Synthesis of folate mediated carboxymethyl cellulose fatty acid ester and application in drug controlled release

An amphiphilic polymer, carboxymethyl cellulose-laurate (CMC-C₁₂), was synthesized by esterification of water-soluble carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and hydrophobic lauroyl chloride. Folate, a cancer-cell-specific ligand, was conjugated to CMC-C₁₂ to obtain folate-CMC-C₁₂ (FA-CMC-C₁₂) which could be targeted to folate-receptor-overexpressing cancer cells. FA-CMC-C₁₂ was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The amphiphilic polymer, FA-CMC-C₁₂, can self-assemble into micelles with spherical morphology. The anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was entrapped inside FA-CMC-C₁₂ micelles. The sustained release of DOX was studied in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 5.6. It indicates that the drug release rates of DOX is about 85% with excess β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) which far exceed the drug release rates of DOX without β-CD.