of 1.6 to 1.8 and consistent average molecular weights M_n of ∼1000 g mol^-1. The presence of a defined hydroxyl end group permits attachment to other functional molecules. The novel pH-degradable PEGs combine various desirable properties such as excellent long-term storage stability and cleavage in a physiologically relevant pH-range that render them promising candidates for biomedical application.

Acid-Labile Amphiphilic PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO Copolymers: Degradable Poloxamer Analogs

Poly ((ethylene oxide)-b-(propylene oxide)-b-(ethylene oxide)) triblock copolymers commonly known as poloxamers or Pluronics constitute an important class of nonionic, biocompatible surfactants. Here, a method is reported to incorporate two acid-labile acetal moieties in the backbone of poloxamers to generate acid-cleavable nonionic surfactants. Poly(propylene oxide) is functionalized by means of an acetate-protected vinyl ether to introduce acetal units. Three cleavable PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers (Mn,total = 6600, 8000, 9150 g·mol(-1) ; Mn,PEO = 2200, 3600, 4750 g·mol(-1) ) have been synthesized using anionic ring-opening polymerization. The amphiphilic copolymers exhibit narrow molecular weight distributions (Ð = 1.06-1.08). Surface tension measurements reveal surface-active behavior in aqueous solution comparable to established noncleavable poloxamers. Complete hydrolysis of the labile junctions after acidic treatment is verified by size exclusion chromatography. The block copolymers have been employed as surfactants in a miniemulsion polymerization to generate polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles with mean diameters of ≈200 nm and narrow size distribution, as determined by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Acid-triggered precipitation facilitates removal of surfactant fragments from the nanoparticles, which simplifies purification and enables nanoparticle precipitation "on demand."

Polymerization of Ethylene Oxide, Propylene Oxide, and Other Alkylene Oxides: Synthesis, Novel Polymer Architectures, and Bioconjugation

The review summarizes current trends and developments in the polymerization of alkylene oxides in the last two decades since 1995, with a particular focus on the most important epoxide monomers ethylene oxide (EO), propylene oxide (PO), and butylene oxide (BO). Classical synthetic pathways, i.e., anionic polymerization, coordination polymerization, and cationic polymerization of epoxides (oxiranes), are briefly reviewed. The main focus of the review lies on more recent and in some cases metal-free methods for epoxide polymerization, i.e., the activated monomer strategy, the use of organocatalysts, such as N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) and N-heterocyclic olefins (NHOs) as well as phosphazene bases. In addition, the commercially relevant double-metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst systems are discussed. Besides the synthetic progress, new types of multifunctional linear PEG (mf-PEG) and PPO structures accessible by copolymerization of EO or PO with functional epoxide comonomers are presented as well as complex branched, hyperbranched, and dendrimer like polyethers. Amphiphilic block copolymers based on PEO and PPO (Poloxamers and Pluronics) and advances in the area of PEGylation as the most important bioconjugation strategy are also summarized. With the ever growing toolbox for epoxide polymerization, a "polyether universe" may be envisaged that in its structural diversity parallels the immense variety of structural options available for polymers based on vinyl monomers with a purely carbon-based backbone.

Biodegradable pH-Sensitive Poly(ethylene glycol) Nanocarriers for Allergen Encapsulation and Controlled Release

In the last decades, the number of allergic patients has increased dramatically. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the only available cause-oriented therapy so far. SIT reduces the allergic symptoms, but also exhibits some disadvantages; that is, it is a long-lasting procedure and severe side effects like anaphylactic shock can occur. In this work, we introduce a method to encapsulate allergens into nanoparticles to avoid severe side effects during SIT. Degradable nanocarriers combine the advantage of providing a physical barrier between the encapsulated cargo and the biological environment as well as responding to certain local stimuli (like pH) to release their cargo. This work introduces a facile strategy for the synthesis of acid-labile poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-macromonomers that degrade at pH 5 (physiological pH inside the endolysosome) and can be used for nanocarrier synthesis. The difunctional, water-soluble PEG dimethacrylate (PEG-acetal-DMA) macromonomers with cleavable acetal units were analyzed with 1H NMR, SEC, and MALDI-ToF-MS. Both the allergen and the macromonomers were entrapped inside liposomes as templates, which were produced by dual centrifugation (DAC). Radical polymerization of the methacrylate units inside the liposomes generated allergen-loaded PEG nanocarriers. In vitro studies demonstrated that dendritic cells (DCs) internalize the protein-loaded, nontoxic PEG-nanocarriers. Furthermore, we demonstrate by cellular antigen stimulation tests that the nanocarriers effectively shield the allergen cargo from detection by immunoglobulins on the surface of basophilic leucocytes. Uptake of nanocarriers into DCs does not lead to cell maturation; however, the internalized allergen was capable to induce T cell immune responses.