Chondroitin sulfate-g-poly(ϵ-caprolactone) co-polymer aggregates as potential targeting drug carriers.

The aim of this study is to delineate the effect of various amounts of hydrophobic polycaprolactone (PCL) grafted onto three different degrees of methacrylated chondroitin sulfate (CSMA) on chemical-physical properties. The co-polymers were prepared by reacting the modified PCL and the hydrophilic CSMA via a radical reaction (CSMA-PCL). The effect of degree of methacrylation of CSMA and feed ratio between CSMA and PCL on compositions and critical micelle concentrations was systematically studied.

Biodegradable amphiphilic copolymers based on poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-graft chondroitin sulfate as drug carriers.

The goal of this study was to develop a new type of core-shell micelles based on biocompatible and biodegradable amphiphilic copolymers, named PCL-CS, using chondroitin sulfate (CS) as a hydrophilic segment and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) as a hydrophobic segment. The copolymers, prepared from the various compositions between CS and PCL, were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, and differential scanning calorimeter. The PCL-CS copolymers could be assembled into micelles using a simple emulsion.