Furan-functionalized co-polymers for targeted drug delivery: characterization, self-assembly and drug encapsulation

We have previously reported furan-maleimide Diels-Alder chemistry as a new methodology to couple maleimide-modified antibodies on furan-functionalized polymeric carriers in the preparation of immuno-nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery. In this report, we focus on the characterization, self-assembly behavior and drug encapsulation of two types of furan-functionalized co-polymers: poly(2-methyl, 2-carboxytrimethylene carbonate-co-D,L-lactide)-furan (poly(TMCC-co-LA)-furan) and poly(2-methyl, 2-carboxytrimethylene carbonate-co-D,L-lactide)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)-furan (poly(TMCC-co-LA)-g-PEG-furan). The co-polymers were synthesized by modifying the carboxylic acid groups on the poly(TMCC-co-LA) backbone by either furfurylamine or PEG-furan to generate either linear co-polymers of poly(TMCC-co-LA)-furan with furan pendant groups or graft co-polymers of poly(TMCC-co-LA)-g-PEG-furan with furan-terminated PEG grafts, respectively. Using a membrane dialysis method, both of the co-polymers were self-assembled into nanoparticles in aqueous environments driven by the hydrophobic association among polymer chains. The hydrophobic domains in the nanoparticles were confirmed by the incorporation of pyrene molecules and the critical aggregation concentrations were determined to be approximately 5 x 10(-5) mM for poly(TMCC-co-LA)-furan and 2 x 10(-4) mM for poly(TMCC-co-LA)-g-PEG-furan. By the addition of borate buffer in the organic solvent used to dissolve the co-polymers in the dialysis procedure, we were able to control the size of the nanoparticles: 54-169 nm for poly(TMCC-co-LA)-furan and 28-283 nm for poly(TMCC-co-LA)-g-PEG-furan. This unique feature can be explained by the ionization of carboxylic acid groups along the co-polymer backbone. A hydrophobic anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), was encapsulated within the nanoparticles, with the larger size nanoparticles incorporating greater amounts of DOX. Combining the strategy of antibody-mediated targeting, these self-assembled nanoparticles have potential as efficient anti-cancer drug carriers.