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A surface-adaptive nanocarrier to prolong circulation time and enhance cellular uptake
Tangjian Cheng1, Rujiang Ma, Yumin Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China. shilinqi@nankai.edu.cn.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|August 27, 2015
Summary
Adaptive mixed-shell micelles (MSMs) made from poly(β-amino ester) (PAE) change their surface properties. This allows for longer circulation in the blood and better cellular uptake in tumors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Polymeric micelles are widely investigated drug delivery systems.
- Controlling micelle properties in vivo remains a challenge.
- Tumor microenvironments exhibit distinct pH values compared to normal tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop mixed-shell micelles (MSMs) with adaptive surface properties.
- To investigate the pH-responsive behavior of poly(β-amino ester) (PAE) based MSMs.
- To evaluate the potential of these MSMs for improved drug delivery.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of poly(β-amino ester) (PAE) polymers.
- Formation and characterization of mixed-shell micelles (MSMs).
- In vitro studies to assess pH-dependent surface property changes.
- Evaluation of circulation time and cellular uptake in relevant models.
Main Results:
- MSMs exhibited rapid and reversible surface property changes in response to pH variations.
- The adaptive surface prolonged circulation time at physiological pH (7.4).
- Enhanced cellular uptake was observed at tumor-associated acidic pH (6.5).
Conclusions:
- PAE-based MSMs offer a promising strategy for stimuli-responsive drug delivery.
- The adaptive surface functionality can be tuned by controlling polymer protonation/deprotonation.
- These MSMs demonstrate potential for overcoming biological barriers and improving therapeutic efficacy.
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