Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (PISA) for in situ drug encapsulation or drug conjugation in cancer application

Hypothesis: We describe the possibility of using the same block copolymer carriers prepared by PISA for in situ drug encapsulation or drug conjugation.Experiments: Block copolymers containing poly((ethylene glycol) methacrylate)-co-poly (pentafluorophenyl methacrylate)-b-poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (P((PEGMA-co-PFBMA)-b- PHPMA)) were synthesized at 10 wt% using PISA. The first approach involved in situ Doxorubicin (DOX) loading during PISA, while the second exhibited surface functionalization of PISA-made vesicles with dual drug therapies, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and DOX using para-fluoro-thiol reaction (PFTR) and carbodiimide chemistry, respectively. Cytotoxicity, cell uptake, and cell apoptosis were assessed on MDA-MB-231 cell lines.Findings: P((PEGMA-co-PFBMA)-b-PHPMA) nanocarriers were prepared, showing size and shape transformations from spheres, cylinders to raspberry-forming vesicles. DOX was readily loaded into NPs during PISA with relatively high encapsulation efficiency of 70 %, whereas the plain PISA-made vesicles could be functionalized with NAC and DOX at high yields. DOX-free NPs showed biocompatibility, whilst DOXconjugated NPs imparted a concentration-dependent cytotoxicity, as well as an enhanced cell uptake compared to free DOX. The results demonstrated that the same PISA-derived self-assemblies enabled either in situ drug encapsulation, or post-polymerization surface engineering with useful functionalities upon tuning the macro-CTA block, thus holding promises for future drug delivery and biomedical applications.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.