pH-sensitive micelles for targeted drug delivery prepared using a novel membrane contactor method.

A novel membrane contactor method was used to produce size-controlled poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polycaprolactone (PEG-PCL) copolymer micelles composed of diblock copolymers with different average molecular weights, Mn (9200 or 10,400 Da) and hydrophilic fractions, f (0.67 or 0.59).

Synthesis and micellization of a pH-sensitive diblock copolymer for drug delivery.

A diblock copolymer constituting of a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and a polycaprolactone (PCL) segment, linked with a pH-sensitive hydrazone bond (Hyd), was synthesized. Micelles formed from this copolymer, offer the advantage of encapsulating hydrophobic drugs without the need for conjugation sites. All synthesized polymers were characterized using gel permeation chromatography, infrared and proton nuclear spectroscopies.