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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Facile Synthesis of Worm-like Micelles by Visible Light Mediated Dispersion Polymerization Using Photoredox Catalyst
Published on: June 8, 2016
Synthesis and Biological Properties of Porphyrin-Containing Polymeric Micelles with Different Sizes
Jialiang Zhang1, Zhengkui Zhang1, Bo Yu1
1MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, Department of Polymer Science & Engineering, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Nanotechnology, Nanjing University , Nanjing, 210093, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
To understand the size effect of polymeric micelles on their biological properties, such as cellular uptake, biodistribution, tumor accumulation, and so on, we prepared a series of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded protoporphyrin (PP)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) micelles with different diameters (40, 70, 100, and 130 nm). The incorporation of the protoporphyrin moiety enhanced the stability of the micelles and provided luminescent capability that is useful in the investigation of the cellular uptake of the micelles by fluorescence imaging. The biodistributions of the micelles in mice bearing tumors were evaluated by near-infrared fluorescence imaging and DOX concentration measurements in different tissues. The in vitro and in vivo investigations demonstrated the pronounced dependence of the cellular uptake, biodistribution, and antitumor effectiveness of the micelles on their size.

