Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-Grafted Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Micelles Co-Loaded with Quercetin and DNA

The synergistic effect of drug and gene delivery is expected to significantly improve cancer therapy. However, it is still challenging to design suitable nanocarriers that are able to load simultaneously anticancer drugs and nucleic acids due to their different physico-chemical properties. In the present work, an amphiphilic block copolymer comprising a biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block and a multi-alkyne-functional biodegradable polycarbonate (PC) block was modified with a number of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) side chains applying the highly efficient azide-alkyne "click" chemistry reaction. The resulting cationic amphiphilic copolymer with block and graft architecture (MPEG-b-(PC-g-PDMAEMA)) self-associated in aqueous media into nanosized micelles which were loaded with the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer drug quercetin. The drug-loaded nanoparticles were further used to form micelleplexes in aqueous media through electrostatic interactions with DNA. The obtained nanoaggregates-empty and drug-loaded micelles as well as the micelleplexes intended for simultaneous DNA and drug codelivery-were physico-chemically characterized. Additionally, initial in vitro evaluations were performed, indicating the potential application of the novel polymer nanocarriers as drug delivery systems.

Design, Synthesis, and Acid-Responsive Disassembly of Shell-Sheddable Block Copolymer Labeled with Benzaldehyde Acetal Junction

Smart nanoassemblies degradable through the cleavage of acid-labile linkages have attracted significant attention because of their biological relevance found in tumor tissues. Despite their high potential to achieve controlled/enhanced drug release, a systematic understanding of structural factors that affect their pH sensitivity remains challenging, particulary in the consruction of effective acid-degradable shell-sheddable nanoassemblies. Herein, the authors report the synthesis and acid-responsive degradation through acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of three acetal and ketal diols and identify benzaldehyde acetal (BzAA) exhibiting optimal hydrolysis profiles in targeted pH ranges to be a suitable candidate for junction acid-labile linkage. The authors explore the synthesis and aqueous micellization of well-defined poly(ethylene glycol)-based block copolymer bearing BzAA linkage covalently attached to a polymethacrylate block for the formation of colloidally-stable nanoassemblies with BzAA groups at core/corona interfaces. Promisingly, the investigation on acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and disassembly shows that the formed nanoassemblies meet the criteria for acid-degradable shell-sheddable nanoassemblies: slow degradation at tumoral pH = 6.5 and rapid disassembly at endo/lysosomal pH = 5.0, while colloidal stability at physiological pH = 7.4. This work guides the design principle of acid-degradable shell-sheddable nanoassemblies bearing BzAA at interfaces, thus offering the promise to address the PEG dilemma and improve endocytosis in tumor-targeting drug delivery.

Recent Advances in the Application of ATRP in the Synthesis of Drug Delivery Systems

Advances in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) have enabled the precise design and preparation of nanostructured polymeric materials for a variety of biomedical applications. This paper briefly summarizes recent developments in the synthesis of bio-therapeutics for drug delivery based on linear and branched block copolymers and bioconjugates using ATRP, which have been tested in drug delivery systems (DDSs) over the past decade. An important trend is the rapid development of a number of smart DDSs that can release bioactive materials in response to certain external stimuli, either physical (e.g., light, ultrasound, or temperature) or chemical factors (e.g., changes in pH values and/or environmental redox potential). The use of ATRPs in the synthesis of polymeric bioconjugates containing drugs, proteins, and nucleic acids, as well as systems applied in combination therapies, has also received considerable attention.

Imidazole-Mediated Dual Location Disassembly of Acid-Degradable Intracellular Drug Delivery Block Copolymer Nanoassemblies

Acid-degradable (or acid-cleavable) polymeric nanoassemblies have witnessed significant progress in anti-cancer drug delivery. However, conventional nanoassemblies designed with acid-cleavable linkages at a single location have several challenges, such as, sluggish degradation, undesired aggregation of degraded products, and difficulty in controlled and on-demand drug release. Herein, a strategy that enables the synthesis of acid-cleavable nanoassemblies labeled with acetaldehyde acetal groups in both hydrophobic cores and at core/corona interfaces, exhibiting synergistic response to acidic pH at dual locations and thus inducing rapid drug release is reported. The systematic analyses suggest that the acid-catalyzed degradation and disassembly are further enhanced by decreasing copolymer concentration (i.e., increasing proton/acetal mole ratio). Moreover, incorporation of acid-ionizable imidazole pendants in the hydrophobic cores improve the encapsulation of doxorubicin, the anticancer drug, through π-π interactions and enhance the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of acetal linkages situated in the dual locations. Furthermore, the presence of the imidazole pendants induce the occurrence of core-crosslinking that compensates the kinetics of acetal hydrolysis and drug release. These results, combined with in vitro cell toxicity and cellular uptake, suggest the versatility of the dual location acid-degradation strategy in the design and development of effective intracellular drug delivery nanocarriers.

