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Preparation and Characterization of Individual and Multi-drug Loaded Physically Entrapped Polymeric Micelles
Published on: August 28, 2015
Morpholino-decorated long circulating polymeric micelles with the function of surface charge transition triggered by
Yan Zhang1, Chenhong Wang, Chuang Xu
1Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials (Ministry of Education), Institute of Polymer Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|July 13, 2013
Summary
Morpholino-functionalized micelles exhibit stealth properties at physiological pH but become positively charged in acidic tumor environments. This pH-dependent charge switch enhances cellular uptake in tumors, improving drug delivery potential.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Drug Delivery Systems
Background:
- Micelles are crucial nanocarriers for drug delivery.
- Stealth properties are essential to evade immune detection.
- Tumor microenvironments exhibit unique acidic pH characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop pH-responsive micelles for enhanced tumor targeting.
- To investigate the surface charge modulation of morpholino-functionalized micelles.
- To evaluate the impact of pH on micelle cellular uptake.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of morpholino-functionalized micelles.
- Surface charge analysis at different pH values.
- In vitro cellular uptake studies.
Main Results:
- Micelles displayed stealth behavior at pH 7.4 due to unprotonated morpholino groups.
- Micelles became positively charged at acidic pH (<7) due to morpholino group protonation.
- Positive surface charge at tumor pH significantly promoted cellular uptake.
Conclusions:
- Morpholino-functionalized micelles offer a pH-triggered strategy for targeted drug delivery.
- The tunable surface charge enhances therapeutic efficacy by improving tumor cell interaction.
- These micelles represent a promising platform for cancer nanomedicine.
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