Nano-sized supramolecular agregates of amphiphilic linear-dendritic copolymers for the solubilization of hydrophobic compounds

In this study a fully esteric amphiphilic linear-dendritic block copolymer composed of polycaprolactone(PCL) as linear and polycitric acid (PCA) as dendritic parts was synthesized and evaluated for its potential as solubilizingagent for hydrophobic compounds. Linear-dendritic copolymer is composed of hydrophobic linear and hydrophilicdendritic parts. In aqueous solutions the linear-dendritic copolymer formed spherical micelles including a hydrophilicshell and a hydrophobic core above the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The results of this study showed that theformed micelles can encapsulate hydrophobic molecules such as pyrene into their hydrophobic core. Taking advantageof esteric backbone, linear-dendritic copolymers can be hydrolyzed in acidic environments, resulting in disassembly ofmicelles and release the cargo. Using biocompatible and biodegradable blocks in linear-dendritic copolymer gives it thepotential application for hydrophobic drug delivery and solubility enhancement. Block copolymers were characterizedusing HNMR, IR spectroscopy thermogravimetery analysis (TGA). The data obtained from scanning electron microscope(SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential analyzer showed the formation of micelles between 50-60 nmin diameter with negative surface charge with good dispersity.

کلیدواژه ها:

self-assembly ، linear-dendritic block copolymer ، micelles ، drug delivery