A charge neutral, size tuneable polymersome capable of high biological encapsulation efficiency and cell permeation

The field of therapeutics is evolving to include a greater proportion of higher molecular weight, hydrophilic biological compounds. To cater for this new era in healthcare the concomitant development of appropriate drug delivery systems is essential to aid cellular permeation. In this manuscript we present the synthesis, characterisation and biological evaluation of a charge neutral polymersome (Ps) based drug delivery system (DDS) using an amphiphilic pegylated random copolymer. A detailed dynamic light scattering study revealed that the hydrodynamic diameter of the Ps can be tailored to a specific size simply by varying the quantities and ratios used during the preparation step. The zeta potential of this new drug delivery system was determined to be -0.095 ± 0.037 mV, the encapsulation efficiency of Fitc-CM-Dextran (4 KDa) was 70%, the uptake of Fitc-CM-Dextran by Hela cells was increased 4-fold when encapsulated within the polymersomal system. The facile preparation, high loading capacity and size tuneable nature of this Ps renders it a promising alternative to the ever growing array of currently available Ps.