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Water-soluble polymer micelles formed from amphiphilic diblock copolymers bearing pendant phosphorylcholine and methoxyethyl groups

Polymer Journal volume 53, pages 805–814 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Amphiphilic diblock copolymers (M98En) composed of hydrophilic poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC, M) and hydrophobic poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA, E) were prepared via controlled radical polymerization. The degree of polymerization (DP) of the PMPC block was 98, and the DP values of the PMEA block (=n) were 95 and 314. In water, M98En formed micelles with hydrophobic PMEA cores and hydrophilic PMPC shells. The size, density, and aggregation number of M98E314 were larger than those of M98E95 because the hydrophobic interactions became stronger with increasing PMEA block length. A hydrophobic anticancer agent, i.e., doxorubicin, was encapsulated into the core of the polymer micelles to assess the potential of these micelles as carriers in a drug delivery system. Micelles formed from M98En did not interact with proteins in the aqueous solution because the micelle surfaces were covered with biocompatible PMPC shells.

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Funding

This study was funded by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (17H03071) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), JSPS Bilateral Joint Research Projects (JPJSBP120203509), and the Cooperative Research Program of “Network Joint Research Center for Materials and Devices (20204034).”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Hyogo, Shosha, Himeji, Hyogo, Japan

    Alisa Tsuji, Thi Lien Nguyen, Yoko Mizoue & Shin-ichi Yusa

  2. Department of Materials Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Kazuhiko Ishihara

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  1. Alisa Tsuji
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Correspondence to Shin-ichi Yusa.

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Tsuji, A., Nguyen, T.L., Mizoue, Y. et al. Water-soluble polymer micelles formed from amphiphilic diblock copolymers bearing pendant phosphorylcholine and methoxyethyl groups. Polym J 53, 805–814 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00482-2

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