Polyether-Based Lipids Synthesized with an Epoxide Construction Kit: Multivalent Architectures for Functional Liposomes. In: Scholz C, Kressler J, editors. Tailored Polymer Architectures for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications. Washington: American Chemical Society; 2013. pp. 11-25. [DOI: 10.1021/bk-2013-1135.ch002]

Surface Modification of Nanoparticles and Nanovesicles via Click-Chemistry

Surface modification of nanocarriers offers the possibility of targeted drug delivery, which is of major interest in modern pharmaceutical science. Click-chemistry affords an easy and fast way to modify the surface with targeting structures under mild reaction conditions. Here we describe our current method for the post-preparational surface modification of multifunctional sterically stabilized (stealth) liposomes via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and inverse electron demand Diels-Alder norbornene-tetrazine cycloaddition (IEDDA). We emphasize the use of these in a one-pot orthogonal reaction for deep investigation on stability and targeting of nanocarriers. As the production of clickable amphiphilic polymers is a limiting factor in most cases, we also describe our nanocarrier preparation technique called dual centrifugation, which enables the formulation of liposomes on a single-digit milligram scale of total lipid mass.

Fabrication and Characterization of Hybrid Stealth Liposomes

Next-generation liposome systems for anticancer and therapeutic delivery require the precise insertion of stabilizing polymers and targeting ligands. Many of these functional macromolecules may be lost to micellization as a competing self-assembly landscape. Here, hybrid stealth liposomes, which utilize novel cholesteryl-functionalized block copolymers as the molecular stabilizer, are explored as a scalable platform to address this limitation. The employed block copolymers offer resistance to micellization through multiple liposome insertion moieties per molecule. A combination of thermodynamic and structural investigations for a series of hybrid stealth liposome systems suggests that a critical number of cholesteryl moieties per molecule defines whether the copolymer will or will not insert into the liposome bilayer. Colloidal stability of formed hybrid stealth liposomes further corroborates the critical copolymer architecture value.

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.

Evaluation of multifunctional liposomes in human blood serum by light scattering

To overcome the limited functionality of "stealth" lipids based on linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains, hyperbranched polyether-based lipids that bear multiple hydroxyl groups for further chemical modification may be a suitable replacement. This study focuses on the development and characterization of "stealth" liposomes modified with a novel hyperbranched polyglycerol lipid (cholesterol-PEG30-hbPG23). An emphasis was placed on the stability of these liposomes in comparison to those containing a linear PEG derivative (cholesterol-PEG44) directly in human blood serum, characterized via dynamic light scattering (DLS). Polymer lipid contents were varied between 0 and 30 mol %, resulting in liposomes with sizes between 150 and 80 nm in radius, depending on the composition. DLS analysis showed no aggregation inducing interactions between serum components and liposomes containing 10-30 mol % of the hyperbranched lipid. In contrast, liposomes functionalized with comparable amounts of linear PEG exhibited aggregate formation in the size range of 170-330 nm under similar conditions. In addition to DLS, cryo-transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed for all liposome samples to prove the formation of unilamellar vesicles. These results demonstrate the outstanding potential of the introduction of hyperbranched polyglycerol into liposomes to stabilize the assemblies against aggregation while providing additional functionalization sites.