Development and disassembly of single and multiple acid-cleavable block copolymer nanoassemblies for drug delivery

Acid-degradable block copolymer-based nanoassemblies are promising intracellular candidates for tumor-targeting drug delivery as they exhibit the enhanced release of encapsulated drugs through their dissociation.

A dual responsive hyaluronic acid graft poly(ionic liquid) block copolymer micelle for an efficient CD44-targeted antitumor drug delivery

Illustration of the formation and elevated antitumor mechanism of the HA-g-mPEG-polymers nanocarriers.

Tumor-targeting intracellular drug delivery based on dual acid/reduction-degradable nanoassemblies with ketal interface and disulfide core locations

Dual acid/reduction-degradable block copolymer nanoassemblies both at core/corona interfaces and in micellar cores leading to synergistic and accelerated drug release for robust tumor-targeting intracellular drug delivery.

Dual-responsive core-crosslinked polyphosphoester-based nanoparticles for pH/redox-triggered anticancer drug delivery

The paper focuses on the preparation of biodegradable pH/redox dual-responsive core-crosslinked nanoparticles loaded with dual anticancer drugs PTX and DOX via synergetic electrostatic as well as hydrophobic interactions and their further application in tumor chemotherapy.

Acid-Cleavable Unimolecular Micelles from Amphiphilic Star Copolymers for Triggered Release of Anticancer Drugs

In this contribution, amphiphilic star copolymers (H40-star-PCL-a-PEG) with an H40 hyperbranched polyester core and poly(ε-caprolactone)-a-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer arms linked with acetal groups are synthesized using ring-opening polymerization and a copper (I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition click reaction. The acid-cleavable acetal groups between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments of the arms endow the amphiphilic star copolymers with pH responsiveness. In aqueous solution, unimolecular micelles can be formed with good stability and a unique acid degradability, as is desirable for anticancer drug carriers. For the model drug of doxorubicin, the in vitro release behavior, intracellular release, and inhibition of proliferation of HeLa cells show that the acid-cleavable unimolecular micelles with anticancer activity can be dissociated in an acidic environment and efficiently internalized by HeLa cells. Due to the acid-cleavable and biodegradable nature, unimolecular micelles from amphiphilic star copolymers are promising for applications in intracellular drug delivery for cancer chemotherapy.

Synthesis and properties of an acid-labile dual-sensitive ABCD star quaterpolymer

Copolymer aggregates formed from an amphiphilic ABCD star could exhibit acid-induced topological and morphological transformations and stimuli-triggered drug delivery properties.

Synthesis and properties of antifouling poly(CL-co-zDMAEMA) zwitterionic copolymer by one-step hybrid copolymerization

A novel biocompatible and biodegradable copolymer was synthesized by one-step hybrid copolymerization of ε-caprolactone (CL) and 2-(N,N-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) employing (1-tert-butyl-4,4,4-tris(dimethylamino)-2,2-bis[tris(dimethylamino)phophoranylidenamino]-2Λ5,Λ5-catenadi(phosphazene) (t-BuP4) as a catalyst. The as-synthesized copolymer was betainizated resulting in a zwitterionic copolymer poly(CL-co-zDMAEMA) and the structure of the zwitterionic copolymer was confirmed by the FT-IR, NMR, and XPS measurements. The results of dynamic light scattering (DLS) show that this zwitterionic copolymer can self-assemble into stable micelles. The results of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) analysis and MTT measurement suggest that this zwitterionic copolymer possess better protein resistance and lower cell cytotoxicity in vitro in comparison with the cationic copolymer. The pyrene solubilization measurement of copolymers poly(CL-co-zDMAEMA) indicates an excellent pyrene solubilization capacity. These zwitterionic polymer micelles can release drugs in response to specific signals, such as temperature, pH, and enzymes and have a potential application in drug delivery and gene therapy due to their good antifouling, low cytotoxicity and high pyrene solubilization.

Multi-responsive graft copolymer micelles comprising acetal and disulfide linkages for stimuli-triggered drug delivery

Dual-cleavable polymeric aggregates were efficiently used for thermo-, pH and reduction triggered controlled release of doxorubicin due to the stimuli-dependent topological transformation and reaggregation of copolymer aggregates.