A ROS-responsive polymeric micelle with a π-conjugated thioketal moiety for enhanced drug loading and efficient drug delivery

Org Biomol Chem. 2017 Nov 7;15(43):9176-9185. doi: 10.1039/c7ob01975k.

Abstract

As the implications of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are elucidated in many diseases, ROS-responsive nanoparticles are attracting great interest from researchers. In this work, a ROS sensitive thioketal (TK) moiety with a π-conjugated structure was introduced into biodegradable methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-thioketal-poly(ε-caprolactone)mPEG-TK-PCL micelles as a linker, which was designed to speed up the drug release and thus enhance the therapeutic efficacy. The micelle showed a high drug loading content of 12.8% and excellent stability under physiological conditions because of the evocation of π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The polymeric micelle presented a better drug carrier capacity and higher in vitro anticancer efficacy towards cancer cells. The in vivo study showed that DOX-loaded mPEG-TK-PCL micelles displayed lower toxicity towards normal cells and remarkably enhanced antitumor efficacy. This research provides a way to design potential drug carriers for efficient cancer chemotherapy.

MeSH terms

  • Acetals / chemistry*
  • Animals
  • Biological Transport
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Doxorubicin / chemistry
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry*
  • Drug Carriers / metabolism
  • Drug Liberation
  • Ketones / chemistry
  • Mice
  • Micelles*
  • Polymers / chemistry*

Substances

  • Acetals
  • Drug Carriers
  • Ketones
  • Micelles
  • Polymers
  • Doxorubicin