title: Novel smart yolk/shell polymer microspheres as a multiply responsive cargo delivery system.
abstract: An effective strategy was developed to fabricate the novel dually thermo- and pH-responsive yolk/shell polymer microspheres as a drug delivery system (DDS) for the controlled release of anticancer drugs via two-stage distillation precipitation polymerization and seed precipitation polymerization. Their pH-induced thermally responsive polymer shells act as a smart "valve" to adjust the diffusion of the loaded drugs in/out of the polymer containers according to the body environments, while the movable P(MAA-co-EGDMA) cores enhance the drug loading capacity for the anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX). The yolk/shell polymer microspheres show a low leakage at high pH values but significantly enhanced release at lower pH values equivalent to the tumor body fluid environments at human body temperature, exhibiting the apparent tumor-environment-responsive controlled "on-off" drug release characteristics. Meanwhile, the yolk/shell microspheres expressed very low in vitro cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells. Consequently, their precise tumor-environment-responsive drug delivery performance and high drug loading capacity offer promise for tumor therapy.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University , Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Pengcheng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D005026:Ethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D008863:Microspheres; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005026:Ethylene Glycols; D008689:Methacrylates; C502776:poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate); D004317:Doxorubicin