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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
pH-sensitive amphiphilic triblock copolymers containing ortho ester main-chains as efficient drug delivery platforms
Jun Wang1, Yu Lu1, Shuting Li1
1Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials, School of Life Sciences, Anhui Key Laboratory of Modern Biomanufacturing, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, PR China.
Abstract:
Triblock copolymer PEG-block-poly(ortho ester urethane)-block-PEG (PEG-POEU-PEG) was conveniently prepared via polycondensation reaction between the ortho ester-containing diol and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) at varying reaction time followed by termination with polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (mPEG). PEG-POEU-PEG could further self-assemble into nano-scaled micelles. Ortho ester degradation in these micelles was significantly accelerated at pH 5.0 due to its pH sensitivity. In vitro drug release profiles showed that only a small amount of the loaded DOX was released in PBS solution at pH 7.4, while DOX could be quickly released at pH 5.0. MTT assay reveals that the micelles were completely nontoxic to cultured cells. Moreover, DOX-loaded micelles exhibited efficient antitumor efficiency against cancer cells. Therefore, the micelles may be potential drug carriers in cancer therapy.
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