Self-Assembled pH-Responsive Polymeric Micelles for Highly Efficient, Noncytotoxic Delivery of Doxorubicin Chemotherapy To Inhibit Macrophage Activation: In Vitro Investigation.

Self-assembled pH-responsive polymeric micelles, a combination of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) segments and hydrogen bonding interactions within a biocompatible polyurethane substrate, can spontaneously self-assemble into highly controlled, nanosized micelles in aqueous solution. These newly developed micelles exhibit excellent pH-responsive behavior and biocompatibility, highly controlled drug (doxorubicin; DOX) release behavior, and high drug encapsulation stability in different aqueous environments, making the micelles highly attractive potential candidates for safer, more effective drug delivery in applications such as cancer chemotherapy. In addition, in vitro cell studies revealed the drug-loaded micelles possessed excellent drug entrapment stability and low cytotoxicity toward macrophages under normal physiological conditions (pH 7.

Self-Assembled Supramolecular Nanogels as a Safe and Effective Drug Delivery Vector for Cancer Therapy.

Simple construction and manipulation of low-molecular-weight supramolecular nanogels, based on the introduction of multiple hydrogen bonding interactions, with the desired physical properties to achieve effective and safe delivery of drugs for cancer therapy remain highly challenging. Herein, a novel supramolecular oligomer cytosine (Cy)-polypropylene glycol containing self-complementary multiple hydrogen-bonded Cy moieties is developed, which undergoes spontaneous self-assembly to form nanosized particles in an aqueous environment. Phase transitions and scattering studies confirm that the supramolecular nanogels can be readily tailored to obtain the desired phase-transition temperature and temperature-induced release of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX).

Nucleobase-Functionalized Supramolecular Micelles with Tunable Physical Properties for Efficient Controlled Drug Release.

Complementary nucleobase-functionalized polymeric micelles, a combination of adenine-thymine (A-U) base pairs and a blend of hydrophilic-hydrophobic polymer pairs, can be used to construct 3D supramolecular polymer networks; these micelles exhibit excellent self-assembly ability in aqueous solution, rapid pH-responsiveness, high drug loading capacity, and triggerable drug release. In this study, a multi-uracil functionalized poly(ε-caprolactone) (U-PCL) and adenine end-capped difunctional oligomeric poly(ethylene glycol) (BA-PEG) are successfully developed and show high affinity and specific recognition in solution owing to dynamically reversible A-U-induced formation of physical cross-links. The U-PCL/BA-PEG blend system produces supramolecular micelles that can be readily adjusted to provide the desired critical micellization concentration, particle size, and stability.