title: Structure-property relationship in cytotoxicity and cell uptake of poly(2-oxazoline) amphiphiles.
abstract: The family of poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) is being increasingly investigated in the context of biomedical applications. We tested the relative cytotoxicity of POx and were able to confirm that these polymers are typically not cytotoxic even at high concentrations. Furthermore, we report structure-uptake relationships of a series of amphiphilic POx block copolymers that have different architectures, molar mass and chain termini. The rate of endocytosis can be fine-tuned over a broad range by changing the polymer structure. The cellular uptake increases with the hydrophobic character of the polymers and is observed even at nanomolar concentrations. Considering the structural versatility of this class of polymers, the relative ease of preparation and their stability underlines the potential of POx as a promising platform candidate for the preparation of next-generation polymer therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: WACKER-Lehrstuhl für Makromolekulare Stoffe, Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85747 Garching, Germany. robert.luxenhofer@chemie.tu-dresden.de
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luxenhofer
authors.forename: Gaurav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sahay
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alakhova
authors.forename: Tatiana K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Bronich
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Alexander V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kabanov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D002470:Cell Survival; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D010080:Oxazoles; D011108:Polymers