Emulsifying properties of biodegradable polylactide-grafted dextran copolymers

Amphiphilic glycopolymers, polylactide-grafted dextran copolymers (Dex-g-PLA), were synthesized with a well-controlled architecture obtained through a three-step procedure: partial silylation of the dextran hydroxyl groups, ring-opening polymerization of D,L-lactide initiated from remaining hydroxyl groups, silylether deprotection under very mild conditions. Depending on their proportion in polylactide (PLA), these copolymers exhibited solubility either in water or in organic solvents. The emulsifying properties of these glycopolymers were studied: depending on their PLA-to-dextran ratio, they were able to stabilize either direct or inverse emulsions. Droplet size was related to the amount of amphiphilic copolymer in the continuous phase. The aging mechanism of both direct and inverse emulsions was shown to be Ostwald ripening in the first weeks following preparation. Finally inverse miniemulsion copolymerization of acrylamide and N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide was performed in the presence of an amphiphilic Dex-g-PLA stabilizer. Polyacrylamide hydrogel nanoparticles were prepared in that way.