Doxorubicin-loaded micelles based on multiarm star-shaped PLGA–PEG block copolymers: influence of arm numbers on drug delivery

Guilei Ma, Chao Zhang, Linhua Zhang, Hongfan Sun, Cunxian Song, Chun Wang, Deling Kong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Scopus citations

Abstract

Abstract: Star-shaped block copolymers based on poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (st-PLGA–PEG) were synthesized with structural variation on arm numbers in order to investigate the relationship between the arm numbers of st-PLGA–PEG copolymers and their micelle properties. st-PLGA–PEG copolymers with arm numbers 3, 4 and 6 were synthesized by using different cores such as trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol and dipentaerythritol, and were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography. The critical micelle concentration decreased with increasing arm numbers in st-PLGA–PEG copolymers. The doxorubicin-loaded st-PLGA–PEG micelles were prepared by a modified nanoprecipitation method. Micellar properties such as particle size, drug loading content and in vitro drug release behavior were investigated as a function of the number of arms and compared with each other. The doxorubicin-loaded 4-arm PLGA–PEG micelles were found to have the highest cellular uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity compared with 3-arm PLGA–PEG micelles and 6-arm PLGA–PEG micelles. The results suggest that structural tailoring of arm numbers from st-PLGA–PEG copolymers could provide a new strategy for designing drug carriers of high efficiency. Graphical Abstract: Structural tailoring of arm numbers from star shaped-PLGA–PEG copolymers (3-arm/4-arm/6-arm-PLGA–PEG) could provide a new strategy for designing drug carriers of high efficiency.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number17
Pages (from-to)1-15
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine
Volume27
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2016

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© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

